Bivacco Molino

An easy day trip to reach, all year around, this bivouac at the foot of the Uja di Mondrone rocky wall. The structure, with a beautiful panorama over the medium and lower Val d’Ala, has sleeping accommodations, complete of mattresses and blankets, for 24 persons. This bivouac, together with the Gandolfo, makes a first high altitude autonomous overnight stay experience possible. It is necessary to take water supplies during the climb, as water is not always present in late summer.

Indications

Suggested period

All year around, during winter months with snowshoes.

Starting point

Balme - Frazione Molera (1478 m) In wintertime Frazione Chialambertetto (1390 m)

Elevation gain

802 meters

Difficulty

Travel time

2.15 hrs from Molera

Recommended for

Hikers
Families
Snow-shoes

Access

On reaching Chialambertetto hamlet turn right from the county road. When you reach the hamlet keep the right and follow on the paved road up to a crossroad on your left indicated as GTA and Molera.

Itinerary

One hundred meters before the Molera hamlet, still on the paved road, there is a wooden board with the Molino bivouac description. The trail marked as GTA and 233 starts on your left. You climb steep grass lawns straight away and shortly, by turning to the right, you enter a thick wood. At the end of the wood itself, after a clearing, at Alpe Pian Bosco (1690 m) you will cross the dirt road that climbs from Mondrone. Following the trail you will again cross the dirt trail: you now follow the 233 signal post. You enter the wood and climb the ridge on the left side of Rio Maian. At the end of the larch wood you will cross a rocky area that takes you to a small rocky wall that has to be circled on the right. You then shortly reach the 2008 m altitude where, keeping to the right and following the 233 direction, you arrive at Alpe Le Piane. By proceeding at mid slope you cross Rio Maian and then, turning to the left, you climb along the ridge in order to reach a grassy plain. Here you abandon the main trail (233) and turning again to the left, you go up diagonally between big boulders until you reach a hollow where the bivouac stands. The descent is along the same itinerary.