The most beautiful peaks
This is a selection of the main peaks reachable with the official Gressoney trails, sorted by descending height. Except for the last one (Punta Della Regina, “Queen’s Peak”), they are all reserved for fairly experienced and trained hikers.
They can almost always be reached directly from a trail, except Rothorn, Punta Rissuolo and Punta Lazouney, which require an off-trail but still tracked or easily guessed route. For more information, refer to the indicated trail sheets.
- Testa Grigia (3311m)
- Rothorn (3152m) and Piccolo Rothorn (3014m)
- Alta Luce (3184m)
- Punta Rissuolo (3104m)
- Corno Vitello (3057m)
- Punta Lazouney (2579m)
- Punta Della Regina (2382m)
1: Testa Grigia (3311m)
The plateau at the base of Rothorn and little Rothorn seen from the summit of Testa Grigia
From Saint Jean: The highest peak in the Gressoney Valley is Testa Grigia, which can be reached via trail 6. Long route with a couple of tricky spots (described in the dedicated sheet), but the view from up there is absolutely incomparable. If I had to choose ONE destination out of all, this would probably be THE destination.
2: Rothorn (3152m) and Piccolo Rothorn (3014m)
The view of Mount Rosa from the Piccolo Rothorn
From La Trinité: after the Testa Grigia, there is a second trail that I particularly love, because it allows you to reach two peaks that are almost as spectacular and lie directly in front of Monte Rosa. Trail 10 reaches the Piccolo Rothorn, from which the Rothorn is reached with little further effort. We stand on a crazy balcony just above the Bettaforca basin, with nothing between us and Rosa.
3: Alta Luce (3184m)
The Alta Luce bell
From La Trinité: If you want a peak from which your gaze can literally dive into the glaciers of Rosa, Alta Luce is the perfect choice. It can be reached from Stafal by following trail 7C or, with less effort, by ascending to Gabiet by ski lift from Stafal, arriving at the Salza Pass by trail 6B and then continuing to the summit by trail 7C, which passes over the Salza Pass.
4: Punta Rissuolo (3104m)
From Punta di Rissuolo, the view of the Ciampono valley
From Saint Jean: If you want to reach a peak that is affordable but totally overlooked by most, the choice falls to Punta Rissuolo:a hundred meters above Rissuolo Pass, reached via Trail 8, you arrive at the peak with the near certainty of not crossing anyone. Even the virtually unused summit book testifies to how few people reach it.
5: Corno Vitello (3057m)
Pinter Gorge and Testa Grigia from the summit
From Saint Jean: Peak number 3 is in my opinion the Corno Vitello, reached via trail 5B after reaching Valfredda Pass with trail 5A. In front of him, looking at Monte Rosa, he has the summit of Testa Grigia, but the view there remains absolutely specttacular.
6: Punta Lazouney (2579m)
The Rose beyond the Maccagno Pass looking from Punta Lazoney
From Saint Jean: A peak that is not very prominent but is at the end of the (in my opinion) most beautiful trail of them all, and is therefore the icing on the cake of a surely satisfying day, is Punta Lazouney. It is reached by traversing the beautiful Loo Valley, first arriving at Lazouney Pass via trail 12 (the very short final section is on trail 12C), and ascending the short ridge to the summit. Beautiful view of the valley, Valsesia, Rosa and the entire lower Gressoney valley (Gaby and Issime)
7: Punta della Regina (2382m)
Approaching the scree before Lake Gombetta
From Saint Jean: If you are looking for an affordable peak while having small children in tow, the prince’s choice is Punta Della Regina (“Queen’s Point”). It must come down to Weismatten with the chairlift of the same name, and take the trail 3A which first leads to a grassy basin with a pond (where, if you wish, you can stop without continuing further) and then, with a short climb, arrives at Punta della Regina, very scenic peak but at the same time devoid of the slightest risk. In Weismatten is the Carlo Mollino/Casa Capriata hut, where you can refresh yourself before or after the walk.