Logbook 10: Capanna Piansecco
Distance: 10.2km | Elevation Gain/Loss: 375m | Total Time: 4:15
Our family was in town for the weekend and wanted to experience a SAC hut. We picked Capanna Piansecco near Airolo, as it is a family-friendly hike for our younger niece.
The hut is one of the lowest-elevation huts in the SAC portfolio, sitting at the tree line above the Bedretto Valley. The hut was originally a military barracks with minimal facilities. The entire Bedretto / Gotthard region was militarized for much of Switzerland’s history. Still today, there is a monstrous military barracks, the Airolo Caserma Bedrina, at the east end of the valley.
Along the trail there are a handful of old bunkers that’ve mostly succumbed to Mother Nature.
The hike begins from a small parking lot managed by a goat farmer along the road up to the Nufenen Pass. It is 5 CHF per day and is entirely honor-system-based, a wonderful attribute of Swiss culture…
For much of the hike, there are massive electrical towers every few hundred meters. These carry power from various hydropower plants in the Gotthard / Bedretto region to the neighboring Valais and Ticino regions. The towers over our head were transmitting power from the Robiei Plant and Lucendro Plant.
While they’re a bit of an eyesore compared to the surrounding mountain views, it’s a good reminder of the Swiss culture of preserving the old while creating some of the most impressive modern infrastructure in the world.
The hike itself is very calm and easy to navigate. It follows the 2,100m contour line for much of the 5km hike to the hut. The lackluster 2025/2025 snow season was easily visible, with very little snow hanging onto the peaks on either side of the valley.
The north wall of the Bedretto valley is well-known for climbing and the granite walls dominate your view for the entire hike. The Manio pass which splits the Poncione di Cassina Baggio and Poncione di Manio is especially striking and would be an incredible ski touring descent to come back to one day.
The hike descends into the tree line as it approaches the Piansecco hut and the small mountain streams provide lovely hydration stops every so often. The hut comes into view as you round the corner into the Alpe di Rotondo area, which funnels the snowmelt from the Chueboden Glacier up above. The cabin was renovated in 2020 and the bright orange Larch wood siding makes the cabin really stand out amid the surrounding greenery.
The Rotondo area just before the hut is a great spot to spend time. The stream has some of the clearest water I’ve ever seen in my life, and the transition zone between the tree line and the alpine is always one of my favorite environments. Large boulders left behind by ancient glaciers that pushed them down the mountain dot the valley floor.
We arrived at the hut in the late afternoon and got settled in before a nice family dinner. The hut is certainly the nicest one I’ve visited so far, with brand new bedrooms, bathrooms, and common areas. The area around the hut has areas for kids to play and plenty of outdoor seating to take in the views.
We watched as the sun fell below the mountains and the peaks across the valley lit up in a fiery glow.
The next morning, we enjoyed the hearty lunch of yogurt, oats, cheeses, and fruit before heading back the way we came. Piansecco is a easy objective and should be at the top of the list for any families that want to dip their toes into the SAC experience!
