Sonogno Loop: The First Visit

Switzerland · Ticino · Val Verzasca

"Will be back there later this year for more" — the return took a bit longer than that.

Ridden 8 July 2015, logged simply: "Lovely ride in the Versasca Valley. Will be back there later this year for more. Stunning...." The promised return — the 2019 ride — actually took four years.

This one reached Sonogno itself, the village at the head of the valley — there are coffee shops there, and I also stopped at the dam (Diga di Contra) lower down on the way. On a gravel bike, the road/track keeps going even further past Sonogno, beyond what either Verzasca ride on this site has covered so far.

Route data (from Strava): 56.1km, 884m of climbing, max grade 22.0% — the longer and higher-climbing of the two Verzasca rides, with a gentler max grade than the 2019 return.

The route, from my own GPS track

Real GPS route map of the 2015 ride up the Verzasca Valley to Sonogno — The actual recorded route, plotted from my own Strava FIT data onto a real OpenStreetMap base.

What it actually looks like

A road bike leaning against a rock overhang beside a mountain road in the Verzasca Valley — The bike, stopped under a rock overhang on the road up the valley.

A stone tower house and church in Corippo, Verzasca Valley, Ticino, Switzerland — Corippo — Switzerland's smallest municipality, built almost entirely from local stone.

The Ponte dei Salti stone arch bridge over the emerald Verzasca river at Lavertezzo — The Ponte dei Salti at Lavertezzo — the valley's famous double-arched Roman bridge over the emerald river.

My wife standing by a wooden fence on a mountain trail near a waterfall above Sonogno — My wife on the trail above Sonogno, with the Froda waterfall behind.

A tall waterfall dropping down a rock face near Sonogno in the Verzasca Valley — The Froda waterfall, close up — one of several dropping into the valley near Sonogno.

Beyond Sonogno

The tarmac road ends at Sonogno, but on a gravel bike there's more. A signpost at Secada, just past the village, marks the trails on: Cap. Cógnora (2h25), Cabiói (30min), Rif. Barone (4h10) — on foot, but the same ground a gravel bike opens up. There's also a nice spot for a swim in the river just past Sonogno, and a separate path continuing up along the river to another village further on — beyond what this ride's own GPS track covers.

A swimming spot in the emerald Verzasca river near Sonogno, with mountains behind — The swim spot — clear emerald water on a flat rock ledge, mountains closing in behind.