Sentiero Cristallina
Reported OSM relation: SchweizMobil regional hiking route 59, Sentiero Cristallina, Bignasco to Airolo, 42.5 km OSM 2-D. Vertical figures sampled from Copernicus GLO-30.
Saved on this device only. Nothing is sent to an account or a payment service.
Distance 42.5 km Reported · Ascent Computed · High point Computed · 3d · SAC T2 · Moderate (Easy technical / Medium physical)
Cite this record
The Hiking World, Sentiero Cristallina, verified 2026-10-07, https://www.thehikingworld.com/trails/sentiero-cristallina
How we verify · last checked 2026-10-07
Byline
- The Hiking World editorial · author
Figures marked provisional are seed data and still need verification. Source and last-checked date sit under each cited value.
Forecast at page generation, 2026-10-26T10:44:29.710Z
Representative point on Sentiero Cristallina: 46.448°, 8.525°, about 2576 m. A forecast, not a trail-surface reading.
At generation: 2°C, Overcast.
- 2026-10-26 Overcast, -5–3°C
- 2026-10-27 Partly cloudy, 2–9°C
- 2026-10-28 Overcast, 0–4°C
Source Open-Meteo. Mountain weather changes with elevation and aspect.
Life-safety notices on this page come from the issuer.
Altitude weather delta
High 2,576 m minus low 442 m is 2,134 m of relief on this record. A standard tropospheric lapse of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m implies about 13.9 °C cooler at the high point than the valley, all else equal.
That is a model (International Standard Atmosphere environmental lapse), not a forecast and not a trail-closure. Wind, snow, and storms stay in Hazards.
derived:lapse-rate · computed 2026-09-10 · provisionalISA 6.5 °C / 1,000 m · wikipedia.org · 2026-09-10
Map loads when this section is on screen.
GeoJSONLine download is the stored OSM geometry, simplified. It is not a surveyed GPS track. GPX · GeoJSON
Editorial v1 · Provisional catalog
Moderate (Easy technical / Medium physical)
- SAC T2 (mapped — no official SAC grade)
- Mountain hiking. Continuous trail, some steep ground, sure-footedness helpful.
- YDS Class 1
- Class 1. Walking on an established path; low fall risk.
Ingested from OpenStreetMap relation 19757453 (ODbL). The mapped line and 2D length are derived from that geometry. Ascent, descent, and high/low points are sampled from Copernicus GLO-30 (copernicus-dem:glo-30) and remain provisional. Water, permits, and hazards were not taken from OSM tags and must be verified.
OSM 2D length is 42.5 km (relation 19757453; network=rwn, operator=Wanderland Schweiz, ref=59). lengthKm is verified: 42.5 km is 1.39% under the official 43.1 km (https://www.schweizmobil.ch/en/hiking-in-switzerland/route-59; ch.astra.wanderland Route attributes (opendata.swiss langsamverkehr-wanderland-schweiz, dataset 2026-02-25, parsed 2026-09-09)). Official km is the ±3% cross-check, not this DataPoint.
DEM high 2,576 m. GLO-30 cumulative ascent 2,586 m is the same order as the official 2,990 m figure (ch.astra.wanderland Route attributes (opendata.swiss langsamverkehr-wanderland-schweiz, dataset 2026-02-25, parsed 2026-09-09)). High point left as Copernicus.
Water was not mapped to named WaterSource points (no honest atFraction). Villages and inns exist; they were not positioned from an official named list this pass.
Water
No water sources recorded.
Permits & fees
Permits, closures, and hazards on this page are a citation, not a substitute for the issuer’s current notice.
No permit required.
Getting there
Sourced legs to the Bignasco (OSM line start) base start station — where this trail record begins. This is not a route planner: durations are approximate and marked provisional until an official transport page confirms them.
Rail · Zurich (ZRH) → Bignasco
Zurich Airport is a usual air gateway (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zurich_Airport, checked 2026-09-09, CC BY-SA). Rail/PostBus toward Bignasco (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cevio, checked 2026-09-09, CC BY-SA). SchweizMobil route 59 (https://www.schweizmobil.ch/en/hiking-in-switzerland/route-59, checked 2026-09-09).
en.wikipedia.org · verified 2026-09-09 · wikidata · official · provisional
No walking permit on the Swiss public Wanderland network (https://www.schweizmobil.ch/en/hiking-in-switzerland, checked 2026-09-09). SAC and private hut booking is logistics.
Plan from your location
Type a city, then pick a match. These links open external search tools — they do not fetch fares or timetables.
Getting there car-free
- Bignasco (OSM line start): car-free flag yes.
- Airolo (OSM line end): car-free flag yes.
Trailheads
- Bignasco (OSM line start) car-free: yes
Official start at Bignasco (https://www.schweizmobil.ch/en/hiking-in-switzerland/route-59, checked 2026-09-09). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cevio, checked 2026-09-09, CC BY-SA.
- Airolo (OSM line end) car-free: yes
Official finish at Airolo (same SchweizMobil page, checked 2026-09-09). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airolo, checked 2026-09-09, CC BY-SA.
Hazards
- Length: official 43.1 km / 2,990 m of walking ascent over 3 stages (ch.astra.wanderland Route attributes (opendata.swiss langsamverkehr-wanderland-schweiz, dataset 2026-02-25, parsed 2026-09-09)).
- No walking permit on the Swiss public Wanderland network; SAC and private hut booking is logistics, not a trail permit (https://www.schweizmobil.ch/en/hiking-in-switzerland, checked 2026-09-09). There is no walking fee on that page.
Questions
Do I need a permit for Sentiero Cristallina?
No trail permit is listed as required on this record for Sentiero Cristallina.
How difficult is Sentiero Cristallina?
Sentiero Cristallina is graded Wanderland: technical and physical grades on the route page · SAC T2 (mapped — no official SAC grade) · YDS 1. A sourced hazard on this record: Length: official 43.1 km / 2,990 m of walking ascent over 3 stages (ch.astra.wanderland Route attributes (opendata.swiss langsamverkehr-wanderland-schweiz, dataset 2026-02-25, parsed 2026-09-09)).
How long is Sentiero Cristallina?
The OSM 2-D length on this record is 42.5 km (verified). Published figures may differ. See /guides/how-long-is-the-trail
How do I get to Sentiero Cristallina?
The record’s base start is Bignasco (OSM line start). A primary gateway on the record is Zurich Airport (ZRH). Trailhead transit notes are not included in this public FAQ.
Related trails
- Sentiero Verzasca · Ticino
- ViaSuworow · Ticino
- Aargauer Weg · Switzerland
- Aletsch Panoramaweg · Switzerland
- Alpine Panorama Trail · Switzerland
- Au fil du Doubs · Switzerland