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Best Mountain Hikes in Ticino

There are 14 hikes in Ticino in our database that fit. They average 17.9 km and 1,047 m (3,435 ft) of ascent, with the longest running to 41.4 km.

That is 6 percent of the 223 routes we map in Ticino. They run noticeably longer than average for the area, 17.9 km against 7.8 km, so budget more daylight than a typical outing here. The climbing is steeper too: 1,047 m (3,435 ft) on average versus 410 m (1,345 ft) across the wider area.

Mountain routes trade effort for scale. Expect sustained climbing, quick weather changes and views that make the numbers worth it. These lean toward the demanding end, so plan for a full day and check the forecast before you commit.

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
Remnant from the time of the construction of the Gotthard base tunnel. This tunnel was built in the area of the south portals to bypass a difficult geological zone that took a lot of time. Switzerland, Oct 20, 2016.
Hard

Trans Swiss Trail

Ticino · Switzerland

Distance
18.6 km
/ 11.6 mi
Elevation gain
1,228 m
Typical duration
5 hr 50 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
South slope of the pass of the San Gottardo - Ticino - Switzerland
Hard

Trans Swiss Trail

Ticino · Switzerland

Distance
6.9 km
/ 4.3 mi
Elevation gain
992 m
Typical duration
2 hr 56 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
South slope of the pass of the San Gottardo - Ticino - Switzerland
Hard

Via Gottardo

Ticino · Switzerland

Distance
7.0 km
/ 4.3 mi
Elevation gain
992 m
Typical duration
2 hr 56 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Marcatura semi-permanente Scenic Trail eseguita con spray bianco a rapido degrado
Hard

Trans Swiss Trail

Ticino · Switzerland

Distance
23.6 km
/ 14.6 mi
Elevation gain
1,203 m
Typical duration
6 hr 58 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Protected area dry Grasslands and Pastures of National Importance Monte San Giorgio.
Hard

Trans Swiss Trail

Ticino · Switzerland

Distance
12.3 km
/ 7.6 mi
Elevation gain
852 m
Typical duration
3 hr 50 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Marcatura semi-permanente Scenic Trail eseguita con spray bianco a rapido degrado
Hard

ViaGottardo

Ticino · Switzerland

Distance
18.0 km
/ 11.2 mi
Elevation gain
1,135 m
Typical duration
5 hr 33 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
CAS Capanna Basodino ( 1856 m.ü.M.) mit Seilbahn St.Carlo - Robiei oberhalb des Maggiates im Schweizer Kanton Ticino.
Moderate

02-Sentiero Cristallina

Ticino · Switzerland

Distance
12.6 km
/ 7.9 mi
Elevation gain
144 m
Typical duration
2 hr 51 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Lake Naret, canton of Ticino.
Hard

03-Sentiero Cristallina

Ticino · Switzerland

Distance
16.8 km
/ 10.4 mi
Elevation gain
1,646 m
Typical duration
6 hr 1 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Staudamm Selvatica im Verzascatal
Hard

02-Sentiero Verzasca

Ticino · Switzerland

Distance
21.2 km
/ 13.2 mi
Elevation gain
1,429 m
Typical duration
6 hr 44 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Sentiero Lago di Lugano

Ticino · Switzerland

Distance
33.0 km
/ 20.5 mi
Elevation gain
725 m
Typical duration
8 hr 29 min
  • Lake
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Caslano - Monte Caslano

Ticino · Switzerland

Distance
3.0 km
/ 1.9 mi
Elevation gain
66 m
Typical duration
43 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Di Monte in Monte - Tappa 1

Ticino · Switzerland

Distance
4.5 km
/ 2.8 mi
Elevation gain
38 m
Typical duration
1 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Di Monte in Monte - Tappa 2

Ticino · Switzerland

Distance
16.2 km
/ 10.1 mi
Elevation gain
851 m
Typical duration
4 hr 41 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Giro/Tour Monte Caslano

Ticino · Switzerland

Distance
4.4 km
/ 2.8 mi
Elevation gain
97 m
Typical duration
1 hr 4 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Monte Garzirola

Ticino · Switzerland

Distance
8.2 km
/ 5.1 mi
Elevation gain
181 m
Typical duration
1 hr 59 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Monte Juri-Monte di Artore

Ticino · Switzerland

Distance
1.5 km
/ 0.9 mi
Elevation gain
32 m
Typical duration
21 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Monte Juri-Monte di Daro

Ticino · Switzerland

Distance
0.5 km
/ 0.3 mi
Elevation gain
11 m
Typical duration
7 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route

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
Trans Swiss TrailTicino18.6 km1,228 m5 hr 50 minHardApril to October
Trans Swiss TrailTicino6.9 km992 m2 hr 56 minHardJune to October
Via GottardoTicino7.0 km992 m2 hr 56 minHardJune to October
Trans Swiss TrailTicino23.6 km1,203 m6 hr 58 minHardApril to October
Trans Swiss TrailTicino12.3 km852 m3 hr 50 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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