Jervis Hut from Ceresole Reale

What it is

The Jervis hut is at 2,250 m above Ceresole Reale, in the Orco Valley, the Piedmont side of Gran Paradiso National Park. The climb from Chiapili Inferiore is one of the most accessible high-mountain excursions in the valley: two hours without difficult sections, through forest and rocks polished by ancient glaciers, to a balcony facing the Levanne and Punta Basei.

The route in numbers

• Start: Ceresole Reale, Chiapili Inferiore hamlet, 1,715 m.
• Finish: Jervis hut, 2,250 m.
• Ascent: 583 m of climbing.
• Time: 2 h to climb, according to the park. With the descent and a stop, count about 3 h 30 to 4 h.
• Difficulty: E, hiking.
• Waymarking: path 531.
• Recommended season: June to October.

Step by step

1. The bridge over the Orco. At Chiapili di Sotto, next to the only ski lift of the winter, a wide bridge crosses the Orco torrent.
2. The ski run. The path first climbs the whole ski run, which in summer is meadow.
3. The forest. You continue the climb inside the forest, dominated by larch, with Norway spruce and Swiss stone pines. Among the trees you sometimes see chamois.
4. The roches moutonnées. On the last stretch you cross a wide area of rocks shaped by ice, with stone pines and high-altitude shrubs. Here you see alpine choughs, ravens and black grouse.
5. The hut. You reach the Jervis, with a view of the Levanne and Punta Basei, and with landforms that show where the glaciers passed.

Variants

• From Villa and Borgata Mua. Another possible start, with paths 530 and then 531: about 2 h 30 of climbing to the hut.
• Loop via Lago del Dres. From the hut you can continue towards the Col del Nel and descend in a loop to the Villa hamlet via Lago del Dres, on paths 525 and 526. It is longer: count several more hours and take a map.

The hut

The Jervis is a support point with service in season. Opening dates and reservations for meals or sleeping are handled directly with the hut: confirm them before going up if you are counting on a hot meal.

When to go

From June to October, when the path is free of snow. In June the ski run and the meadows are green; in October the larches turn yellow. In July and August set off early: in the afternoon storms are frequent in the high mountains and the sun beats down on the upper part, without trees.

Getting there and parking

Ceresole Reale is at the head of the Orco Valley, in Piedmont, on the SP460 from Cuorgnè and Locana. Chiapili Inferiore is past Lake Ceresole, on the road towards the Nivolet. The Chiapili car park is also the one for the shuttles to the Nivolet plain on days of regulated access, so on those days arrive early.

With children, with a dog and if the weather changes

It is a good excursion for families who walk: two hours of climbing, without exposure. Bring water from below and warm clothing, because at 2,250 m it gets cool. With a dog, check the park regulations on paths and dates where they are allowed. If fog closes in on the roches moutonnées, follow the marks of the 531 carefully; in a storm, go down.