The Lastoni Selva Pezzi Wilderness area

Info

The tour

A challenging tour leading you from Malcesine to Mount Baldo going up along the path of the "Scalaroi" until San Michele and then, passing through the wood, Piombi and the Wilderness area to reach Tratto Spino.

The Lastoni Selva Pezzi Wilderness area is one of the most interesting places of Mount Baldo from a botanical and a faunal point of view. It extends over 900 hectares.
This environment is a mosaic of beech trees and silver firs woods, extended areas presenting lilies of the valley, herbaceous vegetation over the wood limit, cliffs and gravel enriched by rare and preserved species of flaura and fauna.

Be ready for a 9 kilometers tour involving 1700 m of both elevation gain and loss.

This route is the itinerary of the 1700 non Competitive Class of the Lake Garda Mountain Race, the race of trail running of Malcesine. The route is completely signposted and you can try it if you want to take part to the competition.

Route description

Start in Malcesine and go up on the Via Navene Vecchia towards the cableway station. Before the station, turn right in the street to S. Antonio; when you reach the junction, keep on the left and go on until the end of the concrete road leading to the beginning of the Scalaroi path. The path goes up in the wood, it is quite steep and ends up in the Via Panoramica, just below Passo Campiano.

Turn right in the via Panoramica and go on for a few meters, take the first uphill street on the left which is partly made of concrete and then becomes a path and finally a mule track to get just below the cablecar middle station. Cross the tarmacked road and then go along a little street inside the wood ending on the left of the cableway; keep going up, go past the parking area and when you get to the junction, turn left, then take the first path on the right with road signs to "Lake Garda Mountain Race".

At the end of the path, you will be on the concrete road to Prai, turn right and then take the first path on the left in the wood that cuts the Via dei Prai. Keep going up until the roadside shrine "del Signor" and keep right following the road signs to Piombi.

Once you are beyond the clearing of Piombi, after the flat section, keep on the left following the road signs to Tratto Spino.
Here starts a nice section in the wood that passes through the Lastoni Pezzi Wilderness area. Be ready for some steep sections with steps leading you on Mount Baldo. At the end of the path, turn left for the last uphill section to get to the uphill Malcesine Monte Baldo cable car station.

If you are looking for softer slopes, you could avoid all the small streets and keep going on the main roads and paths.