GTA Variant of mid Val Vermenagna: Stage 67B Vernante - Rifugio Garelli | Lake Maggiore, Lake Orta, Lake Mergozzo and Ossola Valleys

Highlights and tour details

From the centre of Vernante, go up in an easterly direction towards the Tetto Cesa and Tetto Bodino, passing by the Roman fountain, from which you go down in the Vallone Salet. Then you go back up towards Tetto Tola. After a short flat traverse, cross the Vallone di Santa Lucia and descend to Tetto Rullin and Tetto Polendo, immersed in a pleasant alternation of woods and pastures. Follow on to Tetto Risso, Tetto Cabilla and Tetto Butel until you reach the Vallone di Ceresole at the Agriturismo L'Agrifoglio. The route continues southwards, brushing the Vallone di San Bernardo with the homonymous country church and the golf course. Once past the little church, continue eastwards on a dirt track towards the southern slopes of the Costa Testette del Bric Costa Rossa (2404 m) as far as Casali Brozer. Now the path becomes steeper and it soon leads to the 1481 m of Colletto dell'Almellina. Continue for a short stretch along the ridge between the little valleys of Almellina and Sottana until you reach, at an altitude of 1526 m, the L11 mule track. The path continues meandering along the ridge towards NE up to an altitude of 2050 m where it branches off to the right following the L11b fork to the nearby Colle Vaccarile (2050 m) where it meets the L27 path coming from Capanna Chiara. You are on the Vermenagna-Pesio watershed and you start to descend in this last valley (H12) initially through meadows following some signposts that lead south-east to Gias soprano del Vaccarile (1911 m). You cross the grassy plateau and, after passing a few rocks, continue southwards cutting across the hillside and crossing two brooks until reaching Gias sottano del Vaccarile (1668 m). From here you go around a ridge and start to descend more decisively with narrow hairpin bends leaving the fork on the right that leads to Passo di Baban, Gias dell'Ortica and Passo del Duca and finally reaching Gias Fontana (1218 m). Here you ignore the forks for the paths that, on the right, go up towards the Pesio springs (the waterfall visible from Gias is beautiful) and continue on a slight descent to Pian delle Gorre. You then take the dirt road on the right that leads into the Salto valley. Ignore the first track (not well marked) on the left to Pian del Creus, then cross a masonry bridge next to a small waterfall, ignore a dirt track on the right and also ignore the fork (marked) for Pian del Creus and Vallone di Serpentera (signpost H06) on the left. Continue straight ahead on a modest slope until you reach "Il Saut", where the road forms a small clearing. Here take the mule track on the left to Rifugio Garelli and the Vallone di Sestrera (signpost H01). The mule track immediately climbs steeply with numerous hairpin bends, in a cool forest of mixed spruce and broadleaf trees. When it finally flattens slightly, leave the fork on the left with the path that leads to Pian del Creus, cross a stream on a small wooden bridge and reach Rifugio Sestrera sottano (formerly Gias sottano di Sestrera, 1341 m). From here you continue on H08 that goes up the Vallone di Sestrera, brushing Gias Soprano di Sestrera (1840 m) and finally arriving at Rifugio Garelli (1966 m).