Carcoforo – Alpe Baranca

Carcoforo 1304 m – Colle d’Egua 2239 m – Alpe Selle 1824 m Colle di Baranca 1818 m  Alpe Baranca 1566 m –

From the center of the town, take the mule track with signpost 122 which, in a north-northeast direction, goes up to the little chapel of Torbe, and shortly after leaves the path of the Busacca or Laghetto pass on the left (signpost 121). The route continues among beautiful larches almost flat, it reaches the Passone stream which it crosses over a small bridge, passes Alpe Giacci 1523 m, leaves Casa Blanca on the right, crosses the Ciletto stream and reaches Alpe Piovale 1637 m, 1.00 hour. (Slightly above the alp, in a visible position, there is the Boffalora refuge which can be reached from the Piovale alp

The mule track in meadow land rises with a gentle slope and crosses the Rio delle Fuse. it passes a few meters from Alpe Egua 1735 m, surrounds a small wall almost flatly and then starts to climb again with a steeper slope to reach the Alpe Selletti 1915 m above, (in this last part the route leaves itinerary 121 on the left to); 1.00 hour.

From Alpe Selletti the route immediately leaves the road to the right-east (signpost 124) which leads to Bocchetta di Strienghi 2347 m, a visible notch located between the serrated ridges of Piovatte d’Egua and Cimone 2453 m, which you pass a trickle of water and always keeping to the orographic right of the stream you pass by Alpe Selle with the refuge of the same name (Gta Stop Post) you reach Colle d’Egua 2239 m: 1.20 hours. This pass, located between Cimone 2453m to the south-east and Cimonetto 2480m to the north-west, connects Valsesia with the Anzasca Valley.

The mule track with trail sign 158 descends into the Baranca basin, surrounding a ridge of the Cimone and following the valley furrow of a small stream, which flows into Lake Baranca with rivulets. Thus you reach Alpe Selle 1824 m 1.00 hour

The Alpe Selle Alpine Refuge is located in this large mountain pasture. The area is very pleasant, and offers an interesting orographic curiosity: from the Egua hill to Baranca lake the route takes place on the side of the Anzasca Valley (and in the territory of the province of Vercelli, however the waters of the stream followed up until now and Lake Baranca descend towards Valsesia giving rise to the Mastallone Torrent. This impetuous torrent has in fact captured, by progressively eroding the rock, part of the waters which in remote areas descended towards Bannio Anzino.

From Alpe Selle you descend to the nearby saddle of Colle Baranca 1818 m, where the path forks: the branch towards the north-east runs through the Olocchia valley, reaching Bannio-Anzino 659 m in Valle Anzasca, the branch towards the south leads instead (trail sign 18 along the Valsesian Val Mastallone, in Fobello: this is the route to follow, passing upstream of the lake, from which the waters of the Mastallone emerge. After a short stretch, the route loses altitude to cross the watercourse and overcome with appropriate attention the on the orographic right the rock cliff that divides the Baranca basin from the pastures below: from the cliff the Mastallone falls with a beautiful waterfall. After a few turns you reach a plateau dotted with large landslide boulders, where among other things there are the remains of the chapel of the Alpini and some farmhouses of the adjacent and popular Alpe Baranca 1566 m and the Baranca Refuge Stopover; 0.40 hours