Walking and Hiking In Lake Garda
What to see……
The contrasting landscape between North to South and East to West of Lake Garda, the diversity of terrain and scenery, and the amazing views, make walking and hiking in Lake Garda a ‘must do’ for anyone who is serious about the activity. There are walks and hikes for all levels, from a casual stroll at the waters edge to climbing the highest peak of Mount Baldo at 2220m.
Whether you want to experience fascinating nature, stunning views, sleepy villages, historic buildings or a mixture of all of these, you can be sure to find a walk that will match your mood and ability.
Snow capped mountains during the winter, a myriad of colours as spring flowers bloom and trees blossom, the summer in all its glory, the richness of the autumn as the hills and mountains are lit up with red, orange and yellow, every season has so much to offer.
The Parco Alto Garda Bresciano covers mountain area to the North West of the lake and includes the municipalities of Salò, Gardone Riviera, Gargnano, Limone sul Garda, Magasa, Tignale, Toscolano Maderno, Tremosine, Valvestino. It offers and endless opportunity for walking and hiking in Lake Garda with spectacular nature with stunning views.
To the north-east of the lake the landscape is dominated by the imposing Monte Baldo. Its ridge spans the two provinces of Trentino and Veneto and is accessible by cable car. The views from the top are awesome and for those considering a walking or hiking holiday in Lake Garda you might want to include a trip up Monte Baldo in you itinery.
The Morenic hills dominate the land to the south of the lake where vinyards and olive groves fill the gently sloping land. The walking may be slightly easier but it is by no means less spectacular as the picturesque country side provides and endless array of beautiful and historical landscapes
When to go….
I’m lucky I get to walk here all year round and experience the seasons as they merge into each other. Spring and/or the autumn. April, May, June, September and October are still warm enough to enjoy the other aspects of a holiday in Lake Garda, but not so hot to stop you experiencing some of the truly fantastic routes. In the spring you will get to see the thousands of pretty flowers that line the sentieri(routes) and also you have a better chance of clearer views of the lake, which in the mid summer become fewer as the haze builds above the lake. When the autumn arrives and the leaves change colour it truly is an awesome sight to behold. Also at this time of year you can collect chestnuts and, if you know what you are looking for, mushrooms.
If you are a serious walker/hiker then walking and hiking in Lake Garda is a holiday you should consider. If you have a casual interest and are already considering a holiday in Lake Garda, then pack your walking boots or shoes.
Where to walk, maps, guides and links
The walks in the map above are some of the walks that I have personally done. I’ve done many more but just not had time to write about them. Anyway there are some companies that provide some excellent information in various forms so I’ve saved you having to search. .Click on the icons in the map to get details of our routes
West Coast of Lake Garda and Parco Alto Garda Bresciano
There are hundreds of map books and guidebooks in the shops and hotels in the towns around the lake, my favourites is produced by Sirio Blue Vision and shows many routes on the west coast that include Monte Pizzocolo and Cima Comer. It can be purchased at Hotel Colomber which is located in St Michele, a small village in the hills above Gardone. There are many beautiful walks of varying difficulty that you can commence directly from Hotel Colomber and return in time to eat lunch or dinner in their fantastic restaurant.
Sirio Blue Vision also produce online interactive maps for many areas of Italy, here you can access the interactive maps for Lake Garda. The maps are easy to follow, they are actually aerial maps with very few words that show accurately all the sentieri. There is one that covers the Bay of Salo and the hills and mountains behind Gargnano, another covers Limone, Tremosine and Tignale. Once out walking you will find the numbered routes are very well marked and very easy to follow, some of which take you up into the Parco Alto Garda Bresciano.
Lake Garda North
The terrain in the Trentino region to the north of the lake is excellent for walking and hiking. To the west there is the alps and the east leads into the Dolomites. There is the famous Ponale Trail and also walks that will take you in through medieval villages such as Borgo di Canale from where you can walk to Lago di Tenno. You can download details of many walks on the Garda Trentino website.
I’ll be sure to let you know when I find more useful websites, also keep checking back to this page and the blog which I will update with any of my walks.
