A memorable road trip to Lago Miserin

Lago Miserin is a remote alpine lake at an elevation of 2.580m (8,464ft) above the sea level, located in the Alps in Aosta Valley, Italy. It's one of the highest roads of Italy.

Lago Miserin

Tucked away in the Graian Alps, a mountain range in the western part of the Alps, the road to the lake (the largest natural lake in Aosta) is totally unpaved. At times it’s littered with rocks of all sizes. 4x4 vehicles only. Accessibility is largely limited to the summer season. It is not generally snow-free until late June or even July in some years. Portions of the ride follow the ancient Strada Reale di Caccia (Royal Hunting Road), used by Vittorio Emanuele II.

At the top, near the lake there’s a sanctuary called Santuario della Madonna delle Nevi (Our Lady of the Snow) and a high mountain refuge, called Rifugio Misérin. The road is pretty steep. Starting from Chateau, the ascent is 14.3 km (8.88 miles) long. Over this distance the elevation gain is 1164 meters. The average gradient is 8.13%. The last 4.9km (beyond Parcheggio Dondena parking lot) are closed to private vehicles.