If you ever find yourself near Ascona in Switzerland, hiking the Pizzo Leone trail is definitely something you should consider doing. During this hike, you will see the most beautiful views of Lake Maggiore and the Brissago Islands.
This hike is of moderate difficulty but the small effort is worth it. The contrast between the blue lake and the green from the mountains is a treat for the eyes.
Pizzo Leone
Here is some general information about the Pizzo Leone and the area:
- Pizzo Leone is a peak in the Ticino region, in Switzerland. It has a total elevation of 1659 m
- According to the first explorers of the Ticino mountains, Pizzo Leone is the “guardian of the Ghridone”.
- From the top of Pizzo Leone, you will be able to see impressive views of Lake Maggiore, the pre-alps, and the alps.
Where to stay?
The best place to stay if you are planning to visit the region is either in Ascona or Locarno. They are close enough to the beginning of the trail (approximately 9 km from Locarno) and in the evening you will be able to explore the town and have dinner in a nice restaurant.
We stayed at the Hotel Garni Montaldi in Locarno, which was very conveniently located in front of the Locarno Train Station.
How to get to the beginning of the trail? Where to park?
The trail starts outside Ronco Sopra Ascona in the Porera Parking Lot. You will know that you are at the correct place because after it, the road will be closed and you will not be able to go further by car. The map below will show you the exact location of the parking.
Tip: Make sure you save and download the map to reach the parking. When we did this hike, we forgot to do this and could not find it since we had no data on our smartphones. We ended up parking our car in Porto Ronco making our hike extra challenging!
What do you need to bring?
- Light and fast-drying clothes.
- Appropriate hiking shoes.
- Hiking poles. You don’t need to buy them for this hike but if you have them, they will be very useful.
- A light backpack with water and snacks.
- Sunscreen and a hat.
- Your phone or camera. The views of Lake Maggiore are so beautiful, that you will most certainly want to take some photos!
My Experience Hiking the Pizzo Leone Trail
Hike Summary
- Trail Start/End: Porera Parking Lot
- Distance: 11,1 km
- Elevation Gain: 647 m
- Route type: Round Loop
- Time: Approximately 4h
1000 Steps to Heaven
This hike began with a few hiccups. We were a bit optimistic about finding the parking lot at the trailhead and forgot to save the exact location while we had wifi access at the hotel. However, since we didn’t have data on our smartphones, we were not able to find the parking and ended up parking our car in Porto Ronco.
This means we started our route almost 400 m lower in altitude than we should have. The way up to the real trailhead was slow and challenging. It felt like a million steps and never ending steep paths.
Reaching Corona Di Pinci
Despite our mistake, the path leading up to the parking and Corona Di Pinci is a very nice one. You have constant views of Lake Maggiore which keep getting better the higher you get. Once you leave the steps and streets of Porto Ronco and Ronco Sopra Asco you get to a path that goes through woods with cute small chappels along the way.
By the time we reached the trailhead, it was already past noon and it was really warm weather. We had to stop constantly to rest and hydrate. This made our ascent to Corona De Pinci, the first part of the hike slower but it was worth the effort. The view from up there is spectacurlar so we decided to have lunch with the best view and rest.
Admitting defeat and the descent
By the time we were ready to start moving again, it was already past 2 pm. There was still 1 hour and 30 minutes walk to reach Pizzo Leone and we also had to return… As much as we wanted to continue the hike and reach the end, we decided that if we did it was going to be too late by the time we got back to the car.
The return was also challenging because of the many stairs, our knees suffered a bit but the view made up for the effort.
Recommendation: Please make sure you park in the correct place to avoid all the extra elevation gain we had to do and avoid being exhausted by the time you reach the actual hike.
It was a pity but I am sure I will return one day to complete the hike!
Save it for later!
