A varied tour combining asphalt pass roads, forest paths and singletracks - a real challenge
Image gallery: MTB tour to Mt. Mendola and Mt. Macaion
Almost 100 kilometres and 2,200 metres of climbing, two passes and one summit - this tour is set to be impressive. Early in the morning, we start in Lana di Sopra. The May day is perfect: rather cool yet sunny. At the railway station, we turn onto the Valle dell'Adige Cycle Path, which we follow as far as the junction near Firmiano. There, we turn right towards Frangarto and Cornaiano to reach the Oltradige Cycle Path. We follow it to San Michele Appiano, where we take the exit at the roundabout towards the village centre, and cycle along Via Andreas Hofer road past Ganda.
Eventually, the path joins the Mendola road. We pedal up hairpin after hairpin: From the 1,000-metre mark onwards, the pass road offers great views of Lake Caldaro and the south of South Tyrol. Once we reach the Mendola Pass at an altitude of 1,363 metres, we ride down the road towards the Val di Non valley. The Hotel Panorama stands near a bend, and behind it, a forest path branches off to the Regole meadows, known as Regole di Malosco alpine meadows
With three places to stop for refreshments, they are ideal for a lunch break. Afterwards, we head up the forest path towards "Bait del Prinz". There, we follow path no. 500 northwards - it is a narrow, steep, and sometimes stony and slippery trail. After the Forcella Grande pass, also known as Bus del Macaion, the final climb leads to the 1,866-metre-high summit of the Monte Macaion.
Our efforts are rewarded with a panoramic view stretching from the Texel Group near Merano across Bolzano to the Dolomites. Then we head downhill, first towards Fondo and then to the Fondo Hut, both located in Trentino. We turn right at the first trail junction (watch out for confusing signs) and we are already there! Now comes the climb up to Lake Tret. The surface is so weathered and sandy that the tyres cannot get any grip, leaving us with no choice but to push our bikes.
At the beautiful Lake Tret, surrounded by flower-filled meadows, we cycle down past the Malga San Felice hut to the Lochmann bridge, where the path joins the Passo delle Palade road. Up to mountain pass - this is our last climb of the day. All our efforts come to an end at the top of the pass, and from here it is downhill all the way to Lana, where we can recover from our exertions.
Author: AT
Experienced: May 2012
Last updated: 2026
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- Starting point:
- Piazza Tribus square in Lana di Sopra
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- Overall time:
- 09:00 h
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- Total route length:
- 92,5 km
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- Altitude:
- from 242 m to 1.866 m
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- Altitude difference (uphill | downhill):
- +2188 m | -2188 m
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- Route:
- Lana di Sopra - Valle dell'Adige Cycle Path - Frangarto - San Michele Appiano - Mendola Pass - Paradiso - Regole di Malosco - Bait del Prinz - Bus del Macaion (Forcella Grande) - Monte Macaion - Passo delle Palade - Lana di Sopra
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- Destination:
- Mendola Pass (1,363 m a.s.l.) - Monte Macaion (1,866 m a.s.l.) - Palade Pass (1,518 m a.s.l.)
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- Resting points:
- Hotel Panorama, Falchetto inn/Regole Hut/La Monteson Hut on the Regole di Malosco meadows, San Felice Hut (May/June to October), bars and coffee shops in the single villages
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- Track surface:
- 73 km asphalt, 17 km gravel paths, 3 km forest roads (single trail, partly to wheel and carry)
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- Recommended time of year:
- Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
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- Download GPX track:
- MTB tour to Mt. Mendola and Mt. Macaion
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- More information:
- The overall time shown above refers to the cycling time only, not including breaks or stops. We recommend that you do not go on this tour at the weekend, as there are a particularly large number of motorcyclists on the mountain passes at that time.
We highly recommend checking the weather and trail conditions in advance and on site before starting this tour.
