Places
Park·Moderate·Scenic·Popular
Parco Naturale delle Capanne di Marcarolo
Piedmont
Straddling the watershed between the Po and Mediterranean basins above Ovada, this is one of Piedmont's least-visited protected areas, a rolling landscape of beech woods, heath, and the artificial Lago della Lavagnina. Depopulation since the mid-20th century has let wolves recolonize the area, along with a healthy population of wild boar and roe deer. Stone hamlets, some now ruins, mark a slower rural past.
Duration
3.5 hours
Distance
11 km
Elevation
+350 m
Best season
April – October
Highlights
- Recolonizing wolf population
- Watershed between Po and Mediterranean
- Abandoned stone hamlets
With your dog
Open ridge and forest tracks, dogs off-leash away from grazing herds and the reservoir shore.
