Cardada Bike (SwitzerlandMobility 397)

Scenic, varied and flowy: The Cardada Bike route combines superb single trails with spectacular views over Lake Maggiore. The route is physically demanding. You can cut out the majority of the ascent by taking the cable car from Orselina to Cardarda. Anyone who doesn’t opt for electrical assistance or the cable car has to pedal hard from the start: There are 1,200 metres of elevation to tackle up to Alpe Cardada.

The first part of the ascent is a pleasant climb on surfaced roads towards Bré sopra Locarno, a small hamlet above Locarno. The view opens up here across the Centovalli and the Maggia Valley. The steep Ticino valleys, with their forested slopes, rocky ridges and clearings with small alps, contrast with Lake Maggiore and the adjoining Magadino Plain, with its colourful fields and greenhouses. Unsurfaced roads and a final steep section on a narrow trail take you to Alpe Cardada. The panoramic view around the alp, over the lake to the peaks of Monte Bar and Monte Tamaro is particularly impressive.

The highlight of the route is the approximately five-kilometre-long single trail into Val Resa. The trail alternates between flowy passages and more technically demanding sections with tight curves, natural stone ramps and roots. They give this stretch sophistication and ensure it’s a fun ride. In Resa di Fiori, you travel on the road for a short section until the trail takes you back into the forest. A narrow, demanding single trail offering technical challenges awaits you on the historic “Sentee di Peuri”. If you want to take things a little easier, you can avoid this section on the road that runs parallel.