Itineraries to do in the day
ITINERARY 4 - LOOP ROUTE
Passit Pass and Alp da Confin
The start of this route is from the San Bernardino Hostel, in whose parking lot you can leave your car. You take a small paved road that after crossing the stream comes out near the little house that serves as a ticket office for the cross-country ski trail in winter. The first half-hour walk, on mostly flat dirt road, leads to Isola Lake. Continue until you meet the junction for Alp d’Ocola and Pass di Passit: from here you enter the fir forest along the trail, which now begins to climb sharply, and then continues between steep but short inclines and long false-floors. Once out of the woods the climb begins to become more challenging and the path less obvious, but just pay attention to the markers, which are frequent and clearly visible. After about two hours from the start we conquer Pass de Passit, from which we can admire the peaks of Fopela and Piz Arbeola, as well as two beautiful small lakes. After a stop, continue in the direction of Alp de Confin and Confin Basso, along a last stretch of fairly steep ascent. When you reach a saddle that opens onto the lower part of the Mesolcina Valley, it is worth stopping to catch your breath while admiring the view from here of the spires of Piz de Mucia, Piz de Confin, and the San Bernardino Pass. Shortly after, a stake indicates the goal: Alp de Confin is not far away. Those who are tired can instead follow the main route to Lower Confin, saving over an hour’s walk but missing out on one of the most beautiful places on the entire hike. We then recommend continuing along a rather quiet ascent that soon leads to the vast plateau of Alp de Confin and its many small lakes. The highest point of the hike is the nearby ski lift house (2295 meters). Then begins the descent, which if in the first section is quite steep, soon gives way to a path that loses altitude gently. Important to keep an eye on the markers at all times, as it is easy to lose sight of the trail at this point. When you reach the Confin Basso lift station, cross the stream over the small bridge and continue until you cross the signs for San Bernardino. The descent is smooth and winds along long falsiplans in the forest, first of larch then of fir, where striking glimpses of Piz Uccello and Val Vignun open up. When you reach the bottom of the descent, you will soon come across a small house with a fountain; at the fork, it is recommended to turn left to come out at the start of the ski lifts, a few minutes’ walk from the hostel parking lot.
Difficulty T2
Distance 10.2 km
Duration 4:10 h
Highest point 2,190 m
Lowest point 1,600 m