Pizzo Centrale (9839 ft / 2999 m)

Saturday, October 15, 2022
Trailhead: Passo San Gottardo
7.60 miles roundtrip
3150' total ascent

Party of 2: Tony & Zach

Pizzo Centrale is an almost-3000m peak in the central Alps of Switzerland. It lies on the border between the Italian-speaking Canton of Ticino and the German-speaking Canton of Uri. The peak's flanks rise immediately to the east of Passo San Gottardo (Saint Gotthard Pass), one of the most important north-south connections in the Alps. The name Pizzo Centrale is a testament to its central location and magnificent views in all directions. The peak is partially glaciated on its north side, while the south face provides relatively easy hiking access from the pass.

My boyfriend and I were on a week-long trip around this area of the Alps with the only plan being "hike a lot to see cool stuff, also fondue and pizza" but we did want to specifically hike to the top of a mountain at some point. This one looked like a great objective.

Conveniently, there's a hotel at the top of Passo San Gottardo (like most passes in the Alps). The building's interior was beautifully remodeled in 2010 in a modern Alpine style and was a delight to stay in. It was a little pricey but at least it includes a good breakfast selection. We made base camp out of it for a couple days.

We started from a parking area at the base of the road leading to Lago della Sella from the pass, near the hotel. The road is closed to public vehicle access unless permission is obtained from the Swiss military, but it's open to foot and bike traffic for recreation.

We hiked up the road past numerous bunker entrances and other small military-looking structures, then made a left onto another paved, steeper road.

We promptly arrived at the man-made lake, Lago della Sella. The road changed to gravel as the pavement turned to run across the dam. It also leveled out to traverse above the northern shore, our route. We were glad to get a quick flat section here before the main ascent of Pizzo Centrale.

The peak was not referenced in trail signs, but I had a map on my phone to guide us. We turned onto another gravel road and ascended through a couple of switchbacks before continuing on a footpath leading northeast towards the peak.

The footpath went up sharply, as they do in this region. We followed it through long strands of now-dormant grass as it lead to a rocky face on the southern slopes of the mountain. The trail split and we went right to ascend through an area of mixed grass and talus at the base of a gully bisecting the rugged face.

The trail left the gully immediately with a quick semi-scramble through a weakness in the terrain and brought us to the top of a shoulder above the cliffs. From here, the peak's false summit loomed above and a large cairn beckoned to us in the distance, across a mellow talus field. It was at this point that the views behind us also started to really open up, and it was quite gorgeous.

The talus field was well-cairned and soon we crested the ridge. From this point the summit finally came into view, covered in just a dusting of fresh snow from the day and night before. The trail would make an ascending traverse across this new drainage to the peak's homestretch ascent. A natural pond came into view down to the right, and now the view to the south and southeast had opened. Magnificent!

As we started towards the peak's homestretch and began to hike through the combined snow and mud, we noticed a set of boot and paw prints had been here first. They must have come very early.

The final ascent to the summit was beautiful and exhilarating. The trail caught up to the ridge between the false and proper summits, awarding glimpses of the sheer drops to the north and the peaks beyond. We had to take great care due to the possibility slippery conditions. However, having the snow up high was very cool.

We could also see that clouds were approaching from the northwest. We would have some time to appreciate the summit but we did want to be efficient now, just in case.

The summit was a sight to behold. The glacier came into view atop the wide valley, and we could pick out the areas we'd hiked during the previous days. Low clouds were gathering from the abundant moisture recently, and their presence added to the grandeur of the location. As we all know, the Alps are quite developed, but the summit view from Pizzo Centrale felt like unspoiled wilderness, with rugged Alpine sub-ranges in all directions.

After admiring everything for a little while, we started back down, taking great care on the slippery ground. The sun had been coming and going, but only stayed out as we passed the ridge below the false summit on the way up, and the snow was melting fast. By the time we reached the ridge on the descent, it was almost all gone. What a special day on this mountain.

The rest of the descent was typical and uneventful, but the open views to the southwest were greatly appreciated as they faded away behind the rock-speckled hills above Lago della Sella. We also finished the hike in fog as the clouds rolled in, which helped keep cool on the paved walk back to the pass.

After descending, we drove down the valley to Lugano, the ritzy southern Swiss "beach town" on the lake with palm trees (???) and good pizza of course. We caught one of my favorite bands, the Italian group Tre Allegri Ragazzi Morti. They played at a small venue called Studio Foce. Non parlo Italiano, but I love their music and getting to see them play a show among their Italian-speaking fans was such a treat.

Peak hiking, pizza, and live music...thumbs up to that!