Alpe Camasca from Omegna

Up to Quarna it is a wide provincial road with several pedalable hairpin bends. After the town of Lower Quarna you turn left and from there the real climb begins. Really hard sections and others that make you breathe, almost never under 9% anyway. Me with 34/34 and steady pace with a lot of effort but I made it.

The climb to Alpe Camasca from Omegna can be ideally divided into three parts: the first from the lakeside to the roundabout for Cireggio, easy and almost flat; the second from the roundabout to Quarna Inferiore, fairly demanding but very regular in the gradients always between 6％ and 8％;8％, not very shady (to be avoided in the hottest hours of the summer), not excessively busy and with the road surface in good condition; the third from Quarna to Alpe Camasca, tough, hard with peak gradients of over 16-17％ and discrete stretches with continuous 12-13％. The last part from the short monolithic alpine pasture that heralds the reaching of the alp is tough with an average of 13％, not to mention that even before the section with the double hairpin bend that is immersed in the forest, it starts with 10％ and then reaches 12％. And before that, one is forced to face two more hard-hard sections (one with the most difficult gradients) alternating with sections that are also flat. The real difficulties are all concentrated in the final 4 km section, so it is better to manage the first 7 km to avoid finding yourself in difficulty and at risk of putting your foot down. It seems pleonastic to point out that it is better to be equipped with suitable gears: personally I used the 34x34 but the more trained could go up with the 25 or 27. The last 400-500m are very beautiful for the beautiful view of the alpe and the restored little chapel where there is a fountain for refuelling. The asphalt road ends near the few houses of the alpine pasture. Looking towards the valley, Lake Orta can be glimpsed on the left.

Natural continuation of the ascent to Quarna.
From Omegna, the climb is divided in two. The first part up to Quarna is regular at 7/8％ on a wide road and many switchbacks. The second part, on the other hand, has sharp ramps and a narrow road with little traffic, making the climb both fun and tiring at the same time.