Alpe del Meys
- Trail Conditions: On foot
- Departure: bivio presso Troncea
- Duration: 2 hour/s 30 minutes
- Difference in height: 273m
- Recommended Period: from May to November
- Road access: from Traverses (Pragelato country hamlet), take the valley bottom road to the Park entrance near the junction leading to Seytes. During the summer, it is possible to reach the mountain pasture by shuttle bus on payment.
- Map: IGC 1:50.000 Val di Susa Val Chisone; IGM 1:25.000 67 IV NW.
This easy itinerary, entirely developing on a dirt road at the bottom of the valley, gives the opportunity to visit an interesting botanical area which must still be completed by the Park, to enjoy the view of Alpine landscapes, and to observe, especially in the evening and early in the morning, or in the periods with less tourists, marmots, chamois, ibex, and eagles. Near the fountain of the Lendeniera you can observe a spring covered with musk (Cratoneuron commutatum and Drepanocladus revolvens), responsible of evident travertinization phenomena. The itinerary can be carried out also on horseback or by bike.
By car (only when the road is open to the traffic), but even better on foot or by bike to grasp the unusual aspects of the valley, you can reach the arrival area of the road at the bottom of the valley, at about 200 meters after the junction to the country hamlet Troncea. On foot, go beyond the barrier hindering the access of non-authorized motor vehicles and follow the dirt road running along the stream Chisone and two embankments, alternating short uphill stretches and large flat stretches. Once you reach a small wood, cross the bridge and take the trails leading you to discover some natural phytocenosis illustrated by panels and labels. If you are not interested in this visit, you can go ahead on the dirt road going beyond another small bridge in the wood and leading to a fountain. After the fountain, the road becomes steeper and leads you to a narrowing in the valley, where the waters of the stream go rapidly beyond three embankments.
At the end of the climbing, a rocky cliff made of breccia linked by calcareous components gives the opportunity to take shelter during the hike in case of rain. From this point you can observe the Lendiniera waterfall. Immediately after the nearby fountain, next to which there are spring musks, you can cross the stream Chisone on a wooden bridge and reach the left hydrographic side. Across grazing lands where some colonies of marmots live, the dirt road continues on avalanche cones.
Once you get to a thin larch wood, the road climbs and then goes down. You will have to cross, in case of thaw, two small streams. Afterwards, you will reach the second bridge over the stream Chisone, and go to the opposite bank; in five minutes you will get to the so-called "bergeria" where you can purchase butter and cheese. You can enjoy here the view over the wildest part of the valley and the mountains Barifreddo, Appenna, and Platasse.
You go back along the uphill road.
