Giro della Meja

This route winds around Rocca la Meja on the Gardetta Plateau. We start from Marmora on paved road toward Colle del Preit, which we leave behind to take a forest road that leads us easily to a mountain pasture at an elevation of 2,100 meters. From here, over a 150-meter climb, the pedaling effort is minimal until the view of Lago Nero comes into sight. We now ride along a trail, skirting the small lake. We now climb, partly by pedaling and partly by pushing the bike, until just above a small pass where a marvelous view opens up over the Gardetta Plateau, with La Meja to our left.

We now begin a descent characterized in the first part by a scenic ridge and then by a winding, technical section that leads us to a fork in the trail. From here, to avoid losing elevation on the subsequent dirt road, we push our bikes uphill another 100 meters to the Preit Pass. Still on a beautiful, scenic trail—now easier—we descend into a valley and then follow a forest road up to the Gardetta mountain hut. From the hut, we climb to the pass to take in the view of the opposite slope, dominated by Mount Oronaye. We climb a bit further and take a trail that leads us back to the refuge. We ride comfortably along the plateau’s forest road to the Colle del Mulo, enjoying beautiful views. We now begin the very long final descent that takes us back to Marmora. The first section runs through a fantastic alpine valley. The trail then enters the woods, and the fun continues all the way back to the starting point.

The sections requiring pushing total no more than 250 meters of elevation gain.