A pleasant and quiet lakeside hike takes us into the Valle di Gioveretto, a side valley of the Val Martello
Image gallery: Hike to Lake Giallo and Lake Verde in Martello
The starting point for this summer hike is at Lake Gioveretto at the head of the Val Martello, set in a beautiful mountain landscape. This reservoir in the Stelvio National Park has an impressive dam wall that is also very popular with climbers. Many tours start from here, such as the one to Mt. Dosso di Peder or the Plima Gorge Trail. Today, however, we have a different goal and want to explore some other mountain lakes: We are heading for the Lago Giallo and the Lago Verde.
The path first follows a gravel road along the lakeshore until, after about a ten-minute walk, we reach path no. 17, which turns off to the right. It leads us up a steep, treeless slope. The lack of trees has an advantage: The view of Lago di Gioveretto below us and the Cevedale Glacier ahead is impressive. The trail now enters the forest. After the first hour of hiking, we come across the Rio di Gioveretto stream and its cascades and reach a high plateau. The valley now widens.
The path continues to lead us upwards on the left to a junction. Another hour's walk separates us from the first of the two mountain lakes. A series of ascents and descents followed by steep switchbacks takes us to a final junction, where we can choose whether to head for the Lago Giallo (literally: Yellow Lake) or the Lago Verde (Green Lake) first.
We choose the slightly larger Yellow Lake at an altitude of 2,729 metres. The lake is ten minutes from the junction, and it has taken us three hours in total from our starting point to reach it. Once at the lake, we enjoy our lunch break under the high-altitude Val Venosta sun. We now continue uphill without any signs, and after another ten minutes, we reach the small Green Lake.
A few metres above it is the highest point of our hike: the ruins of an old alpine hut dating from 1915. The route now heads downhill: The path leads us from the ruins directly back to the junction where we could choose between the lakes. From there, we follow the same path back to the car park at Lake Gioveretto in Martello di Dentro. Also the bus stops here.
Authors: Elena & Luca
Experienced: July 2021
Last update: 2025
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- Starting point:
- Lake Gioveretto in the Val Martello (1,852 m a.s.l.)
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- Overall time:
- 04:30 h
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- Total route length:
- 12,9 km
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- Altitude:
- from 1.852 m to 2.779 m
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- Altitude difference:
- +927 m | -927 m
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- Signposts:
- 17
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- Destination:
- Yellow Lake and Green Lake (2,729 m a.s.l.)
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- Resting points:
- Hotel Al Lago
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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:
- Hike to Lake Giallo and Lake Verde in Martello
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- More information:
- The overall time shown above refers to the walking time only, not including breaks or stops. The car park at the Hotel Al Lago is a pay-and-display car park for hikers.
