Punta Sella, from Coumarial
Edited by:
Massimo Martini
Updated at: 01/11/2025
Access
Leave the motorway at the Pont-Saint-Martin exit, turn right after about 100 metres and take the second exit at the first roundabout. Go straight on to the second roundabout and take the third exit to enter the town of Pont-Saint-Martin. After a few hundred metres, turn right onto in the direction of Valle del Lys. Follow the regional road for about 10.2 km, passing the villages of Lillianes and Fontainemore. About 1 km after the centre of Fontainemore, turn right and follow the signs for Pian Coumarial. Cross the bridge over the Lys stream and take the municipal road uphill. Continue along the road for 7.3 km, passing the villages of Colombit, Pacoulla, Pianpervero, Jugeo, Chouchal, Pra Dou Sas, Cios, Challasc, Colla, Grange, Savaroy, Goy and finally Coumarial. Reach the large car park at the end of the road, near the picnic area where there is a fountain 💧 for filling up with water, as there are no other supply points along the route.
Distance and travel time
🕒Travel time: 30 minutes
📏 Distance: 18.9 km
GPS navigation
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ℹ️ Important note
The directions provided have been verified as of the date of the route survey. Before departure, it is advisable to check for any changes to the route. For up-to-date and detailed directions, we recommend the use of Google Maps or Apple Maps.
.Introduction
The Punta Sella represents one of the most classic and rewarding destinations in the Coumarial basin, a natural balcony between the Valle del Lys and the Biellese amphitheatre. The hike first winds its way through beech woods and pastures, skirting small alpine pastures and ruins that tell of ancient agro-pastoral activities, and then plunges into the more open environments of the Carisé basin. Along the ascent, the landscape widens step by step, offering glimpses of the Mont Mars ridge and the surrounding valleys. The presence of the Rifugio Coda, just below the summit, makes this itinerary particularly pleasant and popular, combining nature, history and Alpine hospitality. From Punta Sella, finally, the panorama is wide-ranging: the view sweeps from the Matterhorn to Val d'Ayas, from Mont Mars to Mombarone, with the small Goudin Lake below, a turquoise gem set in the basin.
Description
0h00' 0.00km At the beginning of the car park, near a stone-clad building, a signpost indicates the start of the path. Proceed in a southerly direction, entering the forest. After about one hundred metres, you come to a farm road, which must be followed until the next signposts that allow you to re-enter the path. Once back in the beech forest, cross a short stretch and reach an open, panoramic clearing, where the ruins of the old buildings of Bosc (1,497m) are located. A level section precedes the resumption of the climb, which leads to a second farm road, also signposted.
0h15' 0.55km Take the path again, following the yellow marks painted on the stone wall, which leads back into the wood to an isolated farmhouse. A short uphill stretch leads back to the pastureland, from where the view of Vercosa opens up. After turning left, you reach a small tarmac road: climb up it to the right to the mountain pasture (1,596m) and the small village of Vercosa (1,604m). Continue along the road for a short distance until you come to a new marker post.
0h30' 1.24km Turn right and descend along the path that crosses pastures and sparse birch thickets, then start climbing again until you reach a small wooden bridge that crosses the Torrent de Gouillas. Continue the ascent within the characteristic landscape of the area, where stretches of forest and scree alternate. Some fine stone steps accompany the route, making its progress more harmonious, until reaching a fork at an altitude of 1,764m.
1h00' 1.24km Disregard the path on the left and turn right, immediately crossing the Torrent de Serrafredda by means of a wooden footbridge. Climb up a wooded ridge until reaching a viewpoint over the comba di Carisé and the border ridge between Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta. After appreciating the views, continue along the path that skirts the orographic right side of the hollow and, with a few ups and downs among the scree, reaches the centre of the hollow, where the slender Torrent de Carisé can be easily forded thanks to some boulders. Then proceed in a south-westerly direction, heading towards the isolated Carisé Dessous cottage (1,883m). A little further on, you reach the alpine pastureland of Carisé Dessus (1,930m), where the path turns left and climbs up a rocky ridge with a half-slope section that leads to a small shelf, where you will find a signpost and the junction of the path coming from Sassa.
1h45' 4.15km Neglect the path on the right and continue the ascent towards the now visible saddle of the col. With a few unsteady passages between the boulders, you reach the grassy saddle of the Col de Carisé (2,124 m), where there is a rectangular boundary stone with the signposts fixed to it.
2h15' 4.46km Turn left and climb the grassy ridge, often shrouded by the clouds that come up from the plain. Rifugio Coda is already visible in the background. Follow the ridge, keeping to the Aosta Valley side to overcome a short rocky passage, without difficulty. A little further on, the ridge widens out: pass above the Montagnit lake (which can be reached by a diversion to the left) and you will soon reach the Coda hut (2,252m).
2h35' 5.37km To the left of the hut, an unmarked path begins. With a few twists and turns, we climb the short difference in height that leads to the summit of Punta Sella (2,315m), surmounted by a wrought iron cross 2h45' 5.46km .
The return trip takes place along the same route as the outward journey: the path is taken back to the Carisé alpine pastures and then descends to Coumarial(1,445m) 1h30' 5.46km .
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