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Best Alpine Meadow Hikes in Ticino

There are 20 hikes in Ticino in our database that fit. They average 10.6 km and 692 m (2,270 ft) of ascent, with the longest running to 41.4 km.

That is 9 percent of the 223 routes we map in Ticino. They run noticeably longer than average for the area, 10.6 km against 7.8 km, so budget more daylight than a typical outing here. The climbing is steeper too: 692 m (2,270 ft) on average versus 410 m (1,345 ft) across the wider area.

High pasture walking sits above the treeline, at its best in early summer when the meadows are in flower. The mix is broad: 6 are rated easy and 9 are hard or harder, so there is something here whether you have two hours or a full day.

Trails

The station building of Reckingen station, on the Matterhorn-Gotthard-Bahn and in the Reckingen-Gluringen municipality of the Swiss canton of Valais.
Expert

14a-Alpine Passes Trail

Ticino · Switzerland

Distance
41.4 km
/ 25.7 mi
Elevation gain
2,249 m
Typical duration
12 hr
  • Mountain
  • Alpine meadow
  • Waymarked route
6781 Bedretto, Switzerland
Hard

13-Alpine Passes Trail

Ticino · Switzerland

Distance
26.6 km
/ 16.5 mi
Elevation gain
543 m
Typical duration
6 hr 42 min
  • Mountain
  • Alpine meadow
  • Waymarked route
Lake Luzzone, canton of Ticino.
Hard

10-Alpine Passes Trail

Ticino · Switzerland

Distance
14.4 km
/ 8.9 mi
Elevation gain
722 m
Typical duration
4 hr 5 min
  • Mountain
  • Alpine meadow
  • Waymarked route
Gotthard railway Way between Faido and Airolo at Piotta Special train «125 Years of Gotthardbahn»
Moderate

12-Alpine Passes Trail

Ticino · Switzerland

Distance
14.4 km
/ 8.9 mi
Elevation gain
271 m
Typical duration
3 hr 24 min
  • Mountain
  • Alpine meadow
  • Waymarked route
Passerella sul Lago di Morasco, Formazza, Italy
Hard

14-Alpine Passes Trail

Ticino · Switzerland

Distance
16.3 km
/ 10.1 mi
Elevation gain
1,248 m
Typical duration
5 hr 19 min
  • Mountain
  • Alpine meadow
  • Waymarked route
Passo del Lucomagno - Val di Blenio
Hard

11-Alpine Passes Trail

Ticino · Switzerland

Distance
16.7 km
/ 10.4 mi
Elevation gain
1,075 m
Typical duration
5 hr 9 min
  • Alpine meadow
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Alla Baita-Alpe di Cruina

Ticino · Switzerland

Distance
4.7 km
/ 2.9 mi
Elevation gain
104 m
Typical duration
1 hr 9 min
  • Alpine meadow
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Alpe di Melano-Bellavista

Ticino · Switzerland

Distance
2.1 km
/ 1.3 mi
Elevation gain
46 m
Typical duration
30 min
  • Alpine meadow
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Alpe Naccio - Termine

Ticino · Switzerland

Distance
2.6 km
/ 1.6 mi
Elevation gain
57 m
Typical duration
38 min
  • Alpine meadow
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Citto-Alpe d,Alva

Ticino · Switzerland

Distance
4.6 km
/ 2.9 mi
Elevation gain
877 m
Typical duration
2 hr 17 min
  • Alpine meadow
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Cordonico-Alpe Cardada

Ticino · Switzerland

Distance
2.4 km
/ 1.5 mi
Elevation gain
477 m
Typical duration
1 hr 13 min
  • Alpine meadow
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Corte Nuovo - Alpe Bardughè

Ticino · Switzerland

Distance
2.4 km
/ 1.5 mi
Elevation gain
52 m
Typical duration
34 min
  • Alpine meadow
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Loderio - Capanna Pian d'Alpe

Ticino · Switzerland

Distance
7.3 km
/ 4.5 mi
Elevation gain
1,419 m
Typical duration
3 hr 38 min
  • Alpine meadow
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Lodrino-Alpe d,Alva

Ticino · Switzerland

Distance
5.2 km
/ 3.2 mi
Elevation gain
1,376 m
Typical duration
3 hr 9 min
  • Alpine meadow
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Monti di Lego-Alpe Cardada

Ticino · Switzerland

Distance
4.0 km
/ 2.5 mi
Elevation gain
425 m
Typical duration
1 hr 28 min
  • Alpine meadow
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Nante-Alpe di Pesciüm

Ticino · Switzerland

Distance
1.7 km
/ 1.1 mi
Elevation gain
38 m
Typical duration
25 min
  • Alpine meadow
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Odro - Alpe Bardughè

Ticino · Switzerland

Distance
1.8 km
/ 1.1 mi
Elevation gain
40 m
Typical duration
26 min
  • Alpine meadow
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Alpe Colmine

Ticino · Switzerland

Distance
2.6 km
/ 1.6 mi
Elevation gain
57 m
Typical duration
37 min
  • Alpine meadow

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
14a-Alpine Passes TrailTicino41.4 km2,249 m12 hrExpertJuly to September
13-Alpine Passes TrailTicino26.6 km543 m6 hr 42 minHardJuly to September
10-Alpine Passes TrailTicino14.4 km722 m4 hr 5 minHardJune to October
12-Alpine Passes TrailTicino14.4 km271 m3 hr 24 minModerateJune to October
14-Alpine Passes TrailTicino16.3 km1,248 m5 hr 19 minHardJuly to September
11-Alpine Passes TrailTicino16.7 km1,075 m5 hr 9 minHardJuly to September
02 - Capanna Nimi- Rifugio Alpe MasneeTicino4.5 km720 m2 hr 1 minModerateApril to October
03 - Rifugio Alpe Masnee - Capanna Alpe SplugaTicino9.9 km990 m3 hr 33 minHardApril to October
04 - Capanna Alpe Spluga - Capanna TomeoTicino8.4 km1,020 m3 hr 16 minHardApril to October
05W - Capanna Tomeo - Rifugio Alpe FontanaTicino10.9 km1,320 m4 hr 15 minHardApril to October

If you only have time for one, start with 14a-Alpine Passes Trail, 13-Alpine Passes Trail, 10-Alpine Passes Trail. Those are the routes people come back to. Every route on this page links through to a full guide with the map, elevation profile, seasonal advice and what to bring.

Frequently asked questions

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