Hiking in South Tyrol

This hike leads through forest and meadows to the most famous pilgrimage site in South Tyrol, the Maria Weißenstein monastery, which is well worth a visit. Numerous votive tablets demonstrate how, for centuries, the devout sought refuge and mercy from the mother of god in times of worry or distress.

This is one of the oldest irrigation canals (Waalweg) of Merano and environs!
It was built in the XV century by the Counts of Stachelburg and is, therefore, more than five hundred years old. The canal is lined by birch-tree groves and rich, varied vegetation and is still used to irrigate the Parcines orchards, meadows and fields. 
An ancient “Wohnstein”, a free-standing, curved rock in whose shadow ancient people lived, and a pre-historic “Schalenstein” – a stone with strange round-shaped indentations on it, dating back to the Copper Age, can be seen at the eastern end of the Waal path.
This particular walk is especially interesting for those interested in local history.

Directed to the mountain church of S. Vigilius, the faith trail consists of six stations where we can meditate on the values and issues of life. The faith trail is the bearer of a universal message and is an invitation to discover and strenghten our faith. We travel the paths of our lives searching and believing. May this trail sustain us in this journey of discovery and of belief. P. Peter Unterhofer.

 

Beautiful mountain hike with a wonderful view of the Merano region and the surrounding mountain scenery. There are some alpine pastures along the way that invite you to stop and relax.

Following the path along the old irrigation canals you come to a stunning lookout point above Naturno. This panoramic hike offers fantastic views of the Schnalstal Valley, Juval Castle and Vinschgau Valley, as well as of the Sonnenberg.

Built on top of a jutting cliff and clearly visible from a distance, the
church in Monte S. Caterina is certainly worth visiting. The lookout
point with a wonderful panoramic view is positioned above the
Unterstell Inn. A via ferrata practice wall was recently created just
below the viewing platform.

A moderately more ambitious hike from the village centre of Steinegg|Collepietra up to the "Furner Oach". The Mountain Cinema of Eggental, which is located there, opens up a breathtaking view of the Rosengarten|Catenaccio, the Hammerwand|Croda del Maglio, the Tschafon| Monte Cavone, the Schlern|Sciliar, the Seiser Alm|Alpe di Siusi, the Raschötz|Rasciesa, the Plose, the Zillertal Alps, the Villanderer Alm and the high plateau of Ritten|Renon.

These wetlands, known as Schludernser Au or Schludernser Erlenwaldbiotop alder biotope became a protected site in 1976 and cover an area of about 140 hectares. These meadowlands are the biologically most productive habitats with the greatest biodiversity. The education trail through alder woods, ponds, natural streams and rough gravel with 12 information boards in the Natura 2000 region, a veritable treasure trove of life and a refuge for endangered animals and plants.

Marvel the impressive spectacle of the Frankbach waterfall above St. Johann/San Giovanni. Feel the cooling freshness on your skin, breathe in the pleasant fresh air and admire the colorful light reflections when the sun shines.

The Brogles Pass, which can be reached from Rasciesa via a beautiful panoramic trail, is located in the middle of an alpine meadow and behind it are the high rock faces of the extraordinary Odle peaks.

This rewarding snowshoe hike takes you through the Latemar forest with views of the Latemar. Starting from Lake Carezza (Karer See | Lago di Carezza), path l leads to the Mitterleger | Radura di Mezzo viewpoint, a lovely little clearing in the forest, where you can get a close-up view of the Latemar. The peaceful atmosphere and pristine landscape make this outing an ideal experience for nature lovers seeking tranquility and relaxation, along with a fantastic view.

The hike starts in the village center of Deutschnofen | Nova Ponente. The hike begins on a tarred path, then a gravel path, then a forest path [E5] in the direction of Wölfl farm.The [E5] trail is the European long-distance hiking trail that leads from Constance over the Alps to Venice. By taking this route, the snowshoe hiker can experience a small section of this trail.

The starting point for this fantastic snowshoe hike is the car park in Valdurna/Durnholz. After a short ascent to the outflow of the lake, it is already time to put on your snowshoes. Following the lovely forest trail on the orographic left bank to the northern end of lake, the tour then continues along the stream, first to the east through the Großalmtal valley in shade but glittering with powder snow. As you gain height you come to sunny pasture ridges and via the Innerhütten-Alm Alpine pasture to the Fortschellscharte gap.

Tip: when snow conditions are good, definitely ascend the nearby Kassianspitze peak (2,581 m, ascent: approx. 1 hour).

Reverse the route to return to the starting point at the Valdurna car park.

The Ultner Höfeweg farms hiking trail  leads past ancient farmyards. Fantastic views of the surrounding mountains are available from here.

Starting at Hotel Sonneck in Schabs you follow trail no. 9 just above the service area Lanz in the direction to the lime pits. The first one displays a huge map with a description of its historic background. Keep following trail no 9A and past the little chapel „Urlaubsstöckl“ in direction to Aicha. For the return you can use the forward run or trail 8A „Ochsenbühel“ which leads to trail no 8 to Schabs. Then you follow the cycle path until you reach the starting point again.

A challenging snowshoe hike to the " Stone cairns" with a spectacular view of the surrounding snowy mountain world awaits you.

A wonderful hike that leads via the Burg and Ochsentodweg to Thurnstein Castle and further to Tirol Castle.
You can already feel the Mediterranean climate here.
This hike is also suitable for families.

Especially on warm days, the Marling mountain road is an ideal hiking path particularly on warm days, along the North-Eastern slope of the Marling mountain.

Experience the outdoors with all your senses on an excursion for the entire family! Fun, games and adventure are guaranteed! The Urlesteig trail gets its name from the Urlelockn ponds, the geological heart of South Tyrol. Six themed areas are laid out along the trail: Water, Animals, History & Culture, Plants, Forces of Nature and Alpine Pasture.

The so called "Knottnkino" on the rock Rotsteinkogel is a special view point. Enjoy a wonderful panorama on the Rotsteinkogel. From here you have a view on the Texel, the Penegal and you can see even the Weißhorn. The Etsch-Valley spreads under the rock. There are 30 armchairs made of steel and chestnut wood. If you sit down, you can enjoy nature as a whole, as if you where sitting in a cinema.

Starting from a breathtaking landscape at the foot of the Sassolungo group, this relaxed snowshoe trail leads through snow-covered forests to Monte Pana.

"Antrische Löcher" eerie holes are ancient test tunnels from the time of the copper mine in Prettau/Predoi, which can be found in various places in the Ahrntal valley. In the imagination of many people, there lived the so-called "Antrischen" - small people who dug in the mountains for treasures and precious stones.

A short hike to the symbol of Laives/Leifers with panoramic sight on Laives/Leifers and the Bassa Atesina/Unterland valley.

 

Day trip over the gentleheights between the Meran hut and Vöran alp.

The fairy tale lake of the Dolomites, Lake Carezza is a colourful lake where, according to legend, a water nymph lives and in whose crystal clear waters the Dolomite giants Latemar and Catinaccio are reflected in the morning and evening. Lake Carezza amazes many visitors! It is also called Lec de Ergobando - rainbow lake.
The 300 m long and 140 m wide Lake Carezza rests below the Latemar massif at the edge of the Latemar forest in the municipality of Nova Levante at the little village of Carezza at 1,520 m in the Val d'Ega. It is a protected natural monument and is fed by underground springs from the Latemar mountain, which is why both its size and its depth are strongly dependent on the season and the weather - the greatest depth of Lake Carezza was recorded at 22 m.

The magic trail in Riffian with 20 stations invites children and adults to discover a fantastic world of magic and sorcery. It leads into the deep forest, past a wishing wheel, the labyrinth with the petrified face, eerie voices and obstacles to climb through. Once we reach the highest point, the giant magic wand awaits us, leaving nothing to be desired. On the way back, we pass a witches' village, ringing trees and a magic tunnel. With the flying carpet, we float through the gate into the children's factory town. There we can take part in building the city. After skilfully overcoming the city moat and dusting off the magic dust, "only" the experience remains. The artistically designed stations have been created from materials provided by the forest and thus contribute to the magic of the trail.

Relaxing walk from the centre of Steinegg|Collepietra to the hotel 'Steineggerhof'. There the new mountain cinema awaits us with a magnificent panorama of the Ritten|Renon, the Eisack|Isarco Valley, the Raschötz|Rasciesa, the Seiser Alm|Alpi di Siusi, the Schlern|Sciliar, the Hammerwand|Croda del Maglio, Tschafon|Monte Cavone and the Rosengarten|Catinaccio.

Moderately difficult hike below the Mendel Ridge, mostly on forestry trails with beautiful viewpoints over Eppan, the entire Überetsch and the Bozen basin.

Waalwege are paths along the ancient irrigation channels. The Algunder Waalweg Trail is split into two parts with a lenght of 5 to 6 km. The hike leads along an historical irrigation canal. The canal trail is almost flat. It is therefore ideal for older people or families with children. Hikers, young and old, will be rewarded with fantastic views of Lagundo/Algund as well as the entirety of Merano/Meran and the surrounding area.

An oversized bird's nest is inviting, as is a flood model and other highlights.

Experiments can be carried out on site and research questions solved at 19 stations on various nature-related topics. The nature experience trail is just as suitable for families as it is for school classes, groups and guests. Everything is signposted in German and Italian.

From "How old was this tree?" to "What local materials can you recognise at this station?", there is something for young and old explorers alike. And the answer "I don't know that yet" is okay! What researcher knows everything straight away? Perhaps the next visit to the Schludernser Au forest or the one after that will shed some light...

A lovingly designed research booklet is used to write down the research results and to continue researching next time. The booklet will be available from spring 2024 at the Schluderns and Mals information offices and can also be found in a special box at the entrance to the nature experience trail  in the Schludernser Au. The research booklet is available in German and Italian.

There is also a RESEARCH BACKPACK for the nature experience trail in the Schludernser Au, which can be borrowed from the Schluderns and Mals information offices from spring 2024 for a deposit. With the 12 aids and tools from the backpack, the tasks are even easier to solve. With a stethoscope, metre stick and beaker magnifier etc., researching in a team is even more fun. There are also plenty of research backpacks for school classes or groups.