The Vagabond Hiker

Hiking, trekking, and climbing the world

Lago di Garda, Italy: walks and ferratas

While Riva del Garda, at the north end of Lago di Garda, is most well-known for its world-class wind surfing and sailing, it also offers an amazing variety of walks and via ferratas, ranging from woodland strolls to a couple of very challenging ferrata routes. My Airbnb apartment above the town had a nice city and mountain (and a bit of the lake) view, featured a 25m outdoor pool (at least until it closed in mid September!), direct access to nearby trails, and less than 1/2 hour walk to the lake front and many restaurants in town. What’s not to like?

Evening view from my balcony above Riva del Garda
Part of the Lago di Garda medium trek near me. (There are low, medium, and top trek paths around the lake, referring to their average elevation). Some paths are frequented by mountain bikers, one of the area’s most popular sports.
Cyclamen by the gorge near my apartment. Most flowers had faded by September, but I spotted many cyclamen early in the month.
Riva del Garda view from the Via Ferrata Cima Sat. This was the nearest ferrata to my apartment, about 75 minutes’ walk to the start.
Ladders on the VF Cima Sat. There were 8 ladders altogether, some quite long and vertical.
View north to the Brenta Dolomites (in the background) from the summit of Cima Sat. See my blog post from September 2018 when I traversed this group.
A butterfly on wood scabious
Maggie on VF Colodri. It was a great short ferrata to get your equipment dialed in and a local equipment rental shop for ferratas and climbing was conveniently located at the start in the town of Arco.
A lizard on the VF Colodri. On warm days we saw and heard tons of lizards.
Goats on the top plateau of Cima Colodri. We could smell them before we saw these friendly critters.
Lago di Garda view from the Cima Colodri. Riva del Garda is in the background by the lake and Arco is directly below.
Castello d’Arco tower. The castle was only a few minutes detour during the descent from Cima Colodri. Well worth the effort, with a short film and numerous buildings in various states of disrepair. There was also an outdoor bar to quench your thirst and take in the views, which sadly several days were obscured by haze.
A fresco in the Castello d’Arco showing court life. Note the incorrect orientation of the chess board.
Cima Colodri from Castello d’Arco. The black cross against the blue sky marks the high point. The terraces below are predominantly olive trees.
Maggie on the VF Rio Salagoni. While it is highly artificial, it was also quite challenging in parts, with overhanging walls to traverse. As a canyon ascent, it was unique.
Rio Salagoni view where the canyon opened up for a short distance.
The Castello Drena where we emerged from the Rio Salagoni canyon. Another worthwhile cultural diversion at the end of a ferrata.
Monte Baone summit cross with an artistic Jesus. This was the end of the way-marked scramble route up from Arco. Although not particularly difficult, sections where quite exposed – enough so that I didn’t take many photos.
The Arco Arboretum is only a short distance from the start/end of the Monte Baone scramble. Here are a few of the many turtles in the pond. It was a worthwhile (and free!) hour to spend in town, featuring dawn redwoods, varieties of bamboo, and yew trees, among many others.
Cima Capi from the VF Susatti. This ferrata was probably the most enjoyable I did in the area, with lots of World War I tunnels, trenches, and buildings. Although not particularly hard, it had an enjoyable – if long – wooded approach from the village of Beicesa and featured fantastic views of the lake and mountains.
Maggie on the VF Cima Capi
Another view of Maggie on Cima Capi, pulling over a steep section with Lago di Garda behind.
The Vagabond Hiker on Cima Capi. Photo courtesy of Maggie.
Lago di Garda view from Cima Capi. This was taken on my recon climb two weeks earlier. Fortunately the rains held off until later in the day.
Piccolo Dain from Sarche, about 15 minutes’ drive north of Arco. The VF Rino Pisetta climbs up this peak.
The VF Rino Pisetta from near the start of the cables. This is the hardest ferrata in the area, perhaps the hardest outside of the high Dolomites. I soloed it on my last day before returning to the UK.
View of Lago Toblino from the ascent of Piccolo Dain on the VF Pisetta. The northern-most olive trees in the world grow here due to the mild micro climate.
Hanging off my lanyards on the ascent of the VF Pisetta. Here the cables traverse and then ascend another vertical section. My arms were definitely ragged out by the summit.
View of the valley and Rio Sarca from summit of Piccolo Dain
A forest at the start of the descent from Piccolo Dain. The lower elevations around Lago di Garda (compared to the high Dolomites) make the area’s ferratas great choices in the spring and autumn.
A picturesque fountain in Limone sul Garda. We took a day off from the rocks to do a triangular ferry route around the upper portion of the lake. Limone was the first stop.
Torrente San Giovanni in Limone. This pleasant path leads out of town up through a valley.
Limone lemon trees from which the popular town gets its name. Glass panes are inserted into the larch frames from November to March to protect the trees. They had numerous varieties of citrus growing in this warm micro climate that is well protected from north winds.
Malcesine castle and town from the ferry. In addition to the castle and a large pedestrian zone, Malcesine on the east side of the lake features a cable car up to the summit of Monte Baldo. Unfortunately the low clouds that day precluded riding the aerial tramway.

I’m back in the UK until Tuesday next week, then off to Bhutan to do the Snowman Trek, which has been on my bucket list since I first visited the country in 2012. One of the most challenging in the world, the trek covers more than 200 miles over 25 days (including rest days) through some of the most remote valleys in the world and features 11 passes over 4500m (14,760ft), five of those more than 5000m (16,400 ft). My Snowman trek with KE Adventures is timed to permit us to observe two local festivals, the Chomolhari and the Laya Royal Highlander. If you’re interested, a book published a few years ago on the trek is Kevin Grange’s Beneath Blossom Rain.

The Vagabond Hiker

Comments

  1. I love the picture of Maggie on Cima Capi with lake Garda in the background. It looks like it was a fun climb. The Snowman Trek sounds amazing! Safe travels my friend.
    Hugs,
    Leslie

  2. Thanks for these Kent & Maggie. I have forwarded these to my brother Doug & Cathy who are currently holidaying in the Lago Garda area.
    Happy Trails!
    K & J

  3. Wow! Once again, the views are amazing! The ferratas – um no, haha. I would probably get halfway up and freeze in my tracks.

    Love that you’re doing the Snowman Trek!! Someday, I hope to get to Nepal and Bhutan.

    Can’t wait to see the pics!

    Terri

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