Meris Lakes
- Trail Conditions: On foot
- Departure: Sant'Anna di Valdieri (1,011m)
- Duration: 4 hour/s 30 minutes
- Difference in height: 1,350m
Water is the most interesting feature of this itinerary. The mule track develops almost always running along the watercourse consisting of a series of waterfalls and emerald-green stretches of water and gets to the wonderful lakes of glacial origin, the largest lakes in the Park. Vallone della Meris will surprise you with its length, the presence of different environments, and the contrast between the two slopes. The left slope is rocky, with high walls like Arcoulon wall scattered with twisted Swiss pines, Punta della Meris or Mt. Matto; the right slope is characterized by large grasslands over which the golden eagle flies and on which herds of chamois and flock of sheep graze. The tour can be carried out in two days, with lap at Dante Livio Bianco Mountain Hut, on the shores of Meris lower lake.
From the bridge on rio Meris, take a narrow asphalt road climbing among the houses of the town and enter Vallone della Meris with a steep mule track, sometimes paved, until you reach Tetti Paladin (1,326m). With a less steep trail, cross the beech woodland and reach the plateau of Gias del Prato (1,529m), cross it and climb to Gias del Chiot (1,700m). After a few hairpin bends, you will reach a junction at the tributary of lower Sella lake: along the left branch, you will reach the mountain hut (1,910m) in a few minutes. On the right, the trail continues cut into the mountain side above the lake and then, with some bends, reaches a basin with the rests of a Gias (2,121m). A winding trail leads to a marked juntion where you turn right to reach upper Sella lake (2,329m).
