Via Alta Idra
Map with all coordinates: 
The Via Alta Idra ( German Hydra-Höhenweg ) is a 100-kilometer mountain hiking trail that rises to over 2000 m above sea level. M. leads from the source of the Ticino river to its confluence with Lake Maggiore .
The demanding alpine long-distance hiking and high-altitude trail is done in twelve daily stages (degree of difficulty on the six-part SAC hiking scale up to T6).
history
The “Via Alta Idra” mountain hiking route was developed in 2017 by the mountain guide Giovanni Galli, President of SAC Ticino. The aim was to connect some of the many mountain huts in Ticino with a varied alpine long-distance hiking and high-altitude trail. Thanks to the cooperation of the Ticino SAC, the Alpine Club and the Ticino hiking trails (TicinoSentieri) and regional tourism organizations (ERS, OTR), the high trail was opened in summer 2018.
The name is intended to indicate that the Via Alta Hydra follows the Ticino river as a "hydraulic" path and runs along a high rock ridge that resembles the ridge of the nine-headed Hydra .
The Hydra-Höhenweg runs with stages 7 to 10 over the Via Alta della Verzasca , which is maintained by the Società Escursionistica Verzaschese including huts.
Daily stages of the Via Alta Idra
The northern starting point of the Via Alta is the Capanna Corno Gries ( 2338 m ), which can be reached in 1 hour (T2) from the Alpe di Cruina ( 2002 m ) on the Nufenenpass road.
- Capanna Corno Gries - Capanna Cristallina in 6 ½ hours walking time (difficulty level T3 / T6)
- Capanna Cristallina - Rifugio Garzonera in 6 ½ hours (T3 / T4)
- Rifugio Garzonera - Capanna Leìt in 4 ½ hours (T3 / T4)
- Capanna Leìt - Capanna Campo Tencia in 2 ½ hours (T3)
- Capanna Campo Tencia - Rifugio Alpe Sponda in 4 ½ hours (T4)
- Rifugio Alpe Sponda - Capanna Barone in 3 ½ hours (T4)
- Capanna Barone - Capanna Cògnora in 3 ½ hours (T3 / T4)
- Capanna Cògnora - Capanna d'Efra in 6 ½ hours (T5 / T6)
- Capanna d'Efra - Capanna Cornavosa in 7 ½ hours (T5)
- Capanna Cornavosa - Capanna Borgna in 6 ½ hours (T4 / T6)
- Capanna Borgna - Capanna Monti Motti in 4 ½ hours (T3)
- Capanna Borgna - Capanna Albagno in 3 ½ hours (T3)
- Capanna Monti Motti - Tenero campsite in 2 ½ hours (T2)
List of huts (according to stages)
The Via Alta connects twelve Ticino mountain huts (Capanne / Rifugi). A part of it are normally unmanaged bases with limited capacity, which can be overcrowded during the main tour season in July and August.
Branches to the GeoHack page. Various external map services can be called up using the stored coordinates.
External link to the website of the hut at the SAC .
External link to the website of the hut at the FAT .
| image | Location links to the hut |
Surname | owner | Height m above sea level M. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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|  | 
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Capanna Corno Gries | SAC section Rossberg | 2338 |
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Cristallina hut | SAC section Ticino | 2575 |
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Rifugio Garzonera | SAT - Ritom | 1973 |
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Capanna Leìt | SAT - Mendrisio | 2257 |
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Capanna Campo Tencia | SAC section Ticino | 2140 |
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Rifugio Alpe Sponda | SAT - Chiasso | 1997 |
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Capanna Barone | SEV | 2172 | |
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Capanna Cògnora | SEV | 1938 |
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Capanna d'Efra | SEV | 2039 |
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Capanna Cornavosa | SEV | 1991 |
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Capanna Borgna | SEV | 1912 |
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Capanna Albagno | UTOE - Bellinzona | 1870 |
