Lake Ritomsee over Passo Forca into the Leventina Valley

Saturday July 20, 2024 -- We went back to the Upper Leventina to do the hike we actually had wanted to do on July 11th, when there was a risk of overcast skies in the afternoon at that time, so we remained in the valley bottom, which ended up being a very hot day....

This time we took the Ritom Funicular up the mountain (at a maximum incline of 87.8% one of the steepest in the world), walked to and across the Ritom Dam and around the south side of the lake, and then ascended to a small passage called Passo Forca into the Leventina Valley. From there it was a fairly easy and steady descent along a small trodden path with a wonderful look down into the valley, until we reached the village of Lurengo, which is one of several communities we have walked through before along the Leventina High Road (Strada Alta). 

We had pleasant weather, it wasn't too hot, there were several sections through forests and a couple of mountain hamlets. We started at about 9 a.m. at the top of the Ritom Funicular rail line (having taken the 8:35 run, but staying to watch it descend again) and got to Lurengo for the 2:30 p.m bus down. (The bus runs only every two hours from here, so we timed it well. AND we were the only passengers again for the long ride along the mountainside).

Waiting to ride the 8:35 funicular up the mountain (we left home at 6:00 a.m. so we could get here early).  

At an incline of 87.8%, this is one of the steepest funiculars in the world. From the website MySwitzerland.com is this description: "Built by Swiss Federal Railways in 1917 to aid with the construction of the reservoir and power station, the little red train has been carrying 100 people per hour to the recreation area around the mountain lakes in the Val Piora since 1921"

1,369 metres in length, it climbs 786 metres to reach the Piora upper station. It was about a 15-minute ride to the road at the top. 

Spectacular view down the Leventina Valley. 

We didn't head off on our hike right away, but stayed for a while to watch the little car descend again. 

VIDEO:

Watching the Ritom funicular descend

(As there is only one cabin and only one track, the people who came late 

at the bottom had to wait until this car came down again!)

The first 20 minutes (1.3 km) of our walk was along this level narrow road, which would not have been a problem had not so many cars also been heading up to the lake! (Apparently, there is vehicle access!)

Up ahead we get the first glimpse of the dam.

Some very pretty wild fire lilies. 

It being a Saturday and nice weather, there were already a lot of cars up here! Most of the people would be doing a walk around the very large lake, maybe visiting one or two of the other lakes up here, or going up to the popular Swiss Alpine Hostel Cadlimo. 

Crossing the dam on the very large reservoir lake called Ritomsee. (Lago Ritom).

Back in 2014 we had done a hike coming from the north and following the north shore of the lake, so this time we thought we'd walk on the south side of the lake, on a much nicer narrow dirt path. We could have taken the shorter trail to the Forca Pass, but the hike would have been too short. The section along the lake until we started the climb was 2½ kilometers . 

Whereas the trail on the north side of the lake is a wide road, here on the south side it's a nice dirt path. 

Walking along the south shore of Lago Ritom

Back in 2014 we had walked along the north shore of the lake, which is mostly a wide road offering vehicle access to Lake Cadagno, a large pasture called Alpe di Piora, and a large hostel Capanna Cadagno. 

A whole mountainside of cows!

Heading up and away from the lake now. 

View of the lake from further up. Clouds are coming now!

Here the alpine roses are just about finished.

There are always streams to cross

As we get higher, another lake comes into view, it is called Lago Cadagno. 

Now the trail turns into what looks like once was a mule track. 

Ah, now we see the Gotthard mountains! There is still an unbelievable amount of snow there!

Close-up of the mountains

Part of what looks like an old mule-track. 

The more direct route from the dam would have come up this small valley, past the building below. We took a round-about route so that we could walk more. 

More alpine roses

A peek at the southwest end of the lake near the dam. 

Only 10 more minutes to the Forca Pass!

We reached the pass at exactly noon, and looked for a place to have our picnic lunch! (In other words, it took us 3 hours to get here, with only one small break).

Looking down the Leventina Valley (we are now 1100 meters above the valley bottom), we are estimating that our hike will end approximately where that circle is. Also, the hike we did a couple of weeks earlier was exactly in this area at the valley bottom (those photos HERE)

The mountainside has a steep incline, but the trail was not dangerous in any way. 

A look up the Leventina Valley to the airstrip at Piotta

Again a closer look at the Gotthard Massif

The forest trails are always pleasant, and were not as "rocky" as is often the case on the Ticino trails. But at some places it was wet, where small streams came down the mountain and then followed the trail for a while. 

A family feast

At 1:20 p.m. we arrived at the first mountain hamlet called Cassine di Deggio. (Deggio is an actual village on the Strada Alta Road 400 meters directly below). 

Down below are the communities of Ambri and Piotta

So lovely how they build these stone houses

Another neat stone house, with a view!

It's 1:30 p.m., and the bus arrives in Lurengo at 2:30, otherwise we will have to wait two hours for the next one. We know if we walk quickly we should make it!

This is the next hamlet called Cassine di Quinto. (Also related to the town of Quinto below, in this case right at the valley bottom where we started our hike two weeks earlier). 

It's fun inspecting the mountain hamlets. 

A very nice community up here. (These particular hamlets can be reached by car via paved or narrow mountain roads). 

Here also they were busy harvesting the mountain grass

Always fun to discover the various fungi

The last "hamlet" called Cassine di Catto consisted only of about three houses. Catto is another village further down the mountain, which we passed on the bus. From here we've only got another 15 minutes to walk to Lurengo. 

Down below us is the village of Lurengo. We have passed through here twice before, once having ended another nearby hike (August 2019) here as well (those photos HERE), and once having passed through on a section of the Strada Alta Trail. 

A really close-up look at the freeway below shows the cars backed up for several kilometers to the south of the Gotthard Tunnel. It is Saturday and folks from the north are returning home after their vacations in the south!

We passed through Lurengo in June of 2021 when we walked from Altanca (via Deggio and San Martino) to Osco along the "Strada Alta" Trail. (photos HERE)

Having gotten to Lurengo 5 minutes before the bus was expected to arrive, I had time to quickly look into the local church!

More "modern" than the churches we usually see in this region. 

The houses of Leventina

And here's our bus...  we were the only passengers for most of the 25-minute ride along the mountainside, stopping at all the villages along the Strada Alta right to Altanca, before heading down the mountain. 

What our hike looks like on Google Satellite Maps

After leaving Lurengo, the bus passes this cute little church in Catto, which we have unfortunately never visited. 

San Martino brings back memories of the 2021 hike along the Strada Alta. This one we were able to look into at the time, and it was full of very nice fresco paintings. (The building is almost 1000 years ago). 

And up ahead we are coming to Altanca (where we started the 2021 hike), the last stop before heading down into the valley. You can see where the funicular railway goes up the mountain. At the top arrow is approximately where we started our day's hike. 

Back down at valley bottom. We didn't have a direct connection to get home (the 4:30 p.m. bus would have had a good connection, we would have been home in two hours!) so we connected to a bus to Airolo, and had something to drink in a local restaurant while waiting for the next train to take us through the tunnel. 

All the hikes we have done in the region of the Upper Leventina Valley

Location of Lake Ritom and the Upper Leventina Valley in Switzerland