Walking in Italy's Stelvio National Park

Overview map

Map key

Location of walks

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

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.

Waymarking on a tree trunk

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.

Signposts in Valfurva

The relevant sheets are:

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.

August 2018

Updates

"It has been my pleasure to follow in Gillian's footsteps all over Italy"

I have used Gillian Price's books for the Dolomiti, Stelvio, and Gran Paradiso, and most recently last year for Alpi Maritime and Mercantour. It has been my pleasure to follow in her footsteps all over Italy. Thanks so much for her wonderful books and sense of humour.
- Sandy