Còl – Rifugio Forestale – Malga Civertaghe – Val di Ròda
Snowshoeing • San Martino di Castrozza, Passo Rolle, Primiero and Vanoi
Còl – Rifugio Forestale – Malga Civertaghe – Val di Ròda
<p>This loop tour, highly recommended for snowshoe hiking in the winter by virtue of its beauty and ease, even in the presence of snow, is one of the most beautiful routes that can be completed in half a day starting from the town of San Martino di Castrozza.</p>
<p>The itinerary starts a few hundred metres north of Maso Còl, at the beginning of Trail No. 23 / 724, which gently climbs along the edges of the large Còl meadow. After the first slightly uphill stretch, you reach the large and scenic Prati Còl (Còl Meadows) (1,510 m asl) with their impressive and magnificent view spanning from the peaks of Cimon de la Pala to that of Val di Ròda. Following a trail that leads directly to the Rifugio Forestale (1,551 m asl), the route continues along the mountainside, leaving the Prati Còl behind and heading into the forest on the north-western slope of the Val di Ròda. After a short ramp leading to the cottage, the route continues precisely from the Rifugio Forestale along Trail No. 724 towards Malga Civertaghe, in what is perhaps the wildest part of the itinerary, constantly accompanied by the silence of the upper Val di Ròda and glimpses of the vegetation of the similarly named mountain peak. After crossing the Rio Val di Ròda stream, the trail continues southwards along the edge of the Paneveggio Pale di San Martino Nature Park, reaching a fork after a few hundred metres with the “Sora Rónz” forest road, which you follow slightly downhill and after two wide hairpin bends, in the Malga Civertaghe pastures, preceded by the Civertaghe artificial hydroelectric reservoir. From Malga Civertaghe (1,375 m asl), the return journey travels along a very first section of the flat forest road, which then continues northwards towards Val di Ròda. About a hundred metres after leaving the meadows of the Malga, a sign for San Martino di Castrozza / Còl indicates Trail No. 23, which leads back to the Prati Còl. The route continues uphill along Trail No. 23, which plunges into the forest up the south-eastern slopes of the Val di Ròda, and which leads to the characteristic wooden bridge to cross the Rio Val di Ròda stream before a final, relatively steep ramp back up to the Prati Còl.</p> <p>Once back at the Prati Còl, you can simply retrace Trail No. 724 towards Maso Còl to end up back at the starting point. In case of snow, the route can be shortened by cutting across the Prati Còl to reach the Maso Còl directly.</p>