Monte Bar and Caval Drossa

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 experience

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.

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.

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.

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.

How hard is it, really

What's included in the price

Itinerary

One day, approximate times. The final details come in the group chat.

Day

12 km · D+ 780 m · 5 h

Meeting point 9:00approximate

Meeting at Corticiasca, Corticiasca, Puffino, Canton Ticino, Svizzera. The exact time is confirmed in the group chat. We usually meet a little earlier for breakfast together, when possible.

Paid parking

1.20 CHF/hour, daily 8am-7pm. Pay at the parking meter (CHF coins) or via EasyPark, Parkingpay or TWINT app.

HOW TO GET THERE

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A

09:00MEETING

Meeting at Corticiasca

We meet the Guidders at the car park above the village, in Val Colla.

B

10:15MOUNTAIN HUT

Capanna Monte Bar

The new hut, all timber and glass, with its terrace over the lake.

C

11:15SUMMIT

The summit of Monte Bar

A cross at 1,816 m: from here you see the lake and the northern peaks at once.

D

12:30HIKING TRAIL

The Caval Drossa ridge

A grassy ridge with space on both sides and a packed lunch on the crest.

E

15:00RETURN

Back to Corticiasca

Down the Cozzo pastures and back to the cars.

What to bring

A list made for this hike. No technical gear: just good shoes and a well-packed backpack.

Questions?