Mild climate even in winter and a unique panorama in any season – this is what the snowshoe hike Cardada - Cimetta offers: from the Locarno mountain, you can admire both the lowest point in Switzerland, Lake Maggiore, and the highest one, namely the Dufourspitze.
From Orselina, above the Madonna del Sasso sanctuary, the cable car departs to Cardada (1340 m above sea level), covering an altitude difference of 1000 meters in just five minutes. Covered by a snow blanket, this landscape looks magical and can also be explored with snowshoes, requiring minimal equipment and no particular preliminary knowledge.
At Cardada, to the right of the departure station of the two-seater chairlift, there is the path that climbs towards Cimetta. About halfway along the route, you reach Alpe Cardada, where a rest stop is possible. The mountain area of Cimetta, at 1670 meters altitude, offers a breathtaking panorama that embraces the entire Locarno region up to the Ligurian Alps to the south. The view from here is truly unique as it allows you to observe two extremes: the lowest point in Switzerland, Lake Maggiore, and the highest point, the peak of the Monte Rosa massif called Dufourspitze. The circular observatory allows discovering the orogenesis and evolution of the mountain. It is even possible to distinguish the Insubric Line, the fault separating the northern and southern parts of the Alps. The Alpine chain formed millions of years ago following the collision of the European tectonic plate with the African one. Informational panels explain the features and types of rock characteristic of these plates.
Now, to prolong the summer tan, you can decide to retrace the same path. The chairlift with side seats leads back to Cardada. The cable car designed by the famous Ticino architect Mario Botta takes snowshoers back to Orselina.
