Departure point: Riale (1731 m), car park opposite the Alts Dorf hotel

Itinerary: Riale – Maria Luisa Refuge – Lake Toggia – San Giacomo Pass – Alpe di San Giacomo – Corno Gries Cabin – Corno Pass – Gries Pass – Alpe Bettelmatt – Lake Morasco – Riale.

This is a round trip which has become a classic for MTB lovers.
The route starts in Riale (1731 m) from the car park opposite Alts Dorf hotel where you can also rent mountain bikes, some with assisted pedalling.

The trip should be done in an anticlockwise direction, climbing from Riale to the San Giacomo Pass along the beautiful road that was built in the nineteen twenties as a service road for construction of the Toggia and Castel dams. It is a real masterpiece, with low gradient perfectly aligned hairpin bends. From the pass the route drops slightly to the turn off for Corno Cabin. Here starts the so-called traverso (crossing) connecting with the Corno valley. Cycling is possible on this stretch but it is particularly exposed at some points so the utmost care should be taken. You can reach the Corno Gries Cabin (2364 m) and from here on the stretches where cycling is possible become fewer and fewer as you climb to the Corno Gries pass. You soon reach the Gries pass where steep descent begins on narrow path eroded by the rain that leads to the Alpe Bettelmatt. From the Alpe Bettelmatt follow the track that drops in hairpin bends to Lake Morasco and then follow the tarmac road back to Riale.

It is a long trip and quite busy. Please pay attention to hikers and on the steepest stretches of the descent the bicycle must be conducted by hand to avoid crumbling the surface of the paths.

BIKE RENTAL

Centro Fondo Riale c/o Albergo Aalts Dorf
Loc. Riale – 28863 Formazza VB
Tel. Mob. +39 380 3100773
www.centrofondoriale.com
www.mountainsportformazza.com

BUS STOP
Riale

AUTHOR Alessandro Pirocchi