River Walk along the Morobbia and the Ticino from Giubiasco to Castione

Thursday February 20, 2025 -- Here and there now a few days without fog, but very overcast, even in the Ticino, except this Thursday (Urs even swapped his days off), so we headed there for some sunshine. What was our surprise when we got to Bellinzona and couldn't see ANY of the many mountains surrounding this city because of the very hazy air! In fact, we could barely see the three fortresses which the city is famous for. (This has rarely ever been the case for the many trips we have made here).  

We had planned a riverside walk (Morobbia and Ticino Rivers) ending at the Castel Grande fortress, but there wasn’t much point in heading up to the castle (which we had visited back in 2015, but is definitely worth another visit), so we just extended our walk along the Ticino River to end further north at the train station in Castione-Arbedo, an almost 11-kilometer walk in all. As outings go, it was probably the best choice for this day: Going higher up would not have given us the views we love, and because the trees were devoid of leaves, we saw more of the rivers than we would have in summer. Also, the small footpaths along the river made the walk more interesting. (Usually I don't manage such long riverbank walks). 

It only takes us 1 hour and 40 minutes to get from home to Giubiasco, where we started our walk, so the trip isn’t a great loss for us, even if it’s not quite what we had expected.

It took us a little over 90 minutes to get from home to Giubiasco, where we started our walk at about 11:25 from the train station to a small church which we saw on the map. The church is called San Giobbe, built in 1627 and renovated in the 19th Century. 

Three of the walls were fairly plain (it looked like a simple Romanesque building), but the apse side is heavily decorated with stucco artwork. 

The frescoes depict the life of the Virgin Mary, and the large painting behind the altar depicts the Holy Trinity between two angels and is a valuable work of art by a (Swiss?) artist named Alessandro Gorla (17th Century). 

We had a peek into the small building next to the church, where I glanced a very nice ceiling with paintings, but there was currently a wake going on for a recently deceased person, so we closed the door right away and left 

In Giubiasco.

In the center of Giubiasco is another church we have visited once before (March 2021, photos HERE), and passed recently on a walk down from the mountains which we see in the background (those photos HERE). The church is called Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta. The church was built in the 12th Century, then later enlarged in the 15th Century and rebuilt in the Baroque style in the 17th Century. 

Entering the church through the pretty carved wooden main doors, from 1777. 

The frescoes on the interior were discovered during renovations in the 20th Century. They date from the 15th and 16th Centuries. 

The apse is richly covered in stucco sculptures and features a beautiful marble altar from 1793. 

The organ (built in 2008) is HUGE and takes up about 1/3rd of the back part of the building. On the right is a fresco featuring "The Last Supper". 

Checking out the various restaurants here as it was close to lunch time, but we decided to walk to the Morobbia River and look for a bench there to eat the sandwiches we had brought along. 

To the north we finally can see a bit of the mountains here. That one is called Pizzo di Claro. 

We got to the Morobbia River at noon, but it was so hazy that we could not even see the mountains at the back of the Morobbia Valley!

We found a convenient bench and ate our sandwiches here, before heading out on our walk.

From the train station in Giubiasco, we walked to the town center, then toward the Morobbia River which we followed to where it enters the Ticino River. The rest of the walk was along the Ticino river, past the castles in Bellinzona, to the train station in Castione-Arbedo. In all it was 11 kilometers, starting at 11:30 and getting to Castione at shortly after 3 p.m. 

Following a trail along the Morobbia River. 

Along the way we saw this sign that reads "Morobbia River Trail"; it is probably used mostly by locals. 

Up river we can now see the mountains at the back of the Morobbia Valley. We have done a couple of hikes there in 2016 (those photos are HERE and HERE.)

We had to cross under the railway line to get to the Ticino River. 

Heading west toward the Ticino River. 

Another look up the Morobbia Valley

This is where the Morobbia River enters the Ticino River. That interesting bridge behind Urs reflected blue and yellow onto the river!

This is where the Morobbia River enters the Ticino River. 

Now we follow the river northwards for seven kilometers (Although originally the idea was leave the river at the level of the Castel Grande Fortress). 

The National Trail no.7: Via Gottardo runs parallel to the river as well, but on a dam just slightly to the east of here. Although that trail gives a better view of the castles, this smaller footpath through a park we found out later was called the "Parco Fluviale Saleggi-Boschetti"--a renaturation project by the city of Bellinzona--was more interesting. 

Along the way we passed several bridges spanning the Ticino River. This one leads to the community of Monte Carasso, where the Sementina River enters the Ticino. (Upriver along the Sementina is the fabulous Tibetan Bridge which we crossed a couple of times. Some of the photos are HERE. We also did a large loop hike higher on that mountain back in March of 2019, from where we got a look at the Bellinzona castles from above. Photos HERE). 

We passed through a section of the park with many very pretty birch trees. 

Up ahead is another large bridge crossing the river, the main motor-vehicle bridge from Bellinzona to Monte Carasso. All along this trail we remarked that we could see more of the river at this time of year, when the trees are leafless, than we would have in summer!

This is the north end of the "Saleggi-Boschetti Riverside Park" renaturation project, with another cool bridge crossing the river. To the north is the summit of Pizzo di Claro. 

This was the information placard we saw at the north end of the park, which informed us that the entire trail we had just walked from the Morobbia River was a riverside renaturization project, starting in 2020, with additional sections planned for 2025. 

A really cool bridge!

At some point we left the smaller footpath and climbed up to the dam trail, for a view of the three fortresses which are the features of the city which make it a UNESCO heritage site. The large one in the front is Castel Grande, on the left you can make out the Castello di Montebello, and higher up on the mountain is the Castello di Sasso Corbaro. (We visited all of these castles in 2015, photos are HERE). 

Looking back behind us at the dam trail which we are now walking on. 

This trail is part of two National Trails: "No.7: Via Gottardo" and "No.2: Trans-Swiss Trail". To the south, this riverside trail is alled "Magadino Trail" (Magadino is the valley basin between here and Lake Maggiore), and to the north where we are headed along the "Riviera Trail", another hour to go to the train station in Castione. ("Riviera" is the valley between here and Biasca) 

Heading north along the dam trail next to the Ticino River. 

Directly to the east we study that mountain, wondering if we walked across that flank. We determined that it was across this mountain flank which we walked in March of 2021 when we visited the mountain villages up there, after also that first visit of the Santa Maria Assunta church in Giubiasco. (Photos HERE)

The summit of Pizzo di Claro comes into view again. We are, once again, in awe that we have walked up there, having taken a cable car about two-thirds up the mountain and spending a night in a hostel (at the right arrow) before continuing over the ridge to the Calanca Valley (left arrow) on the next day (those photos are HERE). 

Another look behind us. 

To the left of the walking trail was a very large off-leash dog park, fortunately separated from the walking trail by a fence. It was interesting to watch all the people with their many dogs walking there. 

A short detour (unintentionally) down to the river in Arbedo, and a view of the Castello di Montebello above Bellinzona to the south. 

Across the river we see the bell-tower of a church in the village of Gorduno, a place we have not yet visited, so an option for a future trip (although there are not a lot of hiking trails on that side of the river, except way up onto the mountain!)

Close-up of the village of Gorduno across the Ticino River. 

Just north of a small stream coming down from the Valle d'Arbedo, we head away from the vehicle road for a short stretch through the forest near the Moesa Delta. (Moesa is the large river flowing down from the San Bernardino Pass through the Mesocco Valley to enter the Ticino River here). 

The train passes us from Bellinzona heading north to the Gotthard Tunnel, as we get a nice look into the Mesocco Valley. 

Final stretch now as we cross the Moesa River (which flows into the Ticino River here) just before reaching the Castione-Arbedo train station (where we just missed the 15:05 train back to Bellinzona, and had to wait 30 minutes for the next train home from there. (Side Note: In September of 2024, I did a walk on my own coming down the Mesocco Valley along this river, and crossed the bridge here at the time as well. Those photos are HERE).  

What our walk looked like on Google Satellite Maps. 

These are all the hikes we have done in the region around Bellinzona. 

This is a photo from our March 2019 hike (photos HERE) when we walked high up on mountain above Monte Carasso. Down below we can see the stretch of the Ticino River at Arbedo, where the Moesa River enters the Ticino River from the Mesocco Valley. 

Also from our March 2019 walk on the mountain across from Bellinzona, we could see both the Montebello and Castel Grande Castles from above. 

St. Karl Winter Loop Trail near Ibergeregg in Canton Schwyz

Saturday February 15, 2025 -- A fresh snowfall on Friday means lovely landscapes of snow-covered trees, and weather forecast for sunshine means it's a good day for a winter walk in the mountains.

We didn't want to do a three-hour trip each way into popular ski areas (where there would be no fog, but many people!), but when we got up in the morning, there was surprisingly no fog in our region, so we headed into the Schwyzer Alps close to home, just 90 minutes of travel time for us, to the mountains in the Hoch Ybrig region where there is also "usually" no fog. 

A year earlier we had done two numbered winter trails near the Ibergeregg Pass (No.564 near the pass and no.565 from the Pass to Oberiberg on the north side...those photos are HERE), so our intention was to do a 7-km loop trail on the south side of the pass--called the St.Karl Circuit Trail--on the side of the Muota Valley. The loop was listed as a 2½-hour winter walk with about 300 meters of ascent, so somewhat of a challenge after we hadn't been out for a while. 

The newly snow-covered trees were magnificent, and even though the fresh snow meant the prepared walking trail (which we had difficulties following, as it didn't match with our map and was criss-crossed with several snow-shoe trails) was somewhat soft yet, in all, the conditions were quite good for a winter walk. The most disappointing part is that after only an hour of fabulous clear skies, sunshine and good visibility, the fog moved in. As a result, we didn't complete the loop as planned, and didn't even manage a full 5 kilometers on this day. Nevertheless, we were outside for about three hours, and didn't have to go far to enjoy this. And even though we did have to cross popular ski pistes a couple of times, this is a smaller family-oriented ski hill, and we didn't meet altogether too many people. 

Heading along Lake Zug by train into Arth-Goldau... This is Mout Rigi, looking lovely with fresh snow all the way down to lake level. We actually could have done a walk here at lake level, as there was sunshine and no fog for a change!

At the train station in Schwyz, we changed to a bus, which headed up to the hills in the East. Even though there seem to be wisps of fog, we can even see Lake Luzern and the town of Brunnen at the bend of the lake. This kind of visibility has been rare this winter. 

Looking down to the large valley basin between the city of Schwyz and Mt. Rigi as the bus continues winding up the road toward the Ibergeregg Pass.

The landscape is beautiful

The best part of winter is after a fresh snowfall!

VIDEO:

Gorgeous snow-covered trees

From the bus headed to the Ibergeregg Pass

Views from the bus window

On the way up, we passed two parking lots jam-packed full of cars because there are chair lifts nearby, which skiers can ride up toward the pass, where there are several pistes quite popular with families. 

We got off at the bus stop called Oberberg (a nearby restaurant) from where it is a short walk to join the prepared winter walking trail. The bus was standing room only all the way from Schwyz, because a large group of snow-shoers also came here to the start of this trail. 

A short section of a side road heads toward the Oberberg restaurant and the junction of the walking trail. 

Behind me is the summit of the Great Mythen (Grosser Mythen), with a single restaurant at the very summit. 

Summit of the Grosser Mythen. The red rock here is much older than the lower part of the mountain, indicating that there was a thrust or flip of the Earth's crust at some point in history. 

At about 10:50 we reached the junction of Trail no.561: "St.Karl - Ibergeregg Loop Trail", which we ascended toward the pass. That's when the fog met up with us. On the other side of the pass there was no fog, but we walked that winter trail a year earlier, and didn't want to walk it again. So we descended back to the St.Karl Chapel through thick fog. Had the fog lifted, our plan was to continue to the chair lift in Vorder Oberberg, where we would have ridden down to Illgau. We also tried to follow the pink trail via GPS, but the actual prepared trail was different. 

These are the signs that indicate where the walking trails or the snow-shoe trails head out from. (As it turns out, these were not the same trails on our map, so we just had to figure it out as we went along! Usually there are pink posts along the way, which you can follow).

Several skiers came down what we thought was the walking trail, so we were confused! But we figure they were headed to the Oberberg Restaurant. 

Just behind us we can see the Oberberg Restaurant, and we figured several of the skiers who passed us were headed there for lunch. 

The snow-shoers have caught up to us, after putting on their snow-shoes at the bus stop!

Our map showed that the walking trail went through here, but this didn't look like a walking trail. At this point we realized we cannot go according to the map!

When we reached this trail (coming up from the left), we realized this must be the prepared walking trail, and we just had to follow this from now on!

Great visibility of the mountains to the south! And there is that group of snow-shoers who had traveled on the same bus as we did. 

We really enjoyed the first part of this walk with the new snow and clear visibility. 

Far to the west we look down at the valley basin where the town of Schwyz is located, and we can see the winding road that we came up on by bus. The wisps of fog didn't concern us at this point. 

Far on the right is the mountain resort village of Stoos on the other side of the Muota Valley. It is accessed by the steepest Funicular in the world and is also very popular for both cross-country and downhill skiing. (We tried cross-country skiing there in February of 2020, those photos are HERE). 

Absolutely gorgeous

A look behind us at the trail heads into a forested section. 

Perfect conditions for a winter walk, although we did sink into the new snow a bit. 

Above us we can see the bus heading back down from the the Ibergeregg Pass 

At 11:30, after only 45 minutes on the trail, the fog moved in quickly below us, and we can no longer see to Stoos on the other side of the Muota Valley.

The trail on the left was showing as the walking trail, but it was quite obviously used only by some snow-shoers. On the right was the very obvious walking trail, but it was a detour, so we had decided to try the snow-show trail, which wasn't the best idea as we did sink into the snow a few times and even slipped and fell! We should have stayed on the obvious walking trail. 

Although we are still in the sunshine, the fog is climbing toward us now! We still had hope we could stay above the fog level. 

The best kind of winter walking conditions. 

Still heading uphill in the direction of the Ibergeregg Pass. 

At 11:50, the fog caught up to us. So we had just an hour of walking in the lovely sunshine. If the fog isn't too thick, though, the effect is kind of interesting. 

The fog has its own charm, if some sunshine still filters through. 

When we reached the top part of the St.Karl loop trail (no. 561), it would only have been another 10 minutes to the Ibergeregg Pass, and webcams were showing NO FOG on the other side of the pass. But as we had walked this stretch and down the other side almost exactly a year earlier (those photos are HERE), we decided to head back down along the other side of the loop, even if it meant walking through the fog.  

From here on the west side of the loop we had to cross a couple of ski pistes. There weren't as many people here as on the more popular ski regions.

At this point, only a small amount of fog for the skiers. 

When visibility becomes only a few meters, it's not that fun to walk any more. At least the snow was firm and "squeaky"! It was just about noon as we headed back down the mountain and into the thick fog. 

I can't imagine this must be any fun any more for the skiers. You can't even see where the piste is anymore, and we had a hard time figuring out where the walking trail was. 

We had been looking for a bench or a fallen tree in a snow-free part of the forest, where we could sit and eat our picnic lunch. At 12:25 we reached a small eating establishment called the "Schnapshütte" where there was a public toilet (to my relief, as I can't just squat on the side of the trail to pee in the snow) and a few convenient snow-free picnic tables and benches. From here it would be less than 20 minutes to get back to the main road where we could catch the 13:28 bus. (If the fog had lifted, we would have walked to St.Karl chair lift, 40 minutes from here). 

We sat at one of the picnic tables for about 10 minutes to "enjoy" our sandwiches in the thick fog.

The walking trail was hard to find, but we continued on our way at 12:40.

Nearing the road now, we were bestowed with the smallest amount of sunshine again! Our original plan was to continue southward to the St.Karl chair lift to ride down to Illgau (where I had been only once before), but we saw no point in that, as the fog wasn't showing any signs of lifting. The next bus from here wasn't till 1:30 p.m. (there are buses only every 2-3 hours), and as it was now only 12:55, we decided to walk to the Gründel Chapel, which you can see along the road on the left side of this photo. 

We had plenty of time until the 1:30 p.m. bus, so we detoured over to the Gründel Chapel. 

At this point we were still able to enjoy the snow-covered trees and a lifting of the fog. 

And we even had some sunshine to enjoy for about 20 minutes before returning to the bus stop!

The Gründel Chapel sits on a small hill with a fantastic view into the Schwyzer Valley Basin. It was built in 1875 and belongs to Illgau. 

Details of the little Gründel Chapel. The crucifix mounted on the front side beneath the roof is from the end of the 18th Century. The items inside the chapel are apparently older than the chapel itself. 

Across from the chapel was this really pretty alleyway of trees heading toward a private property. 

Back at the bus stop now at 13:24, a final bit of sunshine before the fog envelops us again. 

By the time the bus came at 1:30 p.m., the fog had moved in again, and I was glad we didn't have to wait more than 5 minutes here!

As the bus heads back into the city of Schwyz (Capital City of Canton Schwyz), we can see the former Capuchin Monastery which is now a High School for grades 10-12.

In the heart of the city of Schwyz is the fabulous Late Baroque St.Martin's church, which we had a close look at after a hike we did nearby in August 2020 (Those photos are HERE). 

From the train station in Schwyz, we take a train to Arth Goldau where we change to the next train to Zug. This is what the summit of Mt. Rigi looked at this point, at 2:10 p.m. The whole trip home was 1 hour and 15 minutes. AND once we got home, there was no fog at all in our city, so I sat on a nearby bench to enjoy another hour of sunshine. 

The dark-blue line is the 6-km walk we did this day . We have done many hikes in this region, most of them in summer. 

Location of Ibergeregg within Switzerland.