Very panoramic trip on the Alta Val Grande. The excursion is almost entirely done on a dirt road used to reach the mountain pastures, still active, in the area. The valley hosting the two lakes is very beautiful. The best time to do take this route would be late spring, when you can admire the contrast between the beautiful and colourful spring blooms and the last patches of snow remaining from the winter. But even in the colder months this place, covered entirely by a snowy and magical mantle, is very fascinating.
Road access: From Turin’s northern ring road, exit at Borgaro or Venaria. Follow the directions for the Valli di Lanzo and then for Ceres-Cantoira-Groscavallo. Before Ceres, at the traffic light, turn right. You pass the village of Cantoira and then Chialamberto; entering the municipal territory of Groscavallo, you pass the villages of Bonzo and Migliere and get to Pialpetta. Immediately after passing the houses of this last hamlet, there is a deviation on the right for the Rivotti hamlet. Following it, you soon reach a junction where, continuing left along the road, you arrive at the charming village of Rivotti, characterised by a small white church. Park in the clearings along the road at an altitude of 1450 m.
Route: Go right on the asphalt road. After a while, you cross a wooded area until you reach the Alpe Crest mountain, a very scenic spot. Continue on the dirt road until you cross the GTA path that climbs to Colle della Crocetta at 2641 m. For the lakes, you must continue on the dirt road, enjoying a real balcony on the upper Val Grande. Leaving the wooded area, you pass above the pastures of Pian delle Moie. The route continues with a flat stretch among old huts and streams, avoiding the deviation that goes down to the underlying Gians. Continuing for a few meters, you can see on the right the entrance to the path that goes up to the lakes. The trail climbs with numerous bends until reaching the foot of a large boulder, turns around it on the left and shortly after becomes flat again and arrives to the buildings of Gias dei Laghi at an altitude of 2072 m. On the right, little further down, is the lower Sagnasse Lake. Passing in front of the mountain pastures, to the right, you climb a few meters up to the beautiful basin that houses the upper Sagnasse Lake - 2083 m.
