Loads of sunshine and plenty of good views on the last hike of my "Tour de Suisse"

To end my “Tour de Suisse” of this summer, I took the opportunity to do a couple hikes with my friends. One of them was supposed to be with Cyril and Manu in our sole national park in Graubünden, but as the weather over there was pretty bad, we decided to postpone that hike and opted to visit our most southern canton instead. For me that was perfectly fine, as it basically was the first time ever that I spent some days in the canton of Tessin. Deciding spontaneously, we agreed to stay overnight in Locarno and chose to visit the mountains of Monte Lema and Monte Tamaro on the next day. None of us had been on those mountains before and as it seemed to be a popular area, we were all wondering what the day would bring. Not heading out too early, we took the cable car in Rivera around 10 o’clock and arrived a little while later at the Alpe Foppa, the starting point of our hike. A viewpoint at the terminus invited us to a first panoramic sight over the surrounding mountains and once we had taken a good look at the beautiful scenery, we started to walk.

And off we go :)

Our first goal was the peak of Monte Tamaro and from the beginning the way knew only one direction: upwards. Luckily though, the first slope had quite a few serpentines in it, so the ascent wasn't too strenuous. With loads of stones lying around on the ground however, it was definitely not the most comfortable trail we ever had walked along. But other than that, there was no complaint. The views were getting nicer by the minute and the sun shone as bright as we could have wished for. :)

Taking a look back during the ascent. The building on the plateau in the middle is the terminus of the Rivera cable car

Coming to the end of that first ascending slope, a plateau with a huge antenna greeted us and passing by a mountain hut shortly afterwards, a stunning panoramic view towards Monte Tamaro and the Alps of Switzerland unfolded ahead of us. The views were that good, that we were able to see the massive Monte Rosa range jutting out at the horizon and thanks to a sign at the hut, we even could identify the peak of the Dufourspitze, which is the highest point of Switzerland with 4634 meters above sea level.

What a view! Unfortunately the mountains in the distance kinda blur together on this picture, making it impossible to point out the Dufourspitze. But at least you can see Monte Tamaro to the very left :)

After enjoying the view for a while, we moved on and soon had reached the bottom of the final ascending slope up to Monte Tamaro. It was a steep, but also a rather short ascent and so we stood on the summit pretty much at noon. As expected, the views in every direction were just gorgeous and sitting down for some time, we took a well deserved break to enjoy the scenery around us. Contrary to the panorama, was the hustle and bustle on the top of Monte Tamaro. There weren’t only many other hikers, but also a teenager school class that made quite some noise. Not sure if the other people liked the mumble rap blaring out of the boom box of one of them backpacks, we at least certainly didn’t.

The view from Monte Tamaro towards Locarno and the Lago Maggiore

The whole hubbub actually made us leave quite soon and left us with no other choice than to have our lunch on a small midway peak called Monte Gradiccioli. At first however, a steep rocky trail led the way down from Monte Tamaro and before long Cyril’s legs started to get cramps. That that problem could appear was known to all of us and there was simply no other option than to descend slowly. Fortunately, as soon as the slope had leveled off the going got better again and passing some more school kids, we began to ascend once more.

On the way to Monte Gradiccioli, taking a look back to Monte Tamaro

In theory, there also would have been a way around Monte Gradiccioli, but Cyril decided that it was okay for him and his legs to go over it. The ascent was fairly steep, but as the cramps in Cyril’s legs had vanished, we brought it behind us without struggling too much. Unfortunately however, we had to realize that many other people had the same idea as we had and so we sat down for lunch somewhere far away from the pretty overcrowded peak. Enjoying our summit beer and the ever shining sun, we marveled at the still brilliant views towards Italy and the surrounding Alps.

You can see the trail we took to the right. Continue all along the ridge and you will end up at Monte Lema :)

Monte Lema could also be seen in the distance and it seemed like a gentle walk to get over there. At first though, we had to descend from Monte Gradiccioli and as the cramps returned at the beginning of the descent, it was a painful one especially for Cyril. While he struggled down the mountain, Manu and I had some pain as well, not in our legs, but in our ears, as the kids with the boom box had caught up on us during our lunch break. Well, as we were walking faster than them, the music before long was out of earshot again and we were able to enjoy our hike once more. As soon as the descent was behind us, Cyril's cramps luckily disappeared as well and we all had a pleasant walk for the best part of the next hour. Walking along a ridge that had some lovely views into every direction and being on a trail that mostly led straight ahead, we could understand why this was such a popular walk.

One of the mighty fine views we had. Looking towards the peak of Monte Lema

Approaching the peak of Monte Lema, a huge gap suddenly appeared right in front of us. Not having seen that one from afar, it kinda took us by surprise and as the trail obviously led down to the bottom of the gap, we all knew what that meant. Another painful descent later, the final steep ascent was upon us and after all the hiking that we had done already, it was quite an exhausting one. Eventually arriving on top, we decided to hop onto the cable car right away, as the views were pretty much the same as before and because we were a bit late already for getting back to Locarno in time for our dinner. Well, the way back was rather a long one and included a spectacular bus ride, a short train journey and the mandatory traffic jam that somehow belongs to the Tessin like the palm trees to their lakes. :) Never mind though, as we all agreed that it had been a nice day hike that certainly is recommended to anyone that wants to do it as well.

Highlight of the day: definitely the panoramic views

This hike is for you if:

- you’re looking for a simple day hike

- you want to walk on a ridge that isn’t exposed at all

- you don’t mind many other people on the trail

- you’re looking for panoramic views over the southern part of Switzerland

This hike is not for you if:

- you’re looking for demanding challenges

- you want the summit all to yourself

- you can’t handle rocky trails

As this is a popular walk, the chances that you will be alone are rather small. Therefore and because of the pretty straightforward trail, it will be hard to get lost. Plenty of signs and markings will help you finding the way as well, but even so, it's recommended to prepare yourself before you head out. If you get to Rivera by car, please note that you can buy a ticket at the cable car station that includes the ride down from Monte Lema as well as the journey back to Rivera. For more information on this ticket, please ask the salesperson at the cable car station.