01-Sentiero Cristallina

MODERATE (1.6/10)

Ciòssa → Bignasco

Distance
13.1 km
Ascent
+275 m
Descent
-775 m
Est. Time
3h 42m
Altitude
439–940 m
Type
point-to-point

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Explore the route

Read the topography, inspect the climb, or preview the route over real terrain.

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500m600m700m800m900m02 km4 km6 km8 km10 km12 km13.1 km939m439m
Flat (<5%) Gentle (5–10%) Moderate (10–15%) Steep (15–25%)

Route briefing

What comes next

Climbs, descents and decisive places in route order. Not listed does not mean absent: it may not be mapped.

14 route events
  1. Start

    0 m

    Ciòssa

    Start

    Route geometry · source 2026-04-10

    About 0 min in

    13.1 km remaining

    +275 m remaining

  2. Route note

    0 m

    San Carlo

    Village

    OpenStreetMap · source 2026-04-10

    About 0 min in

    13.1 km remaining

    +275 m remaining

  3. Descent

    11 m

    187 m descent

    3.5 km at 5.3% average

    OpenStreetMap route data · source 2026-04-10

    About 0 min in

    13.0 km remaining

    +275 m remaining

  4. Climb

    7.4 km

    74 m climb

    0.8 km at 9.5% average

    OpenStreetMap route data · source 2026-04-10

    About 2h 07m in

    5.6 km remaining

    +144 m remaining

  5. Descent

    8.2 km

    105 m descent

    0.8 km at 12.8% average

    OpenStreetMap route data · source 2026-04-10

    About 2h 21m in

    4.8 km remaining

    +28 m remaining

  6. Descent

    9.7 km

    182 m descent

    3.3 km at 5.5% average

    OpenStreetMap route data · source 2026-04-10

    About 2h 45m in

    3.4 km remaining

    +16 m remaining

  7. Finish

    13.1 km

    Bignasco

    Finish

    Route geometry · source 2026-04-10

    About 3h 43m in

    0 m remaining

Trail route lab

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13.1 km Distance275 m Climb3h 42m Est. time940 m High pointMODERATE Difficulty
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01-Sentiero Cristallina is a 13.1 km point-to-point moderate hiking route in Switzerland, running from Ciòssa to Bignasco. The route covers 275m of ascent and 775m of descent, with elevations ranging from 438m to 939m. Allow approximately 3h 42m for the full route.

With 84% of the route below 15% gradient, strong trail runners can maintain a good rhythm for much of the distance. The steepest pitches reach 42% gradient.

Budget roughly 1,703 kcal of energy expenditure and 2.2 L of water.

Low-altitude route (max 940m). Hikeable most of the year.

Segment Breakdown

Auto-analyzed from the elevation profile. Each segment shows the dominant character for planning your effort.

SegmentDist↑ / ↓TimeCharacter
Ciòssa → km 4.3 (743m)
743–939m
4.3 km+10m / -207m1h 07m📉 Descending
km 4.3 (743m) → km 8.6 (696m)
654–756m
4.3 km+155m / -202m1h 23m🏃 Highly Runnable
km 8.6 (696m) → Bignasco
439–696m
4.4 km+19m / -276m1h 12m📉 Descending
Total13.1 km+275m / -775m3h 42m

Pace & Fuel Calculator

Adjust your flat 10K pace to see personalized finish time, calorie burn, and hydration needs.

7:00 /km
4:00 /km (elite) 12:00 /km (leisure)
Fast Hiker / Jogger
Est. Finish Time
2h 10m
Calories
1,420 kcal
Water Needed
1.8 L
Effort Distance
19.7 km
flat-equivalent
🍫 Recommended: ~45g carbs/hr (98g total) Electrolyte needs vary with conditions and sweat losses; no individual sodium target is estimated.

Terrain Analysis

Lower-gradient terrain
84%
Gradient estimate, not surface or technical difficulty
% of route below 15% gradient
Climb Ratio
21 m/km
Moderate profile
↑ 275m ↓ 775m
High Point
939.6 m
Mountain zone
Low point: 438.5m — Range: 501.1m

Surface & Technicality

Gradient breakdown
Low gradient (46%) Easy Grade (30%) Moderate Climb (14%) Steep (10%)

Gradient describes steepness, not exposure, scrambling, footing or current conditions. Technical difficulty is unknown where no mapped rating is available.

Tree cover and UV

🌲 Largely tree-covered 20% open to the sky · 80% under canopy
Estimated canopy along the route
Under canopy (80%) Open terrain (20%)
South-facing: 65% of route — receives maximum afternoon sun

🌲 Largely under trees. Good canopy at lower elevations, so the open sections are the ones to plan for.

Canopy is inferred from elevation against a 2000 m Alpine treeline and from gradient below it, not from observed tree data — treat it as an estimate. It is a different question from the terrain shade above, which is about whether a mountain is between you and the sun at a given time.

Current Conditions

Loading live weather...

Based on 1991–2020 climate averages, the weather on 01-Sentiero Cristallina is usually best from April to November.

Weather this week

Loading the forecast for low point (438 m) and high point (944 m)…

Weather by month

Typical weather on this trail: at the lowest point (438 m) and the highest point (944 m). Select a month to see why it is rated as it is.

Monthly climate averages and daylight
Month
WeatherMixedMixedMixedGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodMixed
High point, day / night5°/-3°6°/-3°9°/-1°11°/3°16°/7°20°/11°22°/12°22°/12°18°/9°14°/6°9°/1°6°/-2°
Low point, day / night8°/0°9°/0°13°/2°16°/5°20°/10°24°/14°26°/15°25°/15°21°/12°17°/8°12°/4°9°/0°
Rain, mm70608611113014613115312413914285
Snow at high pointPossiblePossiblePossible–––––––FrostPossible
Daylight8 h 5810 h 1811 h 4913 h 3114 h 5715 h 4715 h 2914 h 1412 h 3811 h9 h 288 h 38

Source: TerraClimate 1991–2020 monthly averages. Averages for the area at each point’s elevation (4 km grid, corrected for height). Not a forecast or a report of current trail conditions. These values describe the whole trail's lowest and highest points. Snow at the high point is estimated with a simple snowpack model from these temperatures and precipitation, not observed; steep islands and high summits can hold more snow than it shows. Daylight is for the 15th of each month. Hut, transport and park seasons are separate: check them for your dates.

Averages cannot establish current trail conditions. Check recent local reports, the forecast and restrictions before departure. Snow and ice can persist on shaded sections or arrive outside the usual season.

Current snow conditions

Current route snow

Insufficient evidence

Enable “Current snow map” in the route map’s Map layers to see the surrounding snow evidence. Current conditions do not describe a future departure date.

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Safety & Bailouts

Exit routes not verified

We do not have a verified emergency exit plan for this route. A nearby settlement, hut or route endpoint is not necessarily reachable or open. Do not leave the trail based on a straight-line distance or compass direction.

Mapped high point: 944 m, approximately 0.7 km along the route. This is not an assessment of the most remote or exposed point.

Review possible exits against current local information before your trip. In an emergency, contact local rescue services; this page is not live rescue guidance.

Suggested Gear List

Auto-generated based on 13.1 km, 275m ascent, max altitude 939.6m, ~4h duration.

Essential 4 items
  • 👟
    Trail running shoes / hiking boots
    Required for any trail
  • 📱
    Phone (charged) + offline map
    Navigation & emergency contact
  • 💧
    2L hydration pack
    Water source information is incomplete; plan supplies before departure
  • 🍫
    Trail mix, bars & sandwich
    Est. 1703 kcal burn
Recommended 3 items
  • 🧴
    Sunscreen
    Basic sun protection
  • 🩹
    Mini first aid kit
    Blister plasters, tape, antiseptic
  • 🧊
    Microspikes / light crampons
    Snow risk in Jan, Feb, Mar
Nice to have 1 items
  • 🦵
    Gaiters
    Keep snow out of boots

Logistics

This route runs from Ciòssa to Bignasco (13.1 km by trail). You'll need to arrange transport back to your starting point.

Start — Getting There
Ciòssa
No transit stops detected nearby.
Finish — Getting Back
Bignasco
No transit stops detected nearby. Check local timetables.

Nearby Points of Interest

📍 Nearby Places

  • Pontinn 122m off trail
  • Isola 124m off trail
  • Ciossa Paduègn 156m off trail
  • Sgerbi 184m off trail
  • Ciòssa della Grotta km 0.3 · 184m off trail

Route Details

Network
Regional Trail Network
Sport
hiking
Start
Ciòssa
End
Bignasco
Start Coordinates
46.40843, 8.52615
OpenStreetMap
View on OSM →

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Route resources

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