Monte Bar and Caval Drossa: the timber hut and the green ridges above Val Colla

Capanna Monte Bar is a pale timber box set at 1,600 m in front of a view that runs from Lake Lugano to the Alps: rebuilt in 2016, it has been one of the finest huts in Italian-speaking Switzerland ever since. Above it stands the summit of Monte Bar, 1,816 m, and a grassy ridge you can walk for hours.

The route

From Corticiasca we climb to the hut on the pasture mule track, then to the summit of Monte Bar. From there the ridge runs on to Caval Drossa, with the view opening north to the mountains of the upper Ticino.

We return by the Cozzo side: a wide path, pastures and beech woods.

Who it's for

• anyone who wants a big view without difficult ground
• anyone who loves grassy ridges where you walk looking far away
• dog owners who want a hut worth stopping at

Good to know

The hut is open April to October and at winter weekends: lunch is optional and must be booked. There is no water on the ridge, you fill up at the hut. In strong wind the coordinator skips Caval Drossa.

You are crossing into Switzerland

A valid ID in your pocket, not in your rucksack: Switzerland is not in the European Union and border checks do happen.

Mountain rescue is charged for: in Switzerland the helicopter is billed to the person who calls it. Guiddy accident insurance is included, but a Rega card (about €40 a year) or a policy covering rescue costs in Switzerland is what we suggest to everyone.

Swiss francs: huts and cable cars almost always take cards, but a few valley huts are still cash only. The European health card is valid in Switzerland for emergency care.

If your dog comes along: Switzerland requires a microchip, an EU pet passport and a valid rabies vaccination, given at least 21 days beforehand. Without them the dog is turned back at the border.

Getting there

A9 to Lugano, then Tesserete and Val Colla up to Corticiasca: one hour twenty from the ring road.

By car you need the Swiss motorway vignette (CHF 40, valid for the calendar year) if you use the motorway: you buy it at the border, at petrol stations near the crossing, or online.