Where to Trail Run Near Lecco and Lake Como

I coach from Lecco because I train from Lecco, and the terrain is a large part of why. The town sits at the point where Lake Como splits into its two southern branches, directly beneath the serrated ridge of the Resegone and the rockier Grigne peaks behind it. Within a few kilometres of the lake shore, you can find lake-level flat running, sustained mountain climbing, and genuinely technical rocky descending - which is a rare combination to have all within one training base.

This isn't a tourist list. It's the terrain I actually send athletes to, matched to what a given week's session needs.

Why this terrain specifically

The thing that makes Lecco unusual for training isn't any single route - it's the vertical density. The lake sits at roughly 200 m elevation, and the Resegone summit at 1,875 m and the Grigna Settentrionale summit at 2,410 m are both reachable within a few hours of climbing from town. That means you can build a genuinely demanding vertical session without a long approach, which matters when you're trying to fit real climbing into a normal training week rather than a weekend expedition.

The rock underfoot changes character across the area too - smooth grassy climbs on some approaches, sharp technical limestone on others - which lets you train different kinds of footing and descending technique without leaving the region. And the whole area sits under an hour from Milan by train, which is part of why it functions as a training base for visiting athletes and not just the people who live here.

Vertical gain training: Piani d'Erna and the Resegone ridge

Best for: the sustained climbing sessions in the vertical gain guide - long, largely runnable ascent at controlled effort.

A cable car (funivia) runs from Lecco up to Piani d'Erna, a plateau that sits below the Resegone ridge and makes a natural base for climbing sessions - either riding up and running the descent for pure downhill work, or starting from the valley floor and climbing the whole way for a full vertical session. The ridge route toward the Resegone summit itself is longer, more exposed to weather, and asks for real fitness and good conditions - treat it as a goal route once you're building toward it, not a casual Tuesday session.

Technical descending: Piani Resinelli and the Grigne

Best for: eccentric-loading and technical footing practice, the kind the downhill technique guide is built around.

Piani Resinelli, reached by road above Lecco, is the usual access point for both Grigna Settentrionale (2,410 m) and Grignetta (2,184 m) - rockier, steeper, and considerably more technical terrain than the Resegone side. Sections of both peaks involve real scrambling and exposure, and some routes are genuine alpine terrain that shouldn't be underestimated because the summit isn't especially high - conditions, route-finding, and a realistic assessment of your own scrambling comfort all matter more here than raw fitness. For pure downhill running technique, the lower approach trails below the technical sections offer excellent sustained, rocky descending without the exposure of the upper routes.

Long, rolling runs: the Sentiero del Viandante

Best for: long run volume, fueling rehearsal, and back-to-back sessions on genuinely runnable terrain.

The Sentiero del Viandante runs roughly 45 km along the lake's eastern shore, an old mule track linking villages from the Lecco area north toward Colico, with the lake in view for most of it. It's far less technical than the Grigne or Resegone routes - rolling rather than mountainous - which makes it the route I send athletes to for long runs where the goal is time on feet and fueling practice rather than vertical or technical load. It's also easy to shorten or extend by picking a start and end village along the lakeside train line, which makes pacing a specific-duration long run straightforward.

Building toward an alpine ultra: the Orobie to the east

Best for: athletes building toward high-mountain ultras who need longer, more remote exposure than a single day-loop from Lecco provides.

The Orobie pre-alps sit further east and offer longer, higher, more remote route options with mountain refuges (rifugi) along the way, useful for multi-day link-ups or a single very long day that better rehearses what a big alpine race actually demands. This is a step up in commitment and planning from the routes above - worth it once you're specifically training for that kind of race, not before.

Logistics for visiting runners

Getting here: Lecco has a train station with frequent connections to Milan, typically under an hour. It's a realistic base for a training trip without a car, since several of the routes above start within walking distance of town or a short local bus ride away.

Where to base yourself: Lecco itself puts you closest to the Resegone and Grigne access points. Villages further up the lake shore, on the Sentiero del Viandante's route, are a good alternative if long, rolling running is your priority for the trip.

Weather: Afternoon thunderstorms are common on the higher terrain through summer. Start early, and plan to be off exposed ridges - particularly on the Grigne - well before early afternoon. Snow can linger on the higher routes into late spring in some years, so check conditions rather than assuming a route is clear because it's officially "in season."

Refuges: Several mountain rifugi across the area offer food and, in most cases, beds, but many operate on a seasonal schedule. Confirm opening dates before planning a route around one, especially outside the summer months.

I had an athlete fly in from the UK two seasons ago for a week specifically to train the vertical she couldn't replicate at home before a mountain 50K. We spent the week doing exactly the progression above - two days on the Sentiero del Viandante rebuilding her long-run legs after travel, a vertical session from the valley floor up through Piani d'Erna, and a controlled descending session on the lower Grigne trails below the technical sections. She told me afterward that the week did more for her race-day confidence than the previous two months of training at home, not because the fitness was different, but because for the first time the terrain actually matched what she'd be racing on.

The mistakes visitors make

1. Judging a route by distance instead of vertical and terrain. A 12 km route here can take considerably longer than a 12 km route almost anywhere flatter - plan time, not pace.
2. Underestimating the Grigne's technical terrain because the peaks aren't especially high by alpine standards. Real scrambling and exposure exist on parts of both summits.
3. Starting late in the day in summer and getting caught by afternoon storms on exposed ridges.
4. Assuming a rifugio is open without checking - many run a seasonal schedule.
5. Skipping the easier lakeside terrain entirely in favour of the mountains, and missing genuinely good long-run terrain on the Sentiero del Viandante as a result.

If you're planning a training trip to the area, or you're already local and want a route plan built around a specific race, that's something I can put together directly - see the coaching page or get in touch via the about page. Either way, the vertical gain and downhill technique guides are worth reading before you come, so the terrain matches a session you already know how to run.