Uja Tour (Tdu)

The hiking itinerary TOUR DELL’UJA (TU) is named so because, developing along the sunny side of the Val d’Ala, it keeps the continuous presence of the suggestive summit of Uja di Mondrone as a reference point in the landscape, before reaching the tip of its summit pyramid in the last stage. Starting from the village of Cantoira, the route immediately heads towards the top of the peak that hosts the Sanctuary of Santa Cristina, a religious stronghold that marks the entrance to the Val d’Ala and Val Grande di Lanzo, before embarking longitudinally on the traverse at medium and high altitudes towards the head of the valley at Pian della Mussa.

It is a very diverse trek characterized by a gradual increase starting from the shadier side of the beech forest of Cantoira and the woods of Ceres, rising towards the alpine pastures of Ala di Stura and reaching the rocky slopes of Uja di Mondrone at Balme, until it rests on the pastures of Pian della Mussa. The stopping places offer very different opportunities. In the early stages, there are small tourist and agritourism structures typical of the area, and once at higher altitudes, it is possible to take advantage of the support of operators, previously contacted, available to reach the hiker to accompany them down the valley to their structures via rural roads that reach the alpine pastures. In the last two stages, it is possible to take advantage of a bivouac that is always open and available to hikers who need to spend a night at high altitude, and finally, the shelters and hotels of Pian della Mussa. The routes take place on trails or well-marked trail tracks, and partly on white roads leading to the alpine pastures and on forest tracks. All these paths can be walked without the need for equipment during the optimal period from May/June to October, but the length and altitude difference of some stages require a reasonable level of training. The recommended direction of travel is from east to west, with a gradual increase in altitude, so as to face some sections uphill that could be more difficult downhill, especially if the weather conditions are not optimal. The itinerary offers the possibility to connect and vary the route, linking back to the starting point of Cantoira, with the 3 Vallate which can become an alternative extension, while in the territory of Balme with the GTA and the Alta Via delle Valli di Lanzo, and thus, for those who wish to continue westward, to the Tour della Bessanese and to France.