Sentiero Cristallina (SvizzeraMobile 59)

From the typical Ticino mountain village of Bignasco, the path winds through the rocky, deeply cut Val Bavona with its twelve small hamlets. A steep ascent leads past the traditional Basodino hut up to the natural and dammed lakes that enliven this alpine area and provide the main part of the power supply in the canton of Ticino, while paradoxically the Val Bavona below is without electricity.

The sparse mountain meadows become increasingly interrupted by scree slopes on the switchbacks leading to the modern Cristallina hut. The stately and modern Capanna Cristallina with good infrastructure and space for 120 guests is located right on the pass and offers a spectacular panorama of the Basodino glaciers.

From the rocky mountain slopes, the route leads down to lovely alpine pastures and forests. The high trail on the sunny side of the Val Bedretto runs through raised bog landscapes and offers beautiful views of the Gotthard massif. The destination of the route is reached at the transport hub Airolo.