Mountain bike trails

Both tours “Malga Tuff Alm und Malga Hofer Alpl” and “Monte Cavone” make a charming but demanding combination. The first part features a refreshing bathing facility in the Lake Laghetto di Fiè followed by a climb and refreshments at the foot of the Sciliar. You should make sure that you set aside sufficient time to rest and relax on one of the magnificently located mountain pastures and enjoy their vantage points offering unforgettably clear views. The second part of the tour takes you to Monte Cavone that together with the Croda del Maglio and the Sciliar forms a real amphitheatre of mountains. From the protruding rock of Monte Cavone bikers can marvel at the enormous mountains at close range.

Away from the main road you take the trail to San Costantino on which you can warm up gently. The climb to the Lake - Laghetto di Fiè does not run along the heavily trafficked road to the lake, but instead takes a traffic-free alternative from the north, first of all on a tarmac road and then on a road through woodland. Quite unexpectedly you arrive at the bank of the Laghetto di Fiè right next to the guesthouse of the same name. You can take refreshments here or jump straight off the jetty into the picturesque lake immediately below the Sciliar. A little further on you will find the bathing cabin with a large jetty. To begin with, the route leads on to the Laghetto di Huber located somewhat higher and then through woodland uphill in the direction of the Malga Tuff Alm. It is 200m in altitude difference to the mountain fields and meadows and, for whoever would like to rest here, the panoramic terrace is exactly the right place.

There follows a short descent across the mountain pasture before a gravel road, very steep in parts, leads on to the highest point of the tour, the cable car for transporting goods to the Schlernhaus. We have earmarked the first part of this climb for pushing your bike, but fit bikers can also cycle all of this section!

A few bends further down on the woodland road you reach the turn-off to the Hofer Alpl. In any case you should stop here at the very latest for refreshments and take time to enjoy this peaceful, remote spot to the full and the glorious clear views as far as Tessa Group mountain range 50 kilometres distant. After refreshments, you will demolish most of the metres in altitude difference you struggled up in a quick descent down to Umes. At the water source above the small village you can fill up your flasks once more, because there now follows the long climb to the foot of the Croda del Maglio as far as to the protruding rock at Monte Cavone. Altogether it is somewhat more than 400m in altitude difference in shady woodland, all of them, apart from the short climb at the very end, make for pleasant biking. The protruding rock at Monte Cavone itself is not very spectacular. Good news for bikers: there is also a source of water here again.

The following descent presents no problems of a riding technique nature. There is a lot of riding fun to be had on the forest tracks leading to the Val di Tires, the gateway to the Gruppo del Catinaccio. This way you arrive at the Gasthaus Schönblick, a welcome stop for refreshments with a glorious view of the Val di Tires. If you stop for a short while lower down on the descent on the narrow road leading to Tschötscher and look back, you can see some of the peaks of the Gruppo del Catinaccio. The route leads on, again climbing slightly to the Schnaggenkreuz, a stunning vantage point with a view of the complete amphitheatre of rocks from the Sciliar to Monte Cavone. Climbing once again for a short while through woodland you come to the sawmill at Umes. The old road from Umes to Fiè forms the crowning glory of this tour! This mostly gravelled, idyllic section leads through cropped fields, past old farmyards to Fiè, in the most beautiful afternoon sunshine, if the weather is fine. back