Lower Bettolina pass (2906m), trail 1

from Stafal to Lower Bettolina Pass

Alpe Bettolina at 2375m

Trail 1 starts from Stafal (1840m) and arrives at Lower Bettolina Pass (2906m). It is 4708m long and the total positive elevation gain is 1088m.
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

Photo Gallery

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At 2430m looking towards the valley just crossed

At Lower Bettolina Pass, the junction with Trail 9

The giant cairn of the upper Bettolina Pass

From the upper Bettolina pass, one of the ridges that descends to the Ayas Valley

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

At the lower Bettolina pass, looking at the trail going up from Bettaforca

1. Start and finish

Trail 1 starts from Stafal, the elevation is 1840m.
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

Park in Stafal, drive to the final bridge over the Lys and take the dirt road to the left of the Lys (orographic right). 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 crosswise in a northerly direction up the left slope of the valley into a gradually sparser forest, cross the level at which the Cortlys Alp is located on the other side of the valley, until at about 2100m, in the vicinity of the lodges of Ras Gaveno, the trail turns sharply to the west, leaving the tree level.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 by staying to the right of the Lys (orographic left), as seen in 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