October is the perfect time to hike in the Ticino because the thick chestnut forests are starting to change colour, and the beautiful fat glossy nuts are pelting down all around, so you can collect bags full to take home for a treat.
The Onsernone Valley is infamous in that it has so many curves on the narrow road that it takes almost an hour to drive to the last village 20 km in the back of the valley. And the bus driver doesn't take it slow and easy! At full speed the bus weaves along the curves high above the valley bottom, and whips through the villages where the streets really aren't even wide enough for this kind of vehicle....
We started this tour in Berzona just West of Loco and easily hiked up to a large clearing with a cluster of pretty rustico summer homes (Sella) and a super view of the thickly forested steep hillsides. A very nice trail takes you to the back of one of the many side valleys where more stone homes greet you in Mulegn.
The hike back along the left side of this side valley is a little more difficult. The trail is steep and requires very sure footing as you are basically walking over the original jagged rock base of the mountain for about 1 km (have to allow more time for this, and not recommended when wet). But the rest of the trail and the views to Loco make up for it.
The trail approaches Auressio from the top, and after a steep descent through this pretty village, you can catch the bus on the main road, or continue on the trail far below the main road to Cresmino. This last piece is easy as it was the original road long ago, obviously built up with extreme hard work, and now covered in grass.
From Cresmino one could also continue on to Cavigliano, an additional one-hour hike.
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- Detailed map with traced route on SwissMobility map, including elevation profile
- GPS file for download
- Route description in text form
- Printable tour description