Summary
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Trail in numbers
- Distance: 25 km
- Total climb: 979 m
- High point: 2458 m
- Ridable: 95%
- Duration: 3-5 h
Highlights
- Lake Viola. The doubletrack road ends at Rifugio Viola – a mountain hut at 2300m that is usually open during the summer season. The refuge sits on the shore of the beautiful lake Viola, a natural basin that collects rainwater and melted snow from the surrounding peaks.
- Corno di Dosdè is a horn-shaped mountain towering above Rifugio Viola. Its threateing shape reaches 3232 m a.s.l., making Corno di Dosdè one of the tallest peaks in the area.
Useful info
- When to go: May to late October. If you plan on topping up your ride with a memorable lunch in an Italian mountain hut, then make sure you stick to the summer months. However, clear autumn days offer the best colors especially at the bottom of the track, where the presence of yellow-leafed larches creates a very suggestive atmosphere
- Trail options:The track reported here includes the climb to Passo Viola, i.e. the mountain pass connecting Italy to Val Poschiavo, in Switzerland. This section is remarkably more difficult than the rest of the trail, as it consists of a steep single track. It is definitely a section you could easily decide to skip, but do remember that with the effort comes the reward, i.e. a beautiful view over the entire valley.
- Food and Water: If refugio Viola is open, of course you can fuel up. Otherwise, it is best you carry your packed lunch and fill your hydration pack. There is also a little river streaming down the Val Viola, but do bring water purifying filters for safety.
- Recommended gears&bike:This trail can be ridden on a hard tail quite easily, being 90% based on a doubletrack road. There area some sections of single track on the way down, but technically .
- Starting point: Arnoga restaurant, located on the road connecting Bormio to Livigno (passo del Foscagno). You will need your own car to reach Arnoga (~3,5 hours from Milan) or you could hop on a bus from Bormio or Livigno.
Table of contents:
Photostory
It’s the end of October, the second month in a row with no break from work – much needed as lately the pressure and workload have been relentless. However it’s time for a break now, as the All Saints long weekend has finally come, bringing a wonderful spring-like weather with temperatures nearing 20 degeees. Although definitely warm, this is not an unusual phenomenon at these latitudes, so much that even my grandmother referred to these days as the “summer of the dead” (referring to the ritual taking place on Nov 1st -All Saints -when we are all supposed to visit the cemetery to pay our respects to the deceased). If you are lucky enough, the holiday break and the “summer of the dead” align, and 2016 is an amazing year from this perspective.
This is the second time for me and Maria to be in the high Alps enjoying the weather in the outdoors. These days are fantastic, the autumn colors are almost surreal and it feels like being inside an expressionist painting. Nevertheless, it seems that almost nobody ventures to the trails, whilst restaurants and spas are completely booked out.
Our destination for today is the Val Viola – violet valley – which is situated between the Italian alps in Valtellina and the Swiss Engadin region. We did not know about the trails here, but we have been given heads up by the owner of a local bike shop, who described it as one of the most panoramic routes of the Alps. It was most definitely not an understatement, as I hope you will agree looking at the pictures in this post.
The trail begins at one of the corners of the winding road of the Foscagno pass, connecting Bormio and Livigno, at an altitude of 1860 meters. The ascent firstly goes along a paved road. The slope is gentle, but quite a few cars traffic this area, everyone looking at parking as close as possible to their destination, oblivious to one of the rules of the mountain according to which the greater the effort, the greater the reward.
After some 5 km the pavement turns into gravel, and the gradient also increases. The valley also opens up as we gain height, showing the orange-tinted woods in all their spendour.
Maria begins to show the first signs of fatigue, but she bravely holds on to her handlebar and keeps pedaling, as the gravel road gets steeper and steeper.
Luckily it is just a brief section, and before long we get to our target altitude of 2260 meters and enter the heart of the Viola Valley.
The first sight is the Viola lake, now short of water, at the feet of three snow-capped mountain peaks reaching above 3000 meters.
The Rifugio Viola (Viola mountain hut) is just a couple o kilometers away on a flat track, so in the blink of an eye we get there. It is amazing here, and we can get the much deserved relax in the warm sun, marveling at the incredible peaks towering above us.
As I feel I still have some strength left, I decide to venture to the tallest point, the saddle connecting Italy to Switzerland. The climb is not too bad, but the incredible amount of mud makes it a hell of a struggle. Finally I make it just a few meters into Switzerland, enough to take a selfie!
On the way back we take a different route, leaving the gravel road as soon as we can and opting for a funnier single track. The panorama is unbelievable as we approach the orange woods hit by the softer sunset light, on the background of the glaciers above.
The single track gets more technical, and we decide to take it easy and walk on the most difficult sections. This part is not too long, and finally it merges with a cross county skiing track, that brings us back to the car on a gentle and panoramic trail.
The most amazing landscapes ever!!
Maps and Stats
Max elevation: 2458 m
Total climbing: 979 m