Lower Bettolina pass (2906m), trail 1

from Stafal to the lower Bettolina Pass

Alpe Bettolina at 2375m

Alpe Bettolina at 2375m

Trail 1 starts in Stafal (1,840 m) and ends at the lower Bettolina Pass (2,906 m). It is 4,708 m long and has a total elevation gain of 1,088 m.
The approximate time for the ascent is 3h15. The trail is rated of difficulty E.

Trail 1 is one of the least traveled trails in the valley, so it is reserved for those who want to go on a solitary hike with a well-founded probability of not meeting a soul from start to finish.

In addition to the end of Trail 1, lower Bettolina pass is also on Trail 9, which reaches the Quintino Sella Refuge. Trail 1 is therefore an excellent alternative should one wish to arrive at the Quintino Sella Refuge along a decidedly wild trail, where the only signs of modernity are those we carry with us.

More information on level of difficulty, ascent times, maps and GPX tracks

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1. Start and finish

Trail 1 starts from Stafal, at an altitude of 1,840 m.
See on Google Maps.

Latitudine e longitudine (WGS84 - EPSG 4326): 45.8598466868, 7.81251405414

The arrival location is Lower Bettolina Pass. The altitude is 2906m.
See on Google Maps.

Latitudine e longitudine (WGS84 - EPSG 4326): 45.8802283624, 7.78384507747

2. The route

After parking in Stafal, drive to the final bridge over the Lys and take the dirt road to the left of the Lys (right bank). Keep climbing until you reach the end of the buildings, you will find a fenced tennis court: the trail passes to your left.

The trail continues to ascend transversely in a northerly direction up the left slope of the valley into a gradually sparser forest, crosses the level at which the Cortlys hut is located on the other side of the valley, until at about 2100m, near the Ras Gaveno huts, the trail turns sharply westward, leaving the tree level.

The last trees on the trail

The last trees on the trail

Continue to climb in a westerly direction, passing two isolated huts (2216m and 2380m, Alpe Bettolina)…

Alpe Bettolina at 2375m

Alpe Bettolina at 2375m

…until about 2450m, when the trail turns northwest again. The valley is wild …

Shelf at 2500m

Shelf at 2500m

…And as you go up the vegetation diminishes, and it becomes all rocky. A moraine lake is reached at 2790m…

Pond at 2790m, just before the pass

Pond at 2790m, just before the pass

…after which we climb along the last section of the trail, among the rocks of the ridge.

The last section of the trail

The last section of the trail

Large painted bolts on flat rocks identify reaching the lower Bettolina pass, at 2906m.

At Lower Bettolina Pass, the junction with Trail 9

At Lower Bettolina Pass, the junction with Trail 9

If the adjective “lower” should offend our self-love, we can continue for about 200 more meters of elevation along Trail 9 until we easily reach the upper Bettolina pass (3101m) without any uncertainty of route.

The giant cairn of the upper Bettolina Pass

The giant cairn of the upper Bettolina Pass

The image below, processed with Google Earth, gives an idea of the complete route.

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1

The departure in Stafal

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From this point, the path turns west, leaving the tree line

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From this point the path turns to the northwest.

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Moraine pond

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The Cortlys Alp

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Lower Bettolina Pass

3. Map and GPX track

This is the official map of the trail as recorded in the SCT Trail Registry of the Aosta Valley.
You can download the GPX track of the trail if you want to use it later in your favorite app.

Download the trail in GPX format

4. A recent hike

2/10/2021

Very cloudy but fortunately dry day with very rare flashes of clear sky. I did not meet a soul.

On the way back, at about 2010 meters, keeping an eye on the map on my phone, I found directions to a junction that, with a very short detour, leads to crossing a small bridge over the Lys…

The bridge over the Lys on the way to the Cortlys alp.

…and then pass behind the Cortlys Alp and finally rejoin trail 7 leading to the Lys springs.

The Cortlys Alp

From that point, I descended to Stafal, staying to the right of the Lys (left bank), as shown on the map below.

This detour can, of course, also be made by going uphill: go up from trail 7, and once you reach Cortlys Alp, turn left, following the trail that crosses the Lys and eventually rejoins trail 1.

Download the trail in GPX format