Probably one of Europe’s most famous bikeways, the Ponale trail is undoubtedly the dearest to hiking and mountain-biking lovers who come to Garda Trentino year after year. The reason why? It’s not difficult to figure it out. Extremely panoramic as it overlooks directly the lake, this bikeway is not just a walk.
It remains a proper trail to take on with suitable equipment and the right physical training! Better to remember to always bring some water with you (mainly during the hot season) and wear some comfortable and convenient clothes! Even if it isn’t so much steep, the Ponale trail is a wonderful hiking excursion that treats you with some breathtaking landscapes and different views on Lake Garda Trentino after each bend.
As if its essence could turn into a unique emotion you could savour at the top of your lungs at each glimpse! Being you by mountain bike or on foot, the Ponale trail will drawn you in landscape and historical beauties. Near the second and third tunnel you will in fact see the remaining of the Tagliata del Ponale, an impressive rampart built by Austrians in 1860, made up of burrows and trenches dug into the stone that run from the lake level up to the emplacements overlooking the existing trail.
The Belvedere degli Innamorati.
Why not to remember also some more romantic stories? Like the Belvedere degli Innamorati, so dear to Francis Joseph I, Emperor of Austria. Legend says that the Emperor fell in love with this place so much that he wanted to tread it without body guards to enjoy that huge sense of freedom he felt inside him at every step towards the peak. Maybe he could also have walked on the Ponale trail together with his famous wife, Princess Sissi!
Ponale trail
The old connecting route with Ledro Valley
It’s incredible thinking that this narrow road was once the only connecting route between Riva del Garda and Ledro Valley, but it’s actually true. Different vehicles and buses passed on this road. The current tunnels were built only later and the route turned into one of the favourite walks for hiking lovers! You could choose the length of your route, deciding whether to stop at the waterfall or rather go on up to Ledro Valley and the community of Pregasina.
Whatever the mean of transport you will choose (if you’ll go for mountain bike, be careful when going down, limit your speed! Especially during peak season! After all, being you both bikers or hikers, you are peacefully sharing an exciting trail !) the Ponale trail will strike your chords at each bend. Unique flora and fauna, historical signs impressed upon the stone, Lake Garda that seems coloured in a more intense and brilliant blue.
Welcome to the Ponale trail, welcome to Garda Trentino!
