Alpe Dosso Cavallo, from Nasoncio

Access

From Milan to Morbegno along state roads 36 and 38; at the roundabout at the entrance to the town (former traffic light) turn right towards Valgerola. Go up the valley along the provincial road until after the municipality of Pedesina: before reaching Gerola Alta you will find a fork in the road on the left signposted 'Nasoncio'. Go past the small hamlet and, at the next fork, turn right to reach a last group of houses. Prohibition of unauthorised vehicles and parking in an open space near a hairpin bend.

Introduction

A short excursion that takes you to a little-visited corner of the Orobie mountains to visit one of the alpine pastures that still lies at the heart of the production area of the famous Bitto cheese. The clearing that houses the cheese dairy opens up to the panorama of the western side of the Val Gerola: from the first heights above Morbegno and Cosio to the Pizzo dei Tre Signori.

Description

From the car park, continue along a steep cemented road closed to unauthorised traffic and, at an old hut, enter the Val Bomino furrow. Proceed at length on the dirt forest track serving the various alpine pastures in the valley. The route, which climbs continuously with alternating short flat or slightly downhill stretches, amidst splendid mixed forests of larch firs and broadleaf trees, reaches a signposted fork: descend to the left to cross the stream at Ponte di Bomino 1300 m approx. On the other bank, after a few dozen metres, you leave the track to take a wide, unmarked path that climbs to the right in the opposite direction to the one you are currently on. The track climbs with a constant gradient parallel to the valley floor of the stream (direction SOUTH); then, with a sudden hairpin bend, it reverses direction (direction NORTH) and, on a somewhat exposed path through the beech forest, reaches the confluence of a path - signposted - coming from the left. Reaching a knoll with sparse tree vegetation, we arrive at the wide ridge of Dosso Cavallo: a short flight of steps protected downstream by a wooden handrail leads to the pastures of the Alpe. The path, zigzagged into the meadowy slope, after flanking a drinking trough, reaches the recently restored buildings of the Casera Dosso Cavallo 1606 m. A room - stable - of the smaller building is left open out of season as an emergency shelter.
Return along the outward route.

It is also possible to do the excursion as a snowshoe hike: be careful when crossing the gullies in the section of the forest track between Nasoncio and Ponte di Bomino. Assess very carefully the practicability of the exposed traverse in the beech forest (in any case it increases the degree of difficulty considerably due to the side slope!)

General Information

Trail signposting: -
Type of route: a/r
Recommended period: May, June, July, August, September, October, November
Objective hazard: stones shaken by goats
Exposure to sunlight:North
Exposed sections: traverse in the woods