Grignone
2,410 m
Italy
Also known as Grigna settentrionaleAlso known as
Grigna settentrionale
- Elevation
- 2,410 m
- Prominence
- 1,687 m
- Difficulty
- 3/10
- Mountain hike
- Best Season
- Jun–Sep
- Routes
- 2
Routes
2Sources differ: E (CAI hiking scale (Leccoonline/Trekking Lecco))
The easiest way up the highest of the Grigne: about 1,580 m from the Sacro Cuore chapel near the Colle di Balisio, through beech woods to the Pialeral meadows and Rifugio Antonietta, then up the summer path to the Bocchetta della Bassa and along the short south ridge to Rifugio Brioschi beside the summit. About 3½ hours up.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 6.8 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,579 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 2,410 m
- Time Up
- 6h 08m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 4h 03m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Start near the Colle di Balisio on the SP 62 between Lecco and the Valsassina. A dirt road leads to the small Sacro Cuore chapel (about 830 m), from where trail 31 follows a forestry track and then a steeper path through beech woods to the wide meadows of the Pialeral and Rifugio Antonietta (1,428 m), about 1 hour. Pasturo (about 650 m) is an alternative start on trail 33 via Cornisella and Alpe Cova, a little longer. Above the Pialeral take trail 33 signed 'Brioschi'. At a fork, the left branch is the summer route; the right branch is the steeper winter route (the 'muro del pianto', EE) via the Comolli huts and the Riva-Girani bivouac to the east ridge. The summer path climbs steadily just below the ridge, with some steep ramps, to the Bocchetta della Bassa (2,144 m) and the small Bivacco Merlini emergency shelter, where the paths from Mandello del Lario and the Traversata Alta from the Grignetta join. The last half hour follows the south ridge over rocky steps and a few steep, slightly exposed hairpins past the Bocchetta di Releccio to the terrace of Rifugio Brioschi (2,403 m); the summit cross is a few metres beyond. Allow about 3½ hours up (2 hours from the Pialeral) and descend the same way. This is one of the most frequented routes in the Lombard Prealps, also in winter, when the slopes above the Pialeral are exposed to avalanches after heavy snowfall and the summit ridge carries cornices on the north side.
Start
Cappella del Sacro Cuore (Balisio)843 m
- Train from Milan to Lecco, then local buses up the Valsassina towards Balisio and Pasturo (check current timetables).
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cappella del Sacro Cuore (Balisio) → Grignone | 6.8 | 1,579 | 12 | 6h 08m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Cappella del Sacro Cuore (Balisio)843 m
Parking near the Colle di Balisio; sources disagree whether cars may drive the dirt road to the chapel
- Hut: Rifugio Antonietta al Pialeral1,376 m
- Col: Bocchetta della Bassa2,116 m
- Col: Bocchetta di Releccio2,255 m
- Hut: Rifugio Brioschi2,394 m
not on route line
- Summit: Grignone2,410 m
Key Passages
- Beech woods to the Pialeral
- Summer path to the Bocchetta della Bassa
- Rocky south ridge to Rifugio Brioschi
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 85%Overview
The Grigna Settentrionale (2,410 m), highest of the Grigne above Lake Como and of the Lecco Prealps, with a staffed hut a few metres below its summit cross. A long but straightforward walk from the Valsassina, or a shorter, chained route from the lake side via Rifugio Bogani.
The Grignone is a limestone massif between the eastern arm of Lake Como and the Valsassina, the higher and bulkier northern twin of the jagged Grignetta (Grigna Meridionale). Its southern and eastern slopes are grassy and wooded down to the Pialeral meadows above Pasturo; the north side is a stark karst basin of sinkholes, caves and scree around the Conca del Moncodeno, and the west falls steeply towards Mandello del Lario and the lake. From the summit the view takes in a long stretch of the Alps to the north and west and the Po plain to the south.
Rifugio Brioschi, owned by CAI Milano, stands just below the top, so the summit is one of the most visited in Lombardy in all seasons. The normal route from Balisio or Pasturo via the Pialeral is a long but technically simple walk of about 1,600 m of ascent. The lake-side Via della Ganda from Cainallo is shorter but steeper, with chains and fixed ropes, and the Traversata Alta links the summit with the Grignetta along an equipped ridge.
In winter the Grignone is a popular snow ascent and ski tour from the Pialeral, but it is a real winter mountain: its open slopes are avalanche-prone, the summit ridge carries cornices over the north side, and the historic Rifugio Tedeschi on the Pialeral was destroyed by an avalanche in January 1986.
Climbing Notes
Summer ascents need good fitness for about 1,600 m of ascent (3½ hours up from Balisio, 2 from the Pialeral) and a sure foot on the rocky final ridge; no technical skills are needed on the normal route. The Via della Ganda from Cainallo is shorter (about 1,000 m) but graded EE, with chains, fixed ropes and loose scree; a helmet is sensible. Start early in summer to avoid afternoon thunderstorms on the exposed summit.
Rifugio Brioschi is open every day from mid-June to mid-September and at weekends all year, so the summit can be split over two days. In bad weather call the hut first. The Bivacco Merlini at the Bocchetta della Bassa and the Riva-Girani bivouac at the Comolli huts are emergency shelters only; Rifugio Brioschi also has a winter room.
In winter, follow the poles of the winter route from the Pialeral, carry crampons and ice axe and avalanche kit, check the avalanche bulletin for the Lombard Prealps, and keep back from the cornices on the summit ridge. After heavy snowfall the route is best avoided.
History
The summit hut opened on 10 October 1895 as the Capanna Grigna Vetta of the CAI Milan section. After an extension largely funded by Luigi Brioschi, a pioneer of Lombard mountaineering, section president and first ascensionist of the Nordend on Monte Rosa in 1876, it was renamed Rifugio Luigi Brioschi in 1926. It was the second summit hut on the Italian side of the Alps after the Capanna Regina Margherita. The hut was burned down in 1944 during the Second World War and rebuilt in 1948; the summit cross was erected in 1950. The Traversata Alta between the two Grigne was described in the CAI's Rivista Mensile as early as 1899. No record of a first ascent of the summit itself is known.
Season
Best Jun–Sep- January: Possible
- February: Possible
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- May: Good
- June: Best (best window)
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Good
- November: Possible
- December: Possible
- Jan
- Winter ascent from the Pialeral with crampons and ice axe; avalanche risk; hut open at weekends
- Feb
- Winter conditions; popular ski tour and snowshoe ascent
- Mar
- Spring snow; avalanche risk on open slopes
- Apr
- Snow on upper slopes; check conditions
- May
- Snow patches high up, especially on the north side
- Jun
- Rifugio Brioschi open daily from mid June
- Jul
- Main season; afternoon thunderstorms; busy at weekends
- Aug
- Main season; very busy around mid August
- Sep
- Clear, stable days; hut open daily until mid September
- Oct
- Good autumn walking; hut at weekends only
- Nov
- First snow likely on the upper ridge
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Rifugio Brioschi (CAI Milano, 34 beds): tel. +39 0341 910498, rifugiobrioschi.com; book ahead for summer weekends and call before going in poor weather. Rifugio Bogani belongs to CAI Monza; Rifugio Antonietta al Pialeral is privately run.
- Fees
- Pay-and-display parking at Alpe Cainallo / Vò di Moncodeno (EUR 4 per day in 2022)
- Rules
- Parco Regionale della Grigna Settentrionale: stay on marked paths, especially in the karst areas with hidden sinkholes and caves
- Dogs should be kept under control on pastures; gates mark grazing areas
- Getting There
Pasturo (Valsassina) or Esino Lario (lake side); Lecco is the main town
Milan Linate (LIN) or Bergamo Orio al Serio (BGY)
- By car from Lecco on the SP 62 up the Valsassina to the Colle di Balisio or Pasturo
- By car from Varenna via Esino Lario to Alpe Cainallo and the Vò di Moncodeno car park
- Train from Milan to Lecco or Varenna-Esino; local buses run into the Valsassina and to Esino Lario but not to the Cainallo car park
Hazards
- Avalanche
- Cornices
- Weather
- Rockfall
Huts & Shelters
3- 1,428 m
Rifugio Antonietta al PialeralHutStaffed
Reported open daily in July and August and at weekends the rest of the year (unconfirmed for 2026)
- 1,816 m
Rifugio BoganiHutStaffed
- 2,403 m
Rifugio BrioschiHutStaffed
34 beds · Daily from mid June to mid September; weekends all year