Gran Paradiso Circuit Trek - 4 days of hiking through the Italian Alps

An incredible four day experience rolled into one blog to help you plan and prepare for your hike through Gran Paradiso National Park. I completed this trek in July just before my summit of Gran Paradiso.

When Skyhook Adventures invited me to join the Gran Paradiso Circuit Trek, I absolutely jumped at the chance. Skyhook offer adventure trips across the globe and this one was right up my street, the whole thing was seamless and well organised from the start - I would highly recommend checking out their trips on offer.

How To Get There -

The best airport to fly into is Torino Airport, for me there are no direct flights from Scotland, but I managed to find a simple connecting flight via Frankfurt that still got me there in a timely fashion - the whole journey took under 6 hours. However, Frankfurt is the biggest (and most confusing) airport I've ever been in in my life and due to a delay, I almost missed my second flight, so if you are having to change in Frankfurt, make sure you give yourself enough time.

I spent the night in Turin, which is a short journey from the airport and cost €6 on the bus. In the morning I took a metro to the meeting point at a cost of €2.

The two meeting points were Turin Centre and Turin Airport or if you had your own transport in Italy you could meet at the starting point at Rhemes-Notre-Dame.

For the return home you can either book an evening flight from Torino airport on the day the trek finishes or you can choose to stay a few days in Italy to enjoy some leisure time (I ended up continuing on to summit Gran Paradiso - blog to follow).

What I Packed For The Gran Paradiso Circuit Trek-

Below is a list of everything I carried with me on the trail. This isn't everything that I took with me on the flight, you were able to leave some bags and belongings in the car.

It is advised to take trekking poles with you - I was unable to do so this I only had hand luggage but you will be able to borrow some from your guide.

*The rifugi provide sliders/crocs for wearing inside the huts, so you can save yourself some packing space - there's no need to take shoes for the evening

** There are covers on the beds but it is not advised to sleep in them without anything to cover your body as they likely don't get washed very often and a high number of people are passing through and staying there

Accommodation -

Turin - I spent the first night in Turin in Hotel Urbani located in Porta Nuova, right by the metro station. This hotel was a great price, it's in the city centre, close to the airport and metro and the staff were incredibly helpful.

Rifugio Benevolo 2,285m

• Really warm showers here - 3€ for 3 minutes, you must buy a token from the bar. There are three showers for all of the guests, so as you can imagine there can be a bit of a queue of people waiting to use them

• There are also only three of toilets, so if you can I would aim to get there first thing in the morning before they are well used😅

• Rooms - the rooms were small and tight, our group was split across two. The rooms have bunkbeds. Here all the rooms were quite close to each other and situated right above the bar so it was a little noisy

• Bar - €3.50 for a cola. Beers, wines and spirits available

• No Wi-Fi and no signal, however there is a signal sweet-spot if you walk around to the back on the hut where the little bench is

• Possibility of marmot and ibex sightings here

• This one didn't feel quite as remote as the rest of them as it is easily accessible by walking or the road

• There is a slackline in front of the hut if you fancy testing your skills

  
  

Rifugio Bezzi 2,284m

• Huge & loads of marmots outside

• Free showers- nice & hot but try to get there first and don't take too long in case the hot water runs out

• The toilets here are mostly drop toilets but there is a seated one upstairs

• Rooms - each group seemed to be in their own room so all 9 of us were together. It seemed a little quieter as there were different floors and sleeping areas

• Bar - €5 for a prosecco - winning. And around €3 for a can of fizzy pop

• Free Wi-Fi but it only worked in the downstairs bar

• This one looks really impressive from the outside - I think this one was my favourite of them all

• It is possible to spot the glacier that you were walking alongside earlier that day

Rifugio Chalet de l'Epee 2370m -

• Very close to a farm where you can hear the lovely sound of the cowbells

• There are a lot of showers here which cost €2, you must pay at the bar but there is no token or time limit (obviously don't take the mick as there is a limited water supply to these places)

• Drop toilets

• Rooms - again our group was given our own room at the end of a corridor so it was nice and quiet, but to get there or to the bathrooms we had to walk through another room past people who were sleeping so I was cautious not to disturb them

• Bar - the prices were pretty much the same for alcohol across all rifugi

• There is no Wi-Fi or signal here but if you turn right when you come out the front door and take a walk along the path for around 10 minutes, you will find signal

• For me this rifugio definitely had the most stunning views

Overall

1. I would advise that you take some ear plugs if you want a good nights sleep, as there as so many groups there and people moving around during the night, it can be quite noisy.

2. The rifugi provide you with shoes so that you can keep your hiking boots at the door

3. After dinner you will be offered teas, coffees and liquor - I tried genipy one night and boy was it strong

4. Entertainment - most of the rifugi have games there that you can play

5. I think some may take card but I didn't want to risk it so made sure I had cash

Food Glorious Food -

Considering you are in the middle of nowhere, I found the food to be very substantial along the trek. This is what you can expect:

Dinner - we ate dinner in the rifugi each night, and were always provided with at least three courses of tasty and filling food. Dinner was definitely my favourite meal of the day. This is what we had at each rifugio, it will be different from place to place but this is just to give you an idea of the food you can expect.

Rifugio Benevolo - a choice of soup or tomato pasta (although they came around offering seconds so you could have had both if you liked), goulash and polenta, chocolate cake

Rifugio Bezzi - soup & bread, tomato based pasta, roast beef and potatoes (these were really crispy and so yummy😋) and flan for desert. We were served both starter options here

Rifugio Chalet de l'Epee - tomato pasta, vegetable soup and bread, beef with potatoes and fontina cheese (made in Aosta valley) and crème caramel. The trays of food were put on the tables so you could serve yourself

The food was always plentiful across the rifugi and nobody in my group seemed to be still hungry after dinner, I was extremely impressed with how they manage to pull it off, considering they have limited resources and can sometimes be feeding up to 60 guests at one time

Lunch - In the morning you pick up a packed lunch before leaving the rifugio. This consists of sandwiches, fruit and sometimes a wee sweet treat. You need to take your own lunch with you for the first day as you go straight into the park and won't come across anywhere to get food until you hit the rifugio for the evening.

Lunch with a view has a whole new meaning out here.

Breakfast - Breakfast is a buffet consisting of breads & spreads, yoghurt, sometimes cakes or biscuits and you could help yourself to teas and coffees. Personally, I struggle with eating breakfast at home so I really struggled to eat enough here

Snacks - If you have a bigger appetite or can't resist a snack stop along the way, then I'd suggest you stock up and carry your own with you. Because I struggle with breakfast I picked up a pack of individually wrapped pain au chocolat from the supermarket and they came in really handy around 11am when the hunger from breakfast hit me.

If you arrive at the rifugio feeling quite peckish from the days activities, it is possible to buy snacks from the bar - mainly toasties, sandwiches or meat and cheese platter, and most places had chocolate bars and nuts available

Dietary Requirements - The rifugi are very accommodating for vegetarians and vegans and try their hardest to provide a good alternative meal, however please remember that these places are very secluded, so the offerings may be very simple and limited. There were two members my group who had dietary requirements - one vegetarian and one vegan. The rifugi really made an effort to accommodate this

Gran Paradiso Circuit Trek, Day by Day Diary

Day 1 - Rhemes-Notre-Dame to Rifugio Benevolo

10k, 500m elevation

The first pick up point was at 9.30am, so after I got ready and double checked my packed rucksack, I grabbed some cash, some snacks from the supermarket & managed to navigate the Italian metro - which was actually really simple.

It is around a two hour drive from the airport to the little village of Rhemes-Notre-Dame. The journey gives you a great opportunity to introduce yourself and start to get to know the people in your group, my group consisted of 7 others - most of whom were strangers. Upon reaching the starting car park we set off on the trail at around 12.30pm, stopping briefly at a little coffee shop in Rhemes. The first part of the trek was fairly flat and foresty and before long you come to a clearing in the trees where the emerald waters of Lac Pellaud were glistening in the sun. This was the perfect lunch spot, as we chatted and watched the large fish and ducks swimming in the lake. The second part of the day was a slow and steady uphill climb through alpine meadows & passing beautiful waterfalls - this was where I really started to feel further from civilisation. This part is a little bit steeper over rocky terrain but still fairly manageable. When the rifugio comes into view - wow!! It is a breath-taking sight, our home for the night. We arrived just as the rain started which was careful planning by our wonderful guide Elisabetta, who had been keeping an eye on the weather forecast. Huge shout out to Elisabetta who was great, really friendly and knowledgeable and was able to tell you interesting facts about the geology and vegatation we encountered during our trip.

It was quite an experience to see the alps in the rain, as the lush greens stood out against the moody weather giving a very dramatic landscape. And the marmots didn't seem phased by it as we were able to spot some from the hut. This is the first time I'd ever seen a marmot and I was so excited - we don't get anything like that in Scotland.

After dinner we finished the evening by playing Jenga and celebrated a successful first day.

Day 2 - Rifugio Benevolo to Rifugio Bezzi (Bec de Traversiere optional)

10k 800m ascent & descent (12k 1160m including Bec de Traversiere)

After having breakfast we left the hut around 8am - bad rain was due later so we wanted to try to get as much of the hike done as possible whilst it was dry. We set off to a symphony of cowbells from the cows meandering on the steep hill we were about to ascend. The first section of the day takes you up a steep path on a grassy hillside with lots of switchbacks. There are insane views from the hilltop and the hut we had just came from looked miniscule. On the approach to Lago Goletta the path evens out and the terrain dramatically changes from green & grassy to rocky & grey. Lago Goletta is a sight to behold - an alpine lake against the grey snow capped mountains, it is possible to swim here, I went in up to my knees but that was enough - it was icy cold and cold in the air too. The path from here is steep and rocky and there may be some snow patches to cross over until you reach Col Bassac Dere at 3,082m. From here you have the option to continue on to the peak - Becca Della Traversiere. It is possible to wait and enjoy the views if the rest of the group chooses to continue. The journey down from the Col descends over rocky terrain and there is a little rope section to navigate - nothing too extreme. We passed by another beautiful alpine lake and the surrounding area started to make me feel as if I was walking on Mars. It started raining on the way down which did make the scenery a lot more dramatic, but we didn't want to get too wet so for the last push we rushed to get to the rifugio - where I treated myself to a prosecco as this day was quite physically demanding & I was soggy from the rain - it was well deserved.

Summiting Becca Traversiere 3334m - most of us were eager to hit the peak and those who chose not to were happy waiting at the col, enjoying lunch and admiring the views. For the rest of us it was a rocky ascent for a further km and 150m to reach the summit. The first part consisted of a gentle incline as you manoeuvred along the scree side of the mountain before reaching a second col type spot. From here is where the steep incline starts and the uphill climb begins over rocky paths and loose debris sections. It was quite exposed in places, but nothing too extreme. It took us around 40 minutes to reach the summit, where the views were incredible. It was a little cloudy so we weren't able to spot any of the iconic mountains but we were able to look down onto the Goletta and Gliairetta glaciers.

Day 3 - Rifugio Bezzi to Rifugio Chalet de l'Epee

12k, 850m elevation

After breakfast it once again was an uphill push but this one was slightly less steep than yesterdays. The guide will offer you the chance to detour to Lago San Martino where you can go for a dip, we went but only one from the group was brave enough as it was quite a cold morning. It is sometimes possible to see Mont Blanc from here but we had no luck today. Continuing on our journey we approached an alpine meadow with the most amazing views down into the valley! We experienced all kinds of terrain on this day as we continued on over a rocky crossing on the side of the mountain, bridges and a river crossing where we had to carefully navigate before our lunch break. A few switchbacks later and you will reach the highest point of the day where you can see glorious views down across the valley. A rain cloud rolled in but it only lasted a short while. A long descent takes you over a boulder field and through lush green hillside before the rifugio finally comes into view. There is a cow farm near the rifugio, where the combined noise of the cow bells against the mountain backdrop creates a serene and peaceful atmosphere.

Day 4 - Chalet l'Epee to Col Fenetre & the descent to Rhemes-Notre-Dame

7.5k, 470m elevation, 1200 descent

Our final day begun with a 400m ascent to Col Fenetre - the window between two valleys. This was a fairly gentle ascent which did not get too steep until the end part. The views from the fenetre were unreal - we could see Mont Blanc peeking through the clouds on one side and Gran Paradiso on the other - seeing it's colossal size it was hard to imagine I would be standing on top of it in just a few days. We enjoyed lunch here whilst we soaked up the views and prepared ourselves for the descent. Looking down I couldn't help but think 'how on earth are we getting down there?' but once you are on it, it isn't too bad. It is STEEP and scree in places but the path zig zags, just ensure you take care of your footing. There are two rope sections as you get further down. The first one is pretty simple and the rope provides an additional point of contact. The second is slightly tougher (part of it had came loose from the wall here which didn't help) and at a point you had to turn into the wall and sort of step back. Elisabetta was amazing here at providing encouragement, guidance and ensuring everyone managed safely. It was a bit of a fun section to break up the descent. Once we were down from the steep art there was a meadow to stop for lunch where we saw ibex and gazed with achievement at the steep descent we had just completed. The final part of the journey back to the car continued under the warm sunshine through gorgeous alpine meadows alive with flowers, butterflies, crickets and bees. This was beautiful and I felt myself getting quite emotional and full of gratitude over just how much of marvellous journey this had been. Once again, thank you skyhook and thank you Elisabetta for making this a magical experience.

Top Tips -

Entertainment - there are cards and various other games like boggle and jenga at the huts, but you may want to take a book or puzzles or a journal for something to keep you entertained in your free time in the evenings

Tipping - although you are not obliged to, we felt that our guide had done an outstanding job so we decided to put some money together and give a combined tip as a thank you. We each put in €30 but there was no pressure if some wanted to give less or more

Cash - you should carry enough cash on you to buy drinks and snacks at the refugi - other than this you won't really need it

Water - I carried a 1.5 litre bottle with me and it was plenty for me. You can fill up from the rifugi and there are also little water troughs along the way with lovely fresh water from the mountains

Going Solo - I know the thought of signing up for a group trip where you don't know anyone can be a daunting thought but it is so worth it, and you will probably find that the people on your trip are very like-minded 😊 It is possible to book on in groups too

The end of a wonderful four days trekking through the Gran Paradiso National Park in the Italian Alps. If you have found this helpful and enjoyed reading this, any comments or shares are very helpful. I hope this has inspired you to one day embark on your own hike in the Italian Alps