This week, here's an idea for spending a day hiking and enjoying good food. Your excursion on Mount Baldo starts out in Malcesine with the Baldo cableway, which will take you to the peak at 1752 meters in altitude. You might want to choose a day during the week for this excursion because on the weekend there may be a line waiting to take the Malcesine cableway. For prices, information, request and time schedule, check this link: http://www.lagodigardamagazine.com. Once you reach the peak, you'll realize the incredible hiking options that are available on this fantastic mountain.
The 'Calchére' - In the Trento area of Lake Garda and the Upper Garda area of the province of Brescia, you can still find ancient lime furnaces, called "calchére" in the local dialect, which are usually near a river bank or along the slopes of a valley. There are 124 "calchére" in the twelve municipalities of the C9 Alto Garda and Ledro Area (Arco, Bezzecca, Concei, Drena, Dro, Molina di Ledro, Nago-Torbole, Pieve di Ledro, Riva del Garda, Tenno, Tiarno di Sopra, Tiarno di Sotto), and 40 more throughout the area near Limone sul Garda, Tremosine, Tignale, Gargnano and Toscolano Maderno.
Lake Garda's alpine and excursionist refuges - From Limone sul Garda to the 'Bonaventura Segala' chalet. The excursion starts out from the bus station at the Turista bar. Take Caldogno and Milanese streets. Once you pass the small bridge of the San Giovanni stream, you walk up the steep cobblestone mule trail that runs through the Valley of Sìngol, following itinerary 101. There are many rivers and streams in the first stretch, and each valley has the characteristic calchére constructions once used to extract lime.
The "Sentiero delle Tracce" trail in Tremosine is a nature trail that winds through the Gardesana Occidentale regional forest, in the community of Tremosine, which is a striking, wild setting along the eastern side of Mount Caplone. Besides its breathtaking panoramas, the trail offers visitors a chance to observe the tracks left by the local fauna. There are not just tracks left on mud or the snow, but also nests, feathers, droppings, claw marks, stripped bark, the remains of food, burrows, eggshell fragments, exuviae (sloughed skins), spider webs and shells. To hone one's observational skills, there are several info points along the trail that make the excursion even more interesting.
Lake Garda's alpine and excursionist refuges. To Mount Altissimo from Bocca di Navene. From Bocca di Navene you head north for about 700 m. along the asphalt road to the "Graziani" refuge. Here you take trail nr. 651 (10 min.). Traveling amidst beech and larch trees, you climb up the crest of the Lastè di Tòlghe overlooking the lake Garda to a marked panoramic spot at an altitude of 1,858 m. (1 hour). You proceed, passing old war posts from World War II, to the junction for Busa Brodeghera (15 min.) where you meet up with the military road that leads to the "Damiano Chiesa" refuge (30 min.).
Lake Garda's alpine and excursionist refuges. From downtown Nago, follow signs for the park and for Castel Penede. At the southern border of the park, near the detour for the edge of the cliff, a small road leads to the ruins of Castel Penede (40 minutes), which sits on a rocky crag and always played an important strategic role, guarding the road that connects Loppia to the Garda valley and to the Valli Giudicarie and Lomaso.
Lake Garda's alpine and excursionist refuges. Starting out from Piazza F. Arrighini, take Via G. Pascoli. Beyond the soccer field, take the abandoned stretch of the Gardesana road. Passing the two tunnels, keep left along the road that passes below the waterfall of the Lesine river at lake Garda and gently ascends to the Province road nr. 38 (20 min).
Lake Garda's alpine and excursionist refuges. From Sasso to the Saint Valentine hermitage. From the square in Sasso, follow the signs for trail nr. 31 that crosses the town and enters a forest along a mule trail. You'll pass a stream and walk up to a rocky belvedere (700 m; 35 min.), with a sweeping view of Lake Garda.
Lake Garda's alpine and excursionist refuges - From Gàrdola to Passo d'Ere. Leave your car in the oil factory parking lot, then take the XXIV Maggio and San Lorenzo roads, crossing the town of Olzano. After passing the "Il camino" restaurant and the "Sunclass bungalows" resort, you'll reach a panoramic spot over the lake garda (25 minutes).
Lake Garda's alpine and excursionist refuges. From the parking lot before the barrier, you follow trail nr. 601, which rises and crosses the southeast side of Mount Varagna. You pass Sella south (1748 m.) and proceed to the top of Mount Nago (40 min.). The trial crosses a plateau and leads to the foot of Mount Altissimo (25 min.), providing a sweeping view of the upper lake garda area and surrounding mountains. After another ascending stretch on rather difficult and rocky terrain, you reach the top (40 min.), where you'll find a small church, an observatory and the "Damiano Chiesa" refuge (2,060 m.), which is open from July to September.
Lake Garda's alpine and excursionist refuges. From Navene to Dosso Spirano. In Navene, a district of Malcesine, between the Navene pension and church is a steep narrow road covered in cement and then asphalt, passing civic numbers 4, 6, 634 and the homes of a tourist resort. Becoming a trail at one point, it proceeds and enters the "Gardesana Orientale" Natural Reserve.
Lake Garda's alpine and excursionist refuges. To Monte Castello of Gaino. From the square of Bogliaco, you head south, bearing right near a portico on trail nr. 41. The trail climbs through farmland to the village of Sostaga, at an altitude of 530. You'll proceed along trail nr. 21.