Hiking in Dolomiti Paganella
Thursday 4 July 2024

Lace up your boots, make a final check on the weather forecast, and switch on GPS tracking. No particular skills are required for these medium difficulty hikes, you just need to be willing to put in some effort, which will be amply compensated by the views.

Malga Andalo

There are three routes to get there, from easiest to most demanding:

• The forestry road from Lake Molveno, taking about 2 hours along a gravel track through the woods with viewpoints overlooking the lake.
• Path number 332, which is easy but very steep and your calf muscles might complain.
• The Donini footpath is the most impressive but only suitable for more experienced hikers as it includes safety cables fixed along exposed sections.

At Malga Andalo you can stop for a plate of polenta or a Moka coffee. If you decide to stay overnight, be sure to get up early enough to see the alpenglow on the Brenta peaks.
The Malga can also be reached with a Jeep Taxi service.

Via imperiale

Walk from Molveno to Sporminore for 18 km on an ancient track of Roman origin. Along the route you can scan QR codes on information boards to hear the story of this connection to the Via Francigena over the centuries.

You can choose to follow the entire route (about 7 hours' walk) or just a section according to the time you have available. It is possible to use public transport for the return journey.

Prada

Ascend the old sledge track once used by the people of San Lorenzo Dorsino to bring precious mountain hay to the valley to feed their cows, goats, and sheep during the winter.

Set off on your own or with a guided party and walk through the spruce forest until you reach a water fountain carved out of a tree trunk. Continue on the mule track through the meadows until the top of a cliff overlooking the Molveno and Nembia lakes. From here you can return to the Rifugio Alpenrose on a circular path or continue on to some rarely visited objectives: Cima Ghez, Cima Soran, Forcella Bregain, and Malga Ben.

Malga Spora

Take path number 301 from Andalo to Malga Spora along exposed, panoramic ledges including sections protected with steel cables and some steep ascents. Beyond the larch woods, level meadows open out inside an amphitheatre of Dolomitic peaks.

From here you can go over the Gaiarda Pass to Lake Tovel and cross the entire Brenta range to reach Madonna di Campiglio, or descend to Molveno through Clamer Pass. You can go with your normal hiking companions or meet some new ones on one of the excursions organized by our alpine guides.

LUTIA Footpath

At first the trail is immersed in beech woods until the forest ends revealing the steep cliffs of the Paganella and the Adige Valley, dotted with small villages and vineyards.
Cross over the cultivation terraces, testimony of past centuries, and descend Val Manara, a steep little valley that drops down from the Paganella to the Piana Rotaliana on the Adige valley floor.
The “Cros dei Franzesi” marks the spot where Napoleon's troops once passed, and also indicates where you should reascend the path up to the ruined pillars of the original cable-car from Zambana Vecchia to Fai della Paganella.

The Lutia Footpath is quite short, but if you also decide to descend Val Manara, this adds 600 metres of height difference making it is advisable to carry water and snacks, and allow about 4 hours for the hike.

Before setting off on a hike, read the Trentino Guidelines for the protection of biodiversity and how to behave to enjoy the mountains in safety.

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