Trails in Ticino

A trail between palm trees and glaciers: Ticino dares to do the splits 🌴. South of the Alps, this Italian-speaking canton unfolds paths that plunge toward Lake Maggiore and climb to peaks of more than 3,000 m. For a trail in Ticino, the choice is between wild valleys, turquoise lakes and stone villages.

The terrain changes character with every valley. The Verzasca Valley lines up gorges with emerald waters, the Valle Maggia unrolls stone paths among chestnut trees, and the Leventina climbs gently toward the Gotthard. The mild, sunny climate opens the season as early as March and extends it until November. Only the heat of midsummer calls for an early start in the morning ☀️. The dry-stone trails, sometimes steep, require careful footing. The mountain huts, often open in summer, serve a soup or a hot meal, perfect for extending your outing without stress and with a smile.

The Ticino trail calendar remains compact, but promising. In June, the BancaStato Morobbia Trail starts from Pianezzo, near Bellinzona, for a run through the Morobbia valley. In October, Runthrough Ascona-Locarno sets up on the shores of Lake Maggiore, between Ascona and Locarno 🌿. To climb higher, the trails in neighboring Graubünden and the trails in Switzerland offer a wide choice.

Hermann Hesse lived in Montagnola, near Lugano, and found there a place to recharge: a trail by the lake has roughly the same effect, with a race bib on top 😄. After the effort, polenta and risotto, local specialties, delight the hungry 🍚. From a first introductory trail to a full-day outing, everyone chooses their race according to their level, their craving for sun and the weather of the day.