Rio Infernetto

Very long and discontinuous alpine gorge, with a discouraging prologue (dry and not amusing at all), a beautiful narrow central part and, at last, a wet ending part. You can save the first two hours of descent using intermediate access. This makes the descent more amusing. We report data related to both higher and intermediate access (E.g.: 7h/5h descent).

 

Difficulty: v3 a3 IV
Period:

april-may

Length: about 4/2,5 km
Vertical Drop: 750/450 m (1500/1200-750)
Calate: about 25/20, higher 30 meters
Bolts: first descent - 2005
Duration: 20'/30' approach + 7h/5h descent + 20' coming back
Shuttle: about 12/9 km
Equipment: 2 ropes 60 meters long

 

Lower access: leave the highway A10 at Arma di Taggia and follow the indications for Imperia-Taggia, then take the national road SP 548 for Triora. Go on, pass over the village of Triora and then head for Realdo; about 700 meters after Creppo park the first car in a little asphalted space on the left.

Upper access: go on from the parking until Realdo and then towards Colla Sanson. Pass over the hamlets of Borniga, Il Pin and Case Cascin and then park the car, in a bend on the right, 10 km far from Realdo. From the parking it's possible to see the marks of the path leading to the gorge, the no. 7. For intermediate access park just over tha last houses of Il Pin, just before the road becomes unpaved.

Approach: take the path no. 7 leaving from the bend and going half way up the hill; after about a quarter of an hour, near a very little river, go down on the left and reach the water of the Infernetto.

Intermediate approach: go back down to the houses, follow a concrete little road going down on the right leading to a grassy mule track on the left, after just 50 meters turn on the right on an hidden trail marked with two red circles. Follow the trail for about half an hour: first you will go down for five minutes, then pass over two isolated houses and on the right under a big cliff, with aerial vies of the gorge. At last you get to the beginning ot the canyon.

Re-entry: the end of the gorge is near the confluence with the Torrente Argentina. A path fords the Infernetto bed and rises up on the right bank of the Argentina; after one minute there is a stone bridge over the river. Just after the bridge, near a little chapel take a little path on the left which, in about 20 minutes, takes to the asphalted road.

Note: shuttlle requires more than one hour; to avoid a big loss of time our advice is to leave one of the car at the lower parking and then try to reach the upper access with the other car (even if you are many).

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