Lake Garda is the largest of the northern Italian lakes and stretches for 50 km from the foothills of the Alps to the northern edge of the Po Plain. The Garda mountains in the west and the Monte Baldo massif in the east, over 2,000 m high, enclose and shelter the lake.
But Lake Garda is also an inexhaustible source for active sports people. The lake itself and the varied landscapes all around are an eldorado for outdoor athletes. The lake is famous the world over for its superb sailing and surfing, but you can take up plenty of other sports here too. You can walk the mountains around the lake, or ride them on about 1000 km of waymarked MTB routes. Climbers find some of the best free climbing topos around Arco, excellent free climbing schools and ideal walls. Fans of the via ferrata will certainly get their money's worth here as well.
We have picked four tours you can put on the programme over the coming weeks.
The Monte Baldo traverse
The Monte Baldo massif, over 2,000 m high, is certainly a highlight for mountain walking on Lake Garda. The highest peaks are Cima di Valdritta (2,218 m) and Telegrafo (2,200 m). The tour to Punta Telegrafo is a fine walk with a wonderful view over Lake Garda and the surrounding mountains.
Largely straightforward walking, exposed in places; one passage of grade I– (easy climbing; the cable protection is uncertain). A sure foot and a head for heights are needed. In the wet it is hard going and dangerous.
The tour starts at the top station of the Monte Baldo cable car (1,745 m) and follows trail no. 651 southwards to the Bocca di Tratto Spino (1,720 m). At the signpost the counter-ascent begins, over a grassy, rock-studded ridge, then right along its flank to Belvedere (1,838 m) on the Baldo crest. (Half an hour from the cable car.) You walk over meadows towards Cima delle Pozzette. Now follow the trail along the crest, over notches and scree bowls, until you cross a dome (2,005 m) and reach a small cairn on Cima delle Pozzette (2,132 m). Downwards, through mountain pine and rocky ground, to the edge of the Sella di Val Agual (2,027 m), the lowest point on the link to Cima del Longino. You cross the east flank of Cima del Longino and get a wonderful view over the eastern heights of Monte Baldo. First level, then uphill on stony paths, until you are walking through the huge cirque of the Val Finestra in the Riserva Naturale Integrale Lastoni Selva Pezzi.
A little later a few metres of easy climbing (I–) are needed on the left-hand side. Short traverses on slabs (slippery when wet!) demand your full concentration. After that the path leads to a rock arch and into the summit area of Cima Valdritta. At the wooden board follow the trail to the right, past two caverns, then sharply left to the cross on Cima Valdritta (2,218 m).
If you leave out Cima Valdritta (half an hour there and back), you reach the nearby Forcella Valdritta (2,107 m) directly from the wooden board. The „traverse“ of Monte Baldo follows the signpost „Rifugio Telegrafo“. Parallel to the crest, on a comfortable military track, carry on to a saddle. From here either right to the big iron cross on Punta Telegrafo (2,200 m) or, beyond the saddle, down to the Rifugio Gaetano Barana (2,147 m), which now comes into view. (About 4½ hrs from the cable car including Cima Valdritta.)
Return: walk about 1 hour to the Forcella Valdritta (2,107 m). Follow the trail to the left (trail no. 5) into the cirque of Cima Valdritta. After about half an hour, at the former Baito Valdritta, take the right-hand path and pass the grassy saddle La Guardiola (1,850 m). At first a moderately steep path, then steeply through mountain pine to the rocky pulpit La Guardia (1,523 m) and to the spring water of La Fontana (1,324 m). Keep right and at the fork go straight on to the Col di Piombi (1,164 m) along a forest road. Shortly afterwards you reach the fork and the wayside shrine „Il Signor“ (981 m, forester's house). Walk left through the wood to the intermediate cable car station (563 m).
Walk up Monte Stivo
A simple mountain walk with wide views from the Passo Santa Barbara over „Le Prese“ to the Rifugio Marchetti and Monte Stivo. Return via the Malga Stivo to Le Prese
To Le Prese: from the car park follow the signs for Rifugio Marchetti and walk up trail no. 608B (tarmac road) northwards, over clearings and through scrub woodland. Soon, at a signboard, the tarmac gives way to a very rough cart track that climbs in bends through a stretch of wood to the pastures of „Le Prese“ (1,480 m).
To Monte Stivo: at a marked left-hand bend you leave the cart track and climb steeply to the right on the mountain path, unsignposted but clearly recognisable, up the broad ridge in a north-easterly direction. After the first long, steep section you reach a saddle with an old wartime position to the right on the crest. You cross a hollow and so reach the last rise to the summit. Traverse the slope northwards, climbing gently, to the Rifugio Marchetti (2012 m), and from here climb diagonally right onto the summit plateau with its summit cross (2,059 m).
Descent: back to the hut by the same route, and from there down the broad, grassy west slope in several bends to the Malga Stivo. From the hut walk down the rough cart track to „Le Prese“ and from there back to the starting point on the route you already know.
Via Ferrata dell’Amicizia: the „ladder via ferrata“ up Cima SAT above Riva
The via ferrata “Path of Friendship” offers breathtaking views straight down onto Lake Garda, and with its 600 m of almost vertical ascent it should not be underestimated. The start of this medium-difficulty via ferrata is right in Riva del Garda (78 m) on the northern shore of Lake Garda. Follow trail no. 404 to the Capanna Santa Barbara (560 m) and then the via ferrata with its series of ladders up to Cima SAT at 1,276 m.
In summer this route up to Cima SAT can turn into a furnace, so the tour is best done in spring or autumn.
The descent is very steep and runs along waymarked trails 413 and 404 (the usual way down); alternatively you can descend northwards on trail no. 418, which is also very steep.
Riding round the lake on a road bike
For many cyclists the draw is the full circuit of the lake. In summer it is barely doable because of the heavy traffic and the long tunnels on the western shore, but autumn and spring offer the best conditions, with less traffic and milder temperatures. The roughly 140 kilometres call for reasonable fitness but are not technically difficult; because of the many long tunnels, though, lights are recommended. Between Limone and Riva del Garda you can switch to the cycle path built a few years ago. The 2.5 kilometre cycle path is an eye-catcher in any case. The steel structure is fixed directly to the rock face and hovers 50 metres above the water.
