Head downhill north from the foot of Piazza Europa, then turn right into the narrow Via Cantoira, which bends left almost immediately. After a few hundred metres of gentle climbing, turn left into Via Monsignor Filippello towards the Ceres cemetery.

Just before reaching it, take a mule track on the right. This section, though short, has a demanding surface of small stones and rock steps that require good bike-handling skills and an MTB, preferably full-suspension. It can be avoided by following the dirt track below, which is used on the GPS track for the return.

The trail joins a dirt road that follows the course of the Stura di Valgrande river. Follow the road upstream past the stone huts of Case Chios (681 m).

As you enter the municipality of Cantoira, ignore the first bridge heading towards the village and continue past the clearing known as Prà d’li Roc, dotted with erratic boulders carried here by Pleistocene glaciations. After seven hundred metres, you reach a second bridge. This time, cross it to reach the attractive playground at Cantoira.

Before reaching the village, follow the river briefly along a dirt road that eventually turns into a steep concrete ramp near a hydroelectric power station. Slightly further up, where the tarmac starts, turn left passing beneath the feeder channel, then under it again shortly after (be mindful of your head on the way out!).

After a steep ramp, cross a small tarmacked road near the Cantoira recycling point and continue along the dirt track, which climbs and then descends alongside the Stura di Valgrande. Turn right onto a dirt road that soon becomes tarmacked. Cross a bridge, then the route loops back in a semicircle on an unsurfaced track.

Before entering the Cà di Colombo hamlet, turn right towards the nearby Chapel of San Matteo and San Giovanni (fountain with untested water), a good spot for a break. The chapel has a curious clock face wider than the bell tower it sits on.

Climb along the left side of the chapel, then turn right almost immediately. Without entering the Cà Bergiot hamlet, continue right and, with several ups and downs, enter the municipality of Chialamberto.

You soon reach the tarmac again near the Gabbi hamlet. Skirt the houses from below, ignoring a bridge on the right, and ride among them. Turn right, pass a playground, and continue towards Chialamberto. Shortly before reaching the river, turn left into Via Inverso and continue on a comfortable tarmacked stretch.

Alternatively, you can take a more challenging grassy dirt track that climbs left between the fields, then heads into woodland dotted with gnomes and other figures carved from wood. The track climbs steeply before rejoining the main route.

At the car park of the Cossiglia ski lift, a now-disused downhill ski facility, turn left past a large picnic area (884 m, fountain), an excellent place for a break, and a paragliding landing zone.

Continue uphill on the tarmacked road, which becomes a dirt track near a small group of houses and is used in winter as a cross-country ski trail.

In spring 2025, a landslide forced the closure of this lane. To bypass the blocked section, cross to the opposite side of the valley and follow a short stretch of the provincial road to Breno.

The dirt track continues through woodland on the slopes of Bec Tirsi. At Bonzo Inferiore, a hamlet of Groscavallo, the track turns right for a few hundred metres, moving to the right-hand side of the valley (the left bank).

Back on the left-hand side (right bank), the track winds through scenic pastures to the Crouset hut (1,011 m). Take the steep grassy ramp to the right, which levels out a little higher up and crosses the Croset side stream on a footbridge. Cross a clearing with broad views towards the head of the valley. Shortly after, you reach a section eroded by the river, where you will need to push your bike for a few dozen metres. Back in the saddle, tackle a short, rough ramp, then turn right. Without taking the bridge, turn immediately left onto a track that soon narrows to a trail past the houses of Fontanino (1,058 m).

Ignore yet another bridge and continue left up a steep ramp that levels out slightly higher among the beeches. The dirt track rises and falls through a panoramic clearing, beyond which two options present themselves: to the right, an easier route that crosses the Stura di Valgrande, follows a short stretch of the provincial road, and then a comfortable dirt track; to the left, a route with steep ups and downs through a beech wood that rejoins the first option after a bridge.

A little further on, the riverbank has collapsed, but it is easily bypassed to the right. Leaving the nearby Campo della Pietra hamlet to your left, continue along the dirt track just below the provincial road. Joining another dirt track, follow it left through one of the most rewarding sections, with spectacular views towards the amphitheatre of peaks at the head of the Gura side valley.

Shortly before reaching the hamlet of Forno Alpi Graie, where the provincial road ends and the Gura (north-west) and Sea (south) side valleys converge, cross the Gura side-valley stream (which joins the Stura di Sea a little downstream to form the Stura di Valgrande). There is no fixed crossing point: use either the bridge or the weir.

Head south toward the mouth of the Sea side valley. Ignore the small road climbing right in that direction and keep left, crossing the Stura di Sea on a distinctive covered bridge. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can climb the well-paved Via Crucis, which has steep gradients (over 16%) and runs alongside the Chapel of San Giuseppe. It continues with several switchbacks up to the Sanctuary of Nostra Signora di Loreto above. The path crosses a stairway of at least four hundred and forty-four steps, which pilgrims traditionally ascended on their knees.

The church is also known as the Madonna Nera di Loreto (Black Madonna of Loreto) because of the dark colour of the ebony wood from which the statue of the Madonna is carved.

From the front of the sanctuary, there are excellent elevated views to the north towards Forno Alpi Graie and the Gura side valley.

For the return, follow the outward route in reverse, optionally taking a few short alternatives to avoid the more demanding sections.