Cute and charming, this idyllic valley is home to
centuries-old mountain huts and barns known as Tee, well-tended meadows and a little church with a bulb-shaped
bell tower. The route winds up the valley through the verdant pastures that
rise about halfway up the mountainside, scattered with typical wooden mountain
huts.
In the upper part of the valley, you’ll reach the Cheseira da Fedaria
dairy, where lots of other hiking and biking routes begin.
From the car park at the Ponte della Calcheria (1,846
metres of elevation), follow signs for path 167 and start heading deeper into
the valley. Don’t cross the main bridge in front of you – instead, turn left
and follow a track that parallels another stream. Later, there’s a little
bridge to cross and the stream will be on your right as you rejoin the main
dirt track through the valley. Coming up is a junction in a spot called Plan da
l’Isoleta (2,060 metres): turning right, the path 172 climbs on a gravel track
for 3 km up to Rifugio Cassana (2,700 metres), getting progressively steeper,
trickier to ride, and more challenging to stay upright.
The main track has a more consistent gradient up until
the Cheseira da Federia/di Mortarecc (2,210 metres).
From here, you can dip
back into the bottom of the valley and climb the dirt track (path 162) that
takes you to the top of the Carosello 3000 cable car station. Once up high,
follow a nice singletrack down the mountainside to where you just came from.
Once you hit the junction at Plan da l’Isoleta on your way down, turn left and
then right onto path 173 to return to your starting point at Pont de la
Calcheria. Weaving through the picture-perfect old huts makes the final stretch
of this ride even more special.
Start/finish: Parcheggio Pont de la Calcheira
minimum stay: 1860 m
maximum stay: 2207 m
length: 12 Km 542 m
period: june-october
