On the Via Gottardo Trail again, from Lodrino to Biasca on the Ticino Side

Thursday November 27, 2025 -- It's still very cold in the north, and lots of sunshine in the south, so on the spur of the moment I headed toward Bellinzona and Biasca, which is just a two-hour trip to milder temperatures (about 9 degrees) for a short walk of 10 kilometers.

Since I keep track of all our hikes on Google Earth Maps, I like to connect trails from where we ended and started previous trails, and there was one rather monotonous stretch along the Ticino River between Lodrino and Biasca in the "Riviera" part of the valley, connecting where we left off on our (similar) December 2023 walk along the Ticino River, and ending in the city of Biasca. This is another section of the National Trail no.7: "Via Gottardo" of which we have done several sections, but the maximum amount of time I can spend walking along the river. (For me, this is much more tiring than 4 hours of mountain trails).

I started at 11:15 at the former train station in Cresciano, and ended in Biasca at about 2 p.m., just as this city was starting to be thrown into the shadow of the steep western mountains there. Winter walks in the sunshine are difficult to calculate in this part of the Ticino River Valley, and I should have started at least an hour earlier for better sunshine. Returning to Bellinzona by train, I could have spent some more time in the sunshine there, which lasts until about 4 p.m., but after this 2½-hour walk I was ready to head back home (just a 90-minute trip).!

PART I -- Snow in our region... The landscape was beautiful, and on the way south, I almost changed plans as the landscape was beautiful! In retrospect, I could have done a very nice walk somewhere here at lake level, with gorgeous views of the freshly-fallen snow!

Passing Mt. Rigi at the south end of Lake Zug. The snow-cover tooks fabulous, especially where it ends so suddenly!

And here we are near the city of Schwyz. I could have done a nice walk along the cleared roads, but actually, I wasn't sure how cold it would be.

Fantastic Mythen Mountains

Close-up look at the Grosser Mythen Peak. It was just a few weeks earlier that I walked down to the city of Schwyz through the clearings on the bottom left.

Later on, near the south end of Lake Uri near Flüelen, another fabulous peak called Gitschen.

PART II: 10-km Walk from Cresciano/Lodrino to Biasca along the Ticino River

This turned out to be a 10-km and 2½-hour walk, mostly along the Ticino River on a fairly level path. After crossing the bridge at Biasca (in shadow at 1:30 p.m.), the final 1½ kilometers to the train station was along a paved road. I started across the river from Lodrino at 11:15, and just caught the 13:55 train back to Bellinzona (I was a minute too lake, but the conductor waited for me!)

Starting across from the former Cresciano train station (where we had ended a similar walk in December 2023) at 11:15, I first crossed the Ticino River and walked beneath the freeway bridge on my way to Lodrino on the west side of the river.

A look south down the Ticino River as I cross the bridge on my way to Lodrino.

A look to the mountains on the east side of the river near Osogna, I can see the little Oratorio della Santa Pieta chapel which we have walked past on two previous hikes on the higher trail (February 2018 and February 2020)

A view of the snow-covered peaks on the west side of the river, above the village of Lodrino.

A view up the Ticino River after passing beneath the freeway bridge.

Here I cross a side stream which enters the Ticino River. View past the freeway bridge to the mountainside above Osogna.

Up ahead is the parish church of Lodrino. (Back in February 2018, we started and ended a loop tour up the western hillside above Lodrino and the granite quarry just north of here.) A trail marker here indicates that it should take another two hours to walk to Biasca.

This is the Sant'Ambrogio Church in Lodrino. The church was first mentioned in the 15th Century, although this building is Late Baroque.

Details of the Saint Ambrose church in Lodrino. The Rococo stucco artwork is from the 17th Century, as is the main portal and the fresco of the Nativity above it. The fresco of St.Christopher to the right of the door dates from 1718.

Panorama view of the inside of the church in Lodrino. (I cannot recall quite clearly, but I don't think we saw the inside of this church last time we were here in 2018, because it was a Sunday and there might have been a church service going on).

I loved the colour inside of this building.

Just to the north of the village is the Lodrino granite quarry. In February 2018 we started here in the village of Lodrino and hiked a trail above the quarry to three hamlets on this mountainside.

Now starts the long walk along the Via Gottardo Trail next to the Ticino River. On that February 2018 hike, we also walked here along the river and through the forests back to Lodrino from Iragna, and as there are two parallel trails, I tried walking on the sections we didn't cover last time!

A long level trail along the Ticino River. The air temperature was pretty mild, so a comfortable (although for me somewhat monotonous) walk.

Across the river is the very steep Valle Osogna. (There is a trail up into that valley, but less interesting for us, as it's a 900-meter climb through the forest to the first clearing with mountain homes).

Ticino River (looking south), one of Switzerland's major rivers.

The colour of the river was a clear turquoise.

Now I get views into the Blenio Valley, which branches off from this valley at Biasca. It is a beautiful valley we have walked many times, and is also the valley that leads up to the Lukmanier Pass.

I took a small detour off the riverside trail to have a look as this lovely "pond".

This trail along the river is part of both National Trails no.7: "Via Gottardo", and no.2: "Trans-Swiss Trail".

Above me to the west, more of the higher, snow-covered peaks come into view.

A spot along the river for a short break.

Crossing the bridge over the Ticino River before the final stretch to the train station in Biasca. It is only 1:30 p.m., but this part of the valley is now already in shadow of the steep mountains to the West.

At this point it was 13:41..... The train leaves at 13:55 and I walked very quickly because I didn't want to wait around for the next train at 14:25 because there was a lot of construction noise. It was all on paved roads from here to the train station, and I walked very quickly.....

A look southwards down the valley from Biasca

To the northeast, the Blenio Valley (and the Malvaglia side valley) still have lots of sunshine!

But to the northwest, the Leventina Valley is already in shadow. Biasca lies at the junction of the Leventina and Blenio Valleys .

Just short of the train station, you can see the double-waterfalls that Biasca is known for. It's 13:51 and I figured that was more than enough time for the few meters to the platform, but.... there was a detour due to construction, and I just made it to the platform at about 15 seconds before the 13:55 departure, and just wanted to hop into an open door.....

... when a train employee signaled to me that I had to go to the front part of the train! Lucky for me, he opened this door remotely and the train driver waited for me, causing the train to leave a bit later than the scheduled departure! From here the train goes back to Bellinzona, where I take the fast train back home (by 3:45 p.m.!)

This is what my walk along the Ticino River looks like on Google Satellite Maps. Starting where we ended the December 2023 walk, I crossed the river to Lodrino, and then walked along the west side of the river to the bridge at Biasca.

These are all the hikes we have done in this upper part of what is called the Riviera, near Biasca at the junction of the Blenio and Leventina Valleys.