3 passes and 3 peaks tour from Hotel Mondschein

Passo Manghen

From our partner hotel Hotel Mondschein, on the western edge of the UNESCO World Heritage Dolomites, countless highlights are just a stone's throw away. For example, the Passo Manghen, one of the almost unknown highlights of Trentino. We can almost always enjoy it on the ideal route, as its ramps are closed to trucks and buses.

The narrow northern ramp, which is often used by grazing cattle as a place to sleep, swings uphill in a series of tight bends in quick succession and challenges us with gradients of up to 16%. Below the top of the pass, the forest opens up to reveal a magnificent panorama. A mountain hut invites you to take a pit stop and enjoy a delicious espresso. Then it's over the inconspicuous summit of the Manghen and down into the idyllic Valsugana. Those who want to experience the Manghen intensively can now turn the bike around and enjoy the pass again in the opposite direction back to the hotel - a grandiose pleasure.

DATA AND ROUTE
Length: 40 km
Highest point: 2.047 m
Difficulty: Medium
Toll: None
Winter closure: None

From Hotel Mondschein to the highest point:
Kurviger Route ›››››

Penser Joch

The Penser Joch in the north of the tour area of our partner hotel Mondschein is the scenic and cycling highlight of a varied ride through the Sarntal valley, which has been secluded for centuries. Our tip: Combine the tour with a tour of the interesting center of Bolzano.

And take a look around the villages along the pass road on the way to the Joch - it's worth it, as are the detours to the Klobenstein plateau and the dead end to Lake Durnholz. Once built as a purely military road between 1935 and 1938, the Penser Joch now connects the Sarntal and Wipptal valleys around Sterzing and is basically the most direct connection between Bozen and Innsbruck.

Due to the high alpine terrain and the associated winter closures, the pass road is only of touristic importance today. And that's a good thing ...

DATA AND ROUTE
Length: 22 km km
Highest point: 2.211 m
Difficulty: easy to medium
Toll: None
Winter closure: None

From Hotel Mondschein to the highest point:
Kurviger Route ›››››

Text: Heinz Studt
Photos: Heinz Studt, Peter Wahl