Line © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), checked by Global Adventurer.
The walk
From the car park in Valnontey, near Cogne and the Paradisia alpine garden, the mule track climbs west through larch forest in long zigzags, then up the open pastures of the Lauson alps to Rifugio Vittorio Sella, 2,584 m, in a wide basin under the peaks. Return the same way.
It is 11.5 km there and back with 916 m of ascent; allow about 6½ hours. The grade is Hard: a well-made mule track all the way, but a long, steady climb of more than 900 m.
This is a summer walk: the national park recommends July to September, and the hut's site says the basin is under snow from November to May. The hut is closed now. The Lauson is one of the places in the park where ibex are seen most, with chamois and marmots too. Dogs are allowed on this path only from 15 July to 15 September. The hut was one of Victor Emmanuel II's hunting lodges and became a CAI hut in 1922; it is named after Vittorio Sella, the photographer and mountaineer from Biella.
The car park in Valnontey is paid.
Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.
Good to know
- Up a mule track to the Lauson plateau, one of the places in the park where ibex are seen most
- The hut was one of Victor Emmanuel II's hunting lodges and became a CAI hut in 1922
- Named after Vittorio Sella, the Biella photographer and mountaineer
- Chamois and marmots live on the Lauson pastures too
Getting there
Start: Valnontey car park · Pay and display. 45.58622, 7.34076
Places to stay nearby
Rooms in and around Gran Paradiso: Booking.com → Expedia →
Affiliate links: if you book, Global Adventurer earns a small commission at no cost to you.
Paths change, and the weather decides the day. The line and figures come from OpenStreetMap and our own checks; take a map, check the forecast, and turn back if it isn't right.