Croix Carrel, from Breuil-Cervinia

Access

From the motorway exit at Châtillon, turn left along Via E. Chanoux. Go past the roundabout, third exit, and continue through the old town centre for about 600m and then turn right into Via Menabrea, which you should follow until you reach the roundabout with the "Cervino" on the inside. Follow the regional road for 26.1km to Breuil-Cervinia where, at the roundabout before entering the town, take the second exit and follow the ring road for about 700m. Turn right and then, in front of the Hotel Punta Maquignaz, turn left. After about a hundred metres you will reach the large free car park 🅿️ at Piazzale Planet.

[0h41'] - [28,4km]
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The information provided here has been verified on the date of the survey of the route. Before setting off, it is advisable to ensure that no substantial changes have occurred on the route to the starting point. We therefore recommend the use of the satellite navigation apps provided by Google or Apple for up-to-date and detailed directions.

Introduction

High altitude route from Breuil-Cervinia to the Croce Carrel laid in memory of the first climber of the Italian route to the Matterhorn. Unfortunately, the enchanting landscape has been disfigured by the numerous pistes that criss-cross the mountain. However, the pleasure of climbing the flanks of the Gran Becca up to the point where the guide Jean-Antoine Carrel died at the age of 62, on his return from yet another ascent, after having brought his clients to safety.

Description

At the village of Breuil-Cervinia, 200 metres from the exit of the avalanche tunnel, turn left and take the road that leads to the golf course, after 850 m at the STOP sign turn left again and shortly after leave the car in the car park near the tennis courts.
You drive along the tarmac road between the tennis courts and the Hotel Miravidi as far as the first bend where you take the shortcut that cuts across the hairpin bend. Back on the road, at the next bend, you again take a path that comes out in front of the Les Clochards restaurant. After a few metres along the dirt road, you can choose to follow it to the Duca degli Abruzzi Refuge or to proceed along the shortcut. In this case, with the help of some pipes, climb up the track until you reach the wooden fence of the road that passes high above the restaurant.
Continue along the dirt road passing by the cross commemorating a mass officiated by Pope John Paul II and you will soon reach a small bridge. Immediately afterwards, an arrow marks the shortcut that leads off to the left. Continue along the path that cuts across the road several times until you reach markers and painted on a stone. From here starts the section of the path that climbs with a long diagonal and then joins the track. Shortly afterwards, a wooden bridge crosses the roaring waters of the waterfall that descends towards the village of Breuil-Cervinia. Continue either on the path or on the dirt road until reaching the Eura alpine pasture, which is passed upstream. After less than an hour's pleasant walk through flower-filled pastures, you arrive at the Duca degli Abruzzi - Oriondé hut, where the road ends. Above the hut, pass alongside the old cable car and continue along the clear track that, after dropping slightly in altitude, steeply faces the slope. The green of the grass begins to become rarer while the dominant colour becomes that of the stony ground punctuated from time to time by the whiteness of the first snowfields that are present until late summer. The path climbs among the rocks, softening the slope with a few hairpin bends until reaching the Carrel cross in a scant half-hour from the hut.