Walk in Italy's Stelvio National Park and discover the country's largest alpine national park, a vast and spectacular wilderness of glaciers, high passes, thundering waterfalls, and soaring peaks in the Italian Rhaetian Alps. Bordering the Dolomites to the east and Switzerland to the west, the Stelvio is a haven for wildlife including ibex, chamois, lammergeiers, and eagles, and one of the great walking destinations of the Alps.

Suitable for beginner and experienced walkers alike, this comprehensive Cicerone guidebook by prolific alpine author Gillian Price describes 38 day walks across the Stelvio National Park. Routes range from 5 to 18km (3–11 miles) and can be enjoyed in 2–7 hours, graded from 1 to 3 to cater for a range of abilities, with walks easily extended into multi-day experiences with overnight stays in alpine refuges.

• Choose from 38 graded day walks across the Stelvio National Park, following well-maintained and waymarked paths through dramatic glacial valleys, past mountain lakes and cascading waterfalls, and up to high ridges with views across the Rhaetian Alps to the Dolomites and Switzerland.
• Discover the highlights of the Stelvio National Park, including the thrilling Stelvio Pass, the Forno glacier and the Forni Sentiero Glaciologico Alto, the Ortler and Cevedale mountains, ibex and chamois in Val Zebrù and Valle di Rabbi, and the traditional culture of the Ultental valley.
• Navigate with confidence using sketch maps included for each walk, with detailed guidance on the park's numbered and waymarked path network and recommendations for the best commercial maps covering the Stelvio.
• Extend your walking into multi-day adventures by combining routes with overnight stays in the park's network of hospitable alpine refuges, with a full accommodation appendix covering rifugi and guesthouses throughout the Stelvio.
• Plan your Stelvio National Park walking holiday with detailed practical information on getting there, local transport, accommodation, food and drink, and key bases including Bormio, Santa Caterina Valfurva, Sulden, Martell, Peio, and Rabbi.
• Deepen your experience of the park with introductory sections on the geography and history of the Stelvio, its plants and flowers, and the remarkable wildlife that makes this national park one of the best places in the Alps to see ibex, chamois, lammergeiers, and golden eagles.

Explore the glaciers, valleys, and high peaks of Italy's largest alpine national park with confidence using this trusted Cicerone guidebook. From the Stelvio Pass to the wildlife-rich valleys of Val Zebrù and Valle di Rabbi, this is the essential companion for walking in one of the Alps' most spectacular and rewarding protected landscapes.

Walking in Italy's Stelvio National Park – Quick Facts

Guide name: Walking in Italy's Stelvio National Park: Italy's Largest Alpine National Park
Location: Italy – Stelvio National Park, Italian Rhaetian Alps; bordering the Dolomites to the east and Switzerland to the west
Routes covered: 38 day walks (5–18km/3–11 miles)
Typical duration: 2–7 hours per walk; walks easily extended into multi-day experiences with overnight stays in alpine refuges
Difficulty: Graded 1 to 3; suitable for beginner and experienced walkers; grade 3 walks involve peaks and more demanding alpine terrain
Terrain: Well-maintained and waymarked alpine paths, glacial valleys, mountain lakes, high passes, waterfalls, and summit approaches
Navigation/mapping: Sketch maps included for each walk; Tabacco 1:25,000 series recommended for on-the-ground navigation; full map guidance provided
Key centres: Bormio, Santa Caterina Valfurva, Sulden, Martell, St Gertraud, Peio, Rabbi, Malè
Highlights: Stelvio Pass, Forno glacier, Ortler and Cevedale mountains, Val Zebrù, Valle di Rabbi, Martelltal glacier trail, ibex and chamois, lammergeiers and eagles, traditional Ultental valley
Accommodation & logistics: Full accommodation appendix covering alpine refuges and guesthouses; practical notes on local transport, getting there, food and drink, and park dos and don'ts
Best time to go: Late June to October

Author Highlight

“The mountainous Stelvio National Park, established in 1935, lies due west of the Dolomites in northeast Italy. The most extensive Italian alpine park, it sprawls for 1300 square kilometres across the heart of the Central Alps, embracing a wilderness of rugged glaciated summits and ridges and culminating in the massive 3905m Ortler. In between run beautiful verdant valleys cloaked with dense forests, home to both traditional village settlements and welcoming well-equipped resorts. Visitors can choose from dozens of exciting walks, each with the guarantee of breathtaking landscapes, wildflowers and wildlife day after day after day.”

- Gillian Price, author of Walking in Stelvio's National Park

Introduction   

Geography   
History   
Nomenclature   
Plants and flowers   
Wildlife   
Valleys and bases   
Getting there   
Local transport   
Information   
When to go   
Accommodation   
Food and drink   
What to take   
Maps   
Dos and don’ts   
Emergencies   
Using this guide   

Walks

Walk 1    St Gertraud Alm Route   
Walk 2    Höchsterhütte Circuit   
Walk 3    Fischersee Walk   
Walk 4    Rifugio Lago Corvo   
Walk 5    Rifugio Dorigoni Tour   
Walk 6    Baito Campisolo Route   
Walk 7    Cascate di Saent   
Walk 8    Ragaiolo Falls and the Venetian Sawmill   
Walk 9    Val Cercen   
Walk 10    Rifugio Larcher Tour   
Walk 11    Monte Vioz   
Walk 12    Sentiero dei Tedeschi   
Walk 13    Malga Covel and Waterfalls   
Walk 14    Forte Barba di Fior Loop   
Walk 15    Lago di Pian Palù Circuit   
Walk 16    Dosso Tresero   
Walk 17    The Forni Sentiero Glaciologico Alto   
Walk 18    Valle di Cedèc   
Walk 19    Rifugio Casati   
Walk 20    Val Zebrù and Rifugio V° Alpini   
Walk 21    Lago della Manzina   
Walk 22    Santa Caterina to Sant’Antonio   
Walk 23    Monte delle Scale   
Walk 24    Valle Forcola Traverse   
Walk 25    Monte Scorluzzo and Filone dei Möt   
Walk 26    Goldseeweg   
Walk 27    Berglhütte   
Walk 28    Trafoi Waterfalls   
Walk 29    Tabarettahütte   
Walk 30    Hintergrathütte Tour   
Walk 31    Düsseldorferhütte and Kanzel Circuit   
Walk 32    Madritschjoch and Hintere Schöntaufspitze   
Walk 33    The Martelltal Glacier Trail   
Walk 34    Zufritt See and Larchboden Loop   
Walk 35    Stallwieshof Traverse   
Walk 36    Pedertal   
Walk 37    Orgelspitze   
Walk 38    Soyalm   

Appendix A    Route summary table   
Appendix B    Glossary   
Appendix C    Accommodation
Appendix D    Useful contacts   
 

Seasons

late June through to October

Centres

Bormio, S Caterina Valfurva, Sulden, Martell, St Gertraud, Peio, Rabbi, Malè

Difficulty

single day walking routes graded 1 to 3 to allow for beginners as well as experienced walkers ready for peaks. Walks easily extended into multi-day expereinces with overnight stays in alpine refuges

Must See

the thrilling Stelvio Pass on foot or by bus, the Forno glacier, the Ortler and Cevedale mountains, ibex and chamois in Val Zebrù, Martelltal and Valle di Rabbi, lammergeiers and eagles, traditional Ultental

The Stelvio National Park has an excellent network of paths, each marked with frequently placed red/white paint stripes on prominent fence posts, tree trunks and rocks, and complete with its own distinguishing number. Note that path numbers were recently changed across the park in line with a nationwide campaign to standardise waymarking. The old faded numbers are still visible on the ground in places, although new ones appear on signposts and updated editions of maps so there should be no cause for confusion.

Sketch maps are provided in this guidebook showing the layout of the walk, with essential landmarks. Limitations of space make it impossible to include full details – essential in an emergency – so it is imperative that walkers obtain a commercial map. The Tabacco ‘carta topografica per escursionisti’ 1:25,000 scale series is one of the clearest on the market (www.tabaccoeditrice.com). These maps use a continuous red line for a wide track, while a broken red line indicates a marked path of average difficulty. Red dots denote routes that are exposed, difficult or faint, while red crosses denote aided sections such as cable or ladders as well as full-blooded via ferrata routes.

The relevant sheets are:

• N.08 Ortles-Cevedale Ortlergebiet for Walks 16–22, 25–31
• N.045 Laces-Val Martello-Silandro for Walks 1–3, 32–38
• N.048 Val di Peio-Val di Rabbi-Val di Sole for Walks 4–15

The maps are sold in shops throughout the Stelvio National Park as well as leading outdoor suppliers and booksellers worldwide. In the UK consult The Map Shop (www.themapshop.co.uk) or Stanfords (www.stanfords.co.uk) if you prefer to purchase them beforehand.
All the walks are covered by Tabacco, with the exception of Walks 23 and 24, for which you need the new Ingenua 1:25,000 scale maps. Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio Sheet 2 covers Walks 16–25 and 27–31. Order from www.cartoguide.it or purchase at Bormio.
Lastly, www.altavaltellina.eu also do 1:25,000 maps at a cheap €1, although the graphics are not always clear and route difficulty is not shown.
Kompass also has a good range of walking maps that cover the Stelvio (www.kompass-italia.it).
A note on place names: in the Südtirol region of Italy they are bilingual – German and Italian – on maps, signposts and refuges. Both are used in this guidebook the first time they are mentioned, thereafter the German is given preference as that is the region’s dominant language.
There is an Italian–German–English glossary of topographic and other useful terms in Appendix B.
 

September 2025

Walk 27 Extension

July 2025

Author updates

August 2024

Walk 28 – Trafoi waterfalls

August 2018

Updates

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