5 Laghi, Val Sanguinio (completa)

A loop ride with many sections unsuitable for riding that passes through the Valley of the 5 Lakes and descends through the very long Val Sanguinio. Spoiler: If you’re looking for an epic and fun descent, move on; if you like to push yourself and are looking for a challenging, technical ride, enjoy the read! A very trial-style descent. Start from Valgoglio, at an elevation of 900 meters. The climb follows a road that’s paved at first, then becomes a dirt track, up to about 1,800 meters.

From here, the trail begins—all push-walking all the way to the Lago Nero refuge. (Approximately 300 meters of elevation gain.) Last water stop.

The route continues with alternating sections of pushing and pedaling all the way to Lake Aviasco.

The final stretch (300 meters of elevation gain) involves pushing the bike on less challenging slopes; the last 30 meters before the Aviasco Pass are very difficult to navigate with the bike on your shoulder. The climb to Monte di Aviasco is rideable in sections (MTB).

A 500-meter flat traverse across a scree field/landslide with enormous boulders, where you’ll need to frequently check the white markers to stay on course before reaching the Val Sanguinio Pass. (Just before the pass, there is a steep step that’s difficult to navigate with the bike in hand; it’s better if there are two of you.)

Here begins a very long descent (7 km with 1,000 meters of elevation loss) that will take us to the Gianpace mountain hut in about 1–2 hours. The descent starts off as freeride. Then, due to the gentler slope, the trail demands excellent leg strength; the descent is an all-mountain singletrack with numerous highly technical sections—never extreme, but given the previous exertion and the mandatory re-starts, it becomes extremely challenging and exhausting. The section is very long and offers no respite whatsoever

The second half consists of an almost flat trail with many rocks, requiring a great deal of attention and realistic physical ability to enjoy the sections; otherwise, you can kiss your gear change goodbye.

Before the Gianpace refuge, there’s a very technical section on solid rock, followed by a section with jumps and technical sections. Basically, it’s a descent for technical masochists with excellent technical skills. The final descent from the Gianpace refuge follows a very rocky and incredibly fun trail, but it’s best avoided during peak season due to the large number of hikers. Alternatively, you can descend via the highly technical singletrack on the opposite side of the river. This route isn’t for everyone—it’s very physically demanding.

Notes: If you’d like, you can also climb Pizzo Farno (further north), make a quick detour to the nearby unnamed mountain (which offers an incredible view of all the lakes in the valley), and then descend further north.

Trail style: AM

Personal rating: 8/10

MTB: Yes

EMTB: not recommended but not impossible

Duration: about 8 hours

Portage: a little bit

Exposure: various sections

Ascent difficulty:

Descent difficulty: S4/S3

Water sources: Lago Nero Hut, Gianpace Hut