Snowshoe walk to Piz Uridl

Piz Uridl is located in the territories of Cunfin, far away from any type of infrastructure and one of Val Gardena’s largest areas of unspoiled nature.

From the Autostrada del Brennero (A22) highway, travel along Val Gardena (SS242) to Santa Cristina. Turn left before the tunnel at the waterfall and enter town. At the roundabout, take the first exit and follow the road all the way up to Monta Pana, where you’ll find a parking lot (subject to charge).

Val Gardena is excellently served by public transportation. Line 350 departs from Ponte Gardena or Chiusa to S. Cristina every 30 minutes. Here you need to get off at the ‘Santa Cristina – Comune’ stop and walk about a hundred meters to reach the same roundabout, where you’ll turn right and quickly reach a chairlift that leads to Monte Pana. For detailed schedules, see SüdtirolMobil.

To shorten the excursion by half an hour, you can use the bus that leaves every 20 minutes from Monte Pana to Saltria in winter (single ride €3.50, round trip €6.00). The bus has only one stop, at which you’ll need to get off to start the snowshoe walk.

A prepared trail begins not far from the bus stop. Follow it uphill along a large meadow, then, after just a few hundred meters, leave the path to your left. You should be able to see Piz Uridl already: the steep north side of the mountain is unmistakable. This will help with orientation during the upcoming walk.

As mentioned, leave the prepared path to your left and cross the snow-covered meadow towards the nearby forest. The next part of the excursion will follow the edge of the mountain, bordered by the sparse surrounding forest. We recommend to stay on the path, which doesn’t venture into the woods but keeps to the edge. This’ll allow you to admire a fabulous winter landscape, from snow-covered trees to white open meadows, offering a complete panorama of the Sassolungo group.

The last section of the ascent to Piz Uridl is steep and challenging, but once you get to the top, the effort will quickly be forgotten. The view from the peak is incredible: take your time to admire Alpe di Siusi, Europe’s largest plateau, in its entirety.

Once you’ve seen enough, continue to Baita delle Marmotte (“Marmot Hut” - 2,132 m / 6,994 ft.). From here, keep following summer trail nr. 527, which passes below Sassopiatto. It’s a continuous up and down for a while, but there is no serious altitude difference to overcome. Soon you’ll spot a small pass in the distance, to the South. Reach it and cross it. Just behind it you’ll encounter the Zallinger Hut (2,032 m/6,666 ft.), where you’ll be able to enjoy some well-deserved rest. The hardest part of the excursion is over.

There are two ways to get back to Monte Pana:

• Walk up the pass, following trail nr. 531, all the way to the bus stop where you got off earlier. You can decide whether to take the bus or walk back to Monte Pana (30 min).
• A more fun option consists in renting a sled at the Zallinger Hut and toboggan down the specially prepared track to Hotel Tirler. The sleds can conveniently be dropped at a collection point there. Afterwards, it’s a 15 minute walk to Saltria, where you’ll reach the same bus stop.

Attention: Last bus ride from Saltria to Monte Pana leaves at 4.25 PM.

Equipment can be rented from the alpine guides of the Catores alpine school (10 € for snowshoes and sticks). They can also give you great first-hand information on snow and weather conditions. If it’s your first time with snowshoes, we recommend hiring a guide! Another option consists in joining a group excursion - these are organized daily and have different lengths and degrees of difficulty (price starts from 35 € per person). Snowshoeing equipment can also be rented at Sport Gardena in St. Anthony Square in Ortisei.

• Tabacco Nr. 05, Gröden-Val Gardena or Nr. 07, Alta Badia, Arabba, Marmolada. The tabacco maps are available in their app. 
• AV-Map Nr. 52/I