We explore the larch meadows between Meltina and San Genesio Atesino on the Salto - a tour with valley and mountain sections
Image gallery: MTB tour to the Salto plateau and Lavenna
We start our Salto MTB tour south of the village centre of Terlano. Here, the Meltina road - the first section of the route - branches off. It goes steep uphill straight away, with an average gradient of 10% to Meltina. The asphalted mountain road winds up in eight hairpin bends to Frassineto and continues from there to Meltina. We recommend tackling these steepest sections of the day's tour in the early morning, as they are still in the shade then.
In Meltina, at an altitude of 1,142 metres, we have already completed most of the sweat-inducing climb. Here, we follow the signpost to Schermoos (also known as Eschio), a saddle located another 300 metres higher up. There, the forest road to Lavenna, or Langfenn, branches off to the right.
A few minutes later, we reach the highest point of our tour: the Langfenn inn with the small St. James' Church. This is a wonderful spot for panoramic views! We then head downhill on the forest road towards the south, crossing the larch meadows of the Salto to San Genesio Atesino. Above the Edelweiss inn, the descent becomes a little steeper until we reach San Genesio village.
The main road then takes us down to Bolzano. After a fast-paced descent (watch out for the tunnels!), the route merges into the Val Sarentino road. We turn into Via Fago and ride through the Bolzano district of Gries to the Piazza Gries square. From there, we take Via Vittorio Veneto and Via San Maurizio to the Merano road, which we follow all the way back to Terlano.
This brings us back to our starting point. This tour combines crisp, steep mountain roads with an easy mountain bike track of around five kilometres on forest paths.
Author: AT
Experienced: June 2009
Last updated: 2026
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- Starting point:
- Terlano village (241 m a.s.l.)
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- Overall time:
- 06:00 h
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- Total route length:
- 43,5 km
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- Altitude:
- from 241 m to 1.522 m
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- Altitude difference (uphill | downhill):
- +1395 m | -1395 m
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- Route:
- Terlano - Meltina - Lavenna - San Genesio - Bolzano Gries - Settequerce - Terlano
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- Destination:
- Langfenn inn with St. James' Church (1,522 m a.s.l.)
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- Resting points:
- Langfenn inn (until November) and bars and coffee shops in the single villages
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- Track surface:
- about 10% gravel, 90% asphalt
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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 Salto plateau and Lavenna
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- More information:
- The overall time shown above refers to the cycling time only, not including breaks or stops. The tour is not technically demanding, but the physical demands should not be underestimated. Wearing a reflective safety vest is compulsory - you will be cycling through tunnels on the descent!
We highly recommend checking the weather and trail conditions in advance and on site before starting this tour.
