Piccolo Rothorn (3014m), trail 10

From Gressoney-La-Trinité to the Piccolo Rothorn
(you can go on to the Rothorn)

Rothorn and Piccolo Rothorn from the Splimannsberg

Trail 10 starts in Gressoney-La-Trinité and arrives at Piccolo Rothorn (3014m). It is 5395m long and the total positive elevation gain is 1403m.
The approximate time for the ascent is 4h11. The trail is rated EE difficulty.

WARNING: From August 1, 2023 until a date to be determined, Trail 10 is closed from Gressoney-La-Trinité to the junction with Trail 10B. If you want to reach this destination, take trail 10B that starts just before the tunnel that enters the main town of Gressoney-La-Trinité: follow it until it crosses trail 10 and then continue north.

The Little Rothorn is a mountain that towers above Stafal: from below it looks scary, due to the sheer rock faces. Instead, the upper part presents itself as a harmless hill, which is reached without any problem from a barren plateau that on the opposite side is dominated by the silhouette of Testa Grigia.

The view of Monte Rosa from the Piccolo Rothorn

To reach the small Rothorn, the path is almost always well marked: below the summit, the vast plateau that you cross is completely devoid of vegetation, so there is no real path but a series of cairns and signs on rock that you can follow without problems. The only technical difficulty is a very short section (about twenty meters) equipped with a metal cable, not particularly worrying, that you face just before climbing to the final plateau.

Once you reach the Piccolo Rothorn, if you are an expert hiker, you can continue along the rocky ridge until you reach the very nearby Rothorn (3152m, about 30 minutes from the Piccolo Rothorn), whose first ascent (17 August 1789) is officially attributed to the man considered the father of mountaineering: Horace-Bénédict de Saussure (even if in reality he did nothing more than follow existing hunting paths, marked out by a prelate from Gressoney).

There is no trail: one has to scout the route by following several cairns of stone that are fairly easily spotted. For this section, one needs to have what is called a “firm footing,” that is, not to be afraid of having to pass through slightly exposed points (not on vertiginous precipices, but on jumps of a dozen meters or so – certainly not harmless). There are also a couple of short (easy) passages where you have to hold on to rocks to proceed. It is certainly worth pushing up to the Rothorn: to the already extensive panorama is added the Ayas Valley side and all the distant peaks of the Aosta Valley.

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

Photo Gallery

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Past the valley step, the trail climbs steadily into the open

One of several streams that line the trail

After Hockene Stei, the trail continues to climb northward.

Hockene Stei moves away but remains mostly visible

At one point from behind the slope emerges Monte Rosa

Once past the fixed ropes, Hockene Stei is seen for the last time.

Access to the final plateau, where Testa Grigia (3314m) towers to the left.

Looking northward, the plateau at the base of Rothorn and Piccolo Rothorn

On the left Rothorn (3152m), on the right Piccolo Rothorn (3035m)

Rothorn and Piccolo Rothorn from the Splimannsberg

From the Piccolo Rothorn, from left Testa Grigia (3314m), Bec Forcù (3106m), Rothorn (3152m)

Bettaforca Pass: top center the Guide di Ayas hut

Looking toward the summit of the Rothorn, someone is waiting for us

Western and eastern Lyskamm from the Rothorn

Corno del Camoscio (3024m), Rothòre (3023m), Corno Horn (3018m) and Straling Peak (3115m)

Some people who have joined me admire the Pink

Testa Grigia (3314m) on the desolate plateau. The trail descends to the left

The flagpole that serves as a reference in the ascent from the Piccolo Rothorn to the Rothorn

1. Start and finish

Trail 10 starts from Gressoney-La-Trinité, the elevation is 1640m.

See on Google Maps.

Latitudine e longitudine (WGS84 - EPSG 4326): 45.8297821054, 7.82269406959

The arrival location is the Piccolo Rothorn. The altitude is 3041m.
See on Google Maps.

Latitudine e longitudine (WGS84 - EPSG 4326): 45.8452604536, 7.79140731626

From Google maps: the bridge and the parking lot

When you reach La-Trinité, turn left at the bridge over the Lys, which is almost at the end of the children’s playground. You can already park, the start is very close.

From Google Maps: the yellow marker post in front of the white chapel

The trail starts a short distance away, in front of the small white chapel: look for the usual yellow waymark.

2. The Pathway

As soon as we leave civilization, the trail starts cheerfully steep to remind us that the Gressoney valley is for real walkers…
Some forks will be encountered in the initial part of the route. Immediately after the start we meet a first fork with waymarks: to the right we go to“Dem Bino Alpelte” (WE trail), we go up to the left.

Junction with the detour not to follow

After that you meet a second fork indicated by two signs placed on the ground: left… it says neinte, instead you have to take a right towards the“Ferrata” (which you will never see).

Crossroads at which one must follow the direction

Junction at which you must follow the direction “Ferrata”

Then you meet a third waymarked fork, at about 1870m, with the very short trail 11 to Bodma: continue along 10 to the right.

Junction of trail 11 and trail 10 and 10C

You reach a cliff face, turn right and climb steadily northward until you exit the forest (at about 2100m), and pass the infamous valley step at about 2200m. From here the slope of the trail softens slightly, and there is nothing left to do but enjoy it. At 2238m, after passing a couple of streams that cut across the trail, you come to a sign indicating the point where trail 10C breaks off from 10, continuing left toward the summit of Testa Grigia. We continue straight ahead, still heading north.

The crossroads between 10C and 10

After climbing a further step, we arrive, at 2317m, at the beautiful Hockene Stei/Hòggene Stei hut, located in such an extremely scenic position that it is a worthy destination for a more affordable family outing. Watch out because it is in use, so you may find flocks vying for the place to spread the picnic sheet….

The lodges of Hockene Stei

Once past the batia, you pass into a new mountainside, which you overcome by proceeding with dogged constancy northward, until you reach 2760 meters at the only equipped section of the climb.

The section equipped with fixed ropes

As you can see from the photo, the section is not challenging at all: the cable is not needed for progression, it is certainly useful in case of slippery terrain.

In this video the wire-rope section (August 12, 2022).

A few hundred meters after this stretch you finally come out, at about 2,800 meters, on a barren plateau: an almost lunar setting, certainly unique in the entire valley. Crowning this plateau from the left are the imposing Testa Grigia, the Bec Forcù, the Rothorn and the Piccolo Rothorn.

From the Piccolo Rothorn, from left Testa Grigia (3314m), Bec Forcù (3106m), Rothorn (3152m)

The Piccolo Rothorn is on the far right of the plateau, and from looking at it from here it looks like a harmless, mule-backed mound. Quite different is its northern slope, which plummets steeply to the Rothorn valley below and its Salero lakes.

The final slope to the Piccolo Rothorn

Below is a 3d view from a point above Gressoney-La-Trinité, in which the plateau and the four peaks surrounding it are clearly visible:

Here the terrain is completely free of vegetation: follow the trail moving along the cairns, which are many and perfectly visible. The entire plateau stands out by climbing several steps and you arrive from the left on the crest that leads in a few steps to the gentle peak of the Piccolo Rothorn (3014m), once reached the view is truly breathtaking: the Rosa can be seen in its entirety, there is no obstacle between us and it, you can see Quintino Sella, Capanna Gnifetti and Rifugio Mantova with the naked eye.

The view of Monte Rosa from the Piccolo Rothorn

In this video the spectacular view from the Piccolo Rothorn (August 12, 2022).

Continuation to the Rothorn

From here you may decide to continue to the Rothorn, provided you are not hesitant about a few passages of very easy elementary climbing. There is, of course, no trail, the route being almost completely rocky, but vague tracks and a series of fairly closely spaced cairns of stone that make it possible to reach the top of this 3,000 in about 30 additional minutes without too much effort.

In this video one of the delicate points in the ascent to the Rothorn (Aug. 12, 2022).

The view from the Rothorn (3152m) is worth the effort: we are almost at the height of the Testa Grigia, the Rosa seems (even if imperceptibly) even closer to hand, on the Ayas side you dominate the whole Contenery valley, in the middle of which stands the rock of Monte Sarezza (note on its slopes a stretch of the winter ski slope – the steepest – covered with white tarpaulins, to preserve the ice in view of the winter season).

Overview of Val D’Ayas from the Rothorn

In this video the view from the Rothorn (August 12, 2022).

The only tricky part of the return is the descent from the Rothorn, which must be done with the same care as done on the way out. As soon as you return to the “mule back” of the Piccolo Rothorn, you can relax and enjoy the long ride back to the hot shower.

3. The GPX track

This is the map of the trail, according to the SCT Trail Cadastre of the Aosta Valley.

Download the trail in GPX format

This, on the other hand, is the trail of the only continuation from the Piccolo Rothorn to the Rothorn, traveled on August 12, 2022.

Download the trail in GPX format