Hiking - La Colla Rossa

The route alternates between footpaths, mule tracks, and dirt tracks. While always well-marked, it has numerous junctions, so you need to pay close attention to the signs you encounter.

The hike starts from Upega, a small "Tibetan" village in the Ligurian Alps which is well worth a visit. Then, for much of the ascent, you pass through the magnificent Bosco delle Navette, a larch forest that offers magical views in every season and becomes unforgettable in the second half of October when it turns golden. Finally, you can enjoy a wide panorama from Colla Rossa, a broad grassy saddle that owes its name to the characteristic colour of the outcropping rocks.

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The trail begins on the left side of the provincial road, for those coming from Viozene, towards the end of the village of Upega (1297 m). A grassy track (signposts) climbs steeply, then levels out and continues into the larch wood through old terraces until it rejoins the provincial road at a hairpin bend. On the opposite side of the road, take the narrow road that leaves the chapel on your right.
After a fountain, cross two streams and continue on a mule track that makes a wide turn to the left. The mule track traverses uphill, makes two hairpin turns, and then resumes the traverse, which is now steeper and on a rough surface.
At a signed junction, leave the mule track for Colle delle Selle Vecchie and take a path on the left. The path climbs, alternating between steeper and gentler sections, then you pass another path on the right for Colle delle Selle Vecchie.
When you reach a small clearing, ignore the junction on the left for Pian Formigola and continue straight ahead: the path leads onto the ridge, through the dense larch wood, and climbs steeply, arriving opposite the large clearing of Case dei Cacciatori. Go around the private property to the right, following the fence until you reach the dirt track on the opposite side of the clearing.
Follow the cart track until it joins the wider dirt road connecting Colle di Tenda with Monesi, at a spot known as Poggio del Lagone (1897 m, 2h 10min from Upega, with a picturesque small lake nearby).
Cross the road and climb the path that follows the long, straight ridge. The larch wood thins out, and as the path turns left, you leave the forest for good. Pass by a ruin, then climb through pastures, following the trail markers on a faint track to the now-nearby Colla Rossa (2172 m, 50 min from Poggio del Lagone).