Ponte Brolla, Ticino - great boulders to climb with crystal clear watter from Maggia valley
Updated: Aug 17, 2020
As the name says, Ponte Brolla, it must be a bridge involved :-)
Actually, when you drive under 5Km from Ascona towards Centovalli ( the Locarno (CH) - Domodossola (IT) railway, also known as the Centovalli railway ) you get to an intersection with a bridge over a cliff and a right side road towards Maggia (the start of Vallemagia valley).
You can reach Ponte Brolla also via bus or direct train - Ponte Brolla Station (check schedule www.sbb.ch). There are many bicycle trails in the area with very low slopes.
Park near the restaurant Albergo Ristorante Centovalli - on the left side of the road that takes you to Vallemaggia. The restaurant has some stairs to see the gorge, so get a meal or a drink and you can use their patio or you can descent (abrupt) improvised paths directly from the parking. (not suitable for young kids). For an easier descent use the next parking on the left side, after you turn the curve.(https://goo.gl/maps/tAaXwiuWdfr)
Activities:
Hike/climbing
Sunbathing on the cliffs
Swimming
Rock jumps into the water
Scuba in this clear water.
Warning: the river water is very clear but being but being glacier water it is cold. DO NOT JUMP directly into this water, get yourself acclimatized with before. The water level can grow fast when the above dams release water for producing electricity. This river has high-speed flow producing odd twisting dangerous currents, making swimming quite dangerous. There is a current that brings the swimmer down, and with current pressure, you can get "stuck" under rocks. So please proceed with a lot of caution. Hints: take with you good shoes, swimming gear, and light luggage, The boulders are huge, they can be climbed without any special gear, but when wet could be slippery.
A well documented hike: https://wegwandern.ch/listing/wanderung-maggiatal-vallemaggia-ponte-brolla-maggia-wandern/