Hike: Rasa – Pizzo Leone – Ronco Sopra Ascona

Facts:

Date: 08.04.2023
Start of hike: Rasa TI
End of hike: Ronco sopra Ascona TI
Time spent hiking: ~5 hours
Temperature: 6°C – 19°C
Weather: Sunny ☀
Ascent: 900m in 2 hours
Descent: 1400m in 3 hours
Difficulty: T2 (easy)
Recommended? Yes, a fun hike with a great view over Lago Maggiore

Route with public transport: Ascona – Locarno – Verdasio – Rasa

Hiking route from Rasa up to Pizzo Leone and from there down to Ronco sopra Ascona

Ascona – Locarno – Verdasio

We start our hike with a wonderful sunny morning in Ascona with clear blue skies. From there we take the bus to Locarno where we hop onto the underground train (which is labeled “fart” 🤡). On the train we ride for about 40 minutes through the Centovalli until we arrive in Verdasio at the cable car station. There we get carried up the hill by the tiny cable car in which only 6 persons (barely) fit.

Rasa

Rasa is a cozy little town with some local shops, animals, a church, and a great mountain view. Only about 10 people live there all-year round. Apparently it’s the only town in Ticino that is not connected via road, you can only reach it with the tiny cable car or by foot.

From there we start our hike with a 900m ascent through the forests that have lots of foliage on the ground which you would normally expect to only see in autumn, but now in spring the leaves still get up to our shins.

Pizzo Leone

We did it! After about 2.5 hours we reach the 1659m high Pizzo Leone and enjoy the great view over the Lago Maggiore. There were much more people than expected. From the side we approached (Rasa), we saw only a handful of hikers going up to Pizzo Leone. It seems that the preferred way for the hikers is to go up from Alpe di Naccio.

Ronco Sopra Ascona

After a lunch break at the top of Pizzo Leone, we start our long way down. The view while walking downhill is always great and we make a lot of small stops to enjoy the scenery.

On our way we stumble upon the “Osteria Grotto da Peo” where we enjoy a small snack and of course a typically Swiss Rivella. Now we can also see the Maggia-Delta on which Locarno and our start town Ascona are located.

After the grotto the way goes straight down to Ronco Sopra Ascona and consists of mostly steps and stairs. At the end my knees are trembling a bit, that last part was much more exhausting than anticipated.

Happy and tired we arrive in Ronco Sopra Ascona where we take the bus back to Ascona.