Randonnée acquatique, featuring long stretches of lakes separated by walking sections. Quite a beautiful and wild environment.

Randonnée acquatique, featuring long stretches of lakes separated by walking sections. Quite a beautiful and wild environment.

Exit the A26 motorway at Verbania and keep going. Immediately after a roundabout, turn left towards Premeno, and after a few kilometers, turn left again towards Rovegro – Cicogna. Continue along the road, which narrows after Rovegro, and park near the huts of Bignugno wherever possible before the no-parking zone begins, just before a tunnel carved into the rock.

Take the trail heading up between the Bignugno huts, and at the first junction, turn right following the red-and-white trail markers. Pass another alpine pasture and, at the next fork, keep right. After passing more huts, a slight descent leads to the Velina Bridge (a possible entry point). Just before the bridge, a trail branches off to the left, running along the hillside into the valley. You will navigate a few tricky passes equipped with steel cables and ladders. When the trail passes within a few meters of the stream, begin the descent. It is also possible to enter earlier by making your way down through the woods where feasible.

In one specific pass, during high flow, a safety rope segment might be useful. One mandatory jump (5 m) while navigating a boulder choke. Rio Valgrande has been descended in its entirety from its source in the heart of the valley. It is more discontinuous but features a few nice sections, always without ropes. For the full descent, allow at least 7–8 hours for the canyoning portion alone. The purely canyoning interest of this stream is rather low, but it becomes an incredible adventure when approached as a pure wilderness-style trek with a canyoning return route.

Before the water intake, the stream opens up significantly; continue walking until you reach the Casletto Bridge. Shortly past the bridge, head up through the woods on the right to reach the road. Walk through the tunnel to get back to the car.

Flow is strong in spring and after heavy rain. An intake in the final section has no impact on the route.