The highlight of this circular tour is the Giogo di Meltina with its “Stone Men” in the Sarentino Alps
Image gallery: MTB tour to the Möltner Kaser Hut
Vilpiano, our starting point, lies halfway between Bolzano and Merano. The Meltina Cable Car takes us up to the Monzoccolo plateau at an altitude of 1,000 metres. At the mountain station, we jump into the saddle: We follow the road to Meltina village, ride through the village centre, and at the junction, we first follow the road towards Schermoos and Langfenn/Lavenna.
After the first bend, we turn left (no. 4A). We stay on the asphalt path, which leads gently upwards across meadows and then through the shady forest. The trail is now marked with "K" (Möltner Kaser). After a while, the asphalt gives way to gravel and, passing the Sattler Hut, we reach the meadows at the Giogo di Meltina (Möltner Joch) at almost 1,800 metres above sea level.
Now, at the beginning of May, they are covered in a carpet of purple and white crocuses! It is not much further to the Möltner Kaser Hut, located directly below the "Stone Men", the cairns. This is the ideal place for our lunch break. The mountain hut, which also operates as an alpine pasture, serves dumplings, Kaiserschmarrn, meat specialities from their own livestock, and other dishes.
Afterwards, we head downhill, soon turning left onto the path towards Schermoos and Langfenn. There is a short uphill section, followed by the more technically demanding part of the descent: Along the fence across the meadows, then down a steep, stony path through the forest.
Finally, the forest trail joins the asphalt road east of Schermoos. We ride left towards Valas and continue to San Genesio village. The final section leads down to Bolzano, where the Valle dell'Adige Cycle Path brings us back to Vilpiano after a ride of more than five hours.
Author: AT
Experienced: May 2012
Last updated: 2026
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- Starting point:
- mountain station of the Vilpiano-Meltina Cable Car
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- Overall time:
- 05:20 h
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- Total route length:
- 50,4 km
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- Altitude:
- from 237 m to 1.788 m
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- Altitude difference (uphill | downhill):
- +1077 m | -1830 m
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- Route:
- Meltina - Sattler Hut - Giogo di Meltina - Möltner Kaser Hut - Schermoos - Valas - San Genesio Atesino - Bolzano - Vilpiano
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- Signposts:
- "Schermoos/Langfenn", "K", Valle dell'Adige Cycle Path
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- Destination:
- Möltner Kaser Mountain Hut (1,763 m a.s.l.)
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- Resting points:
- Möltner Kaser Hut (April to early November), Tomanegger mountain inn in Valas (April to October)
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- Track surface:
- 80% asphalt road, 17% gravel road, 3% single trail
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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 the Möltner Kaser Hut
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- More information:
- The overall time shown above refers to the cycling time only, not including breaks or stops.
We highly recommend checking the weather and trail conditions in advance and on site before starting this tour.
