Monte Legnone

The mother of all #lagodicomo routes, with an ascent of no less than 2200 meters of elevation gain, the last 500 of which are barely rideable.

Mount Legnone is the highest peak of all the Pre-Alps. It overlooks the far northern end of Lake Como. From the summit, on a clear day, you can see from west to east, the Ligurian Alps, Monviso, Mont Blanc, Monte Rosa, the Matterhorn, the Oberland, the giants of the Rhaetian Alps, the Orobie Mountains to the Dolomites. Toward the south the Po Valley, the Apennines and, on windy and clear days, even Milan.

The Tour includes the circumnavigation of Mount Legnone, taking advantage for the most part of the mule tracks and military roads built in defense of the Po Valley in case of enemy entry from Valtellina or Switzerland (Cadorna Line).

There is no ascent to the summit in this trail; it can be done by leaving the bike at the highest point of the trail and climbing on foot.

The tour starts in Colico and runs for about 24 km on asphalt to the village of Gallino (Galin) at about 950 m. elevation in Valvarrone. Obviously this stretch can be avoided by resorting to the car, although then the problem of recovery remains.

The dirt road from Galin is easy to ride until about 1900 m. elevation. From there on it becomes a sometimes landslide path up to about elevation 2400. In this section the rideability is about 50-60%, although the better riders will certainly ride more.

The summit (2609 m), as mentioned above, can only be reached on foot from the mtb high point (about 2400 m).

On the descent from about 2400 to 2100, the road has collapsed in several parts and has become a path, with very closed hairpin bends and a bumpy bottom, be careful because it is also largely exposed. From time to time the trail is fixed.

The tour includes an ascent to Colombano Pass (2005 m), for about 200 m. of elevation gain, and a descent to Rifugio Scoggione, still on a partly landslide military road.

From the Rifugio Scoggione (1575m) (property of the CAI of Colico, usually run in summer we) to about 1200 elevation (Prà dei Formica), is the most challenging piece, being a path that descends into a larch forest, with several stony steps, then everything becomes easier as you enter a beautiful beech forest, until you come out in Rusico (about 800 m).

Here you have two options, either continue to follow the track on now disused and therefore quite challenging trails, or descend to Colico along the cemented road that then becomes paved, until you cross the descent track again.

I rode it in 2013, the last comment on the state of the ride is from today, 20/10/2022 and says:

Ascent: The climb is rideable up to the Griera hut, then pretty much all pushable to the top (maybe a few dozen meters here and there are rideable but I would have spent more energy riding up than pushing).

Descent: There are small landslides that do not allow you to ride all the way down on the military road. Some nice "flowing" sections, others to overcome with bike in tow.

Hairpin bends going up to Colombano Pass are in order.

From Alpe Scoggione to Pian di Formica many passages I had to do on foot, on the other hand from Pian di Formica they have marked the trail very well and it descends with pleasure.

Overall it is a "hate and love" route, there are sections that are terrible and the bike is in the way and sections where you enjoy like urchins going down into the woods. Overall it is a good butchery but gives so much satisfaction.