The Italian Dolomites are a real paradise for mountain bikers, regardless of the discipline. Beautiful views, countless trails and places to ride and lots of impressions. This year, for the first time, we went to Dolomiti Paganella MTB, a place that is divided into three bike park zones located in three towns, and offering over 100 kilometers of mountain bike trails.
However, instead of creating one huge text, I decided to break the description into three entries, so we invite you to follow our website and read the next parts. The description of the Dolomiti Paganella MTB begins with the most beautiful and simplest zone, i.e. Molveno.
Dolomiti Paganella MTB
The area that covers the Dolomiti Paganella MTB trails complex is located in the Italian Dolomites, several kilometers north of Trento. It is located in the vicinity of the Cima Paganella peak (2125m above sea level) and the much higher Cima Tosa (3136m above sea level), which is the highest peak of the Brenta Dolomites belonging to the Eastern Alps range.
The region consists of three bike park zones:
- Molveno – 2 lifts, 6 trails, 14km
- Andalo – 3 lifts, 9 trails, 58km
- Fai Della Paganella – 1 lift, 9 trails, 38km
Each of them is distinguished by a different type of routes and scale of difficulty, which is why it is recommended to start your adventure on the spot from Molveno, through Andalo, to Fai. Of course, if you do not want to limit yourself to riding in Bike Parks, there are also plenty of shared, natural and wild single trails on site that are used together with hikers. If you use an eMTB bike, you certainly won’t have to worry about the lack of electricity, because charging stations can be found here at every step. If you came with a non-cycling family, you don’t have to worry either. There are plenty of various parks and playgrounds in the area, not to mention the possibility of exploring mountain trails on foot.
We spent a total of five days in Dolomiti Paganella MTB, four of which we used typically for mountainbiking. Rest day can be spent exploring the nearby Trentino (actually for a few hours) or going to the paradise of road bikers, Riva del Garda. During our stay, the weather was good, although in the middle of the week we experienced a strong weather breakdown with thunderstorms and hailstorms. Thus, we limited our trip of the region to bike park zones, because simply riding on natural and wild singletrails after the storms was not the best idea.
Zone 1 – Molveno
Molveno has just over 1,000 inhabitants and is situated on the northern shore of the glacial Molveno Lake. However, we are interested in two local lifts: the Molveno-Pradel gondola, which takes us to the start of the Blade Runner trail, and the Pradel-Montanara chair, which takes us to the start of the Big Hero line. It is from here that you can see the highest peak of the Brenta Dolomites, i.e. Cima Tosa, which, combined with the nearby lake, provides the maximum experience for the eyes.
The local bike park zone has only three trails (+ one under construction), so it’s definitely more of a warm-up place than a whole day of riding. Big Hero is the easiest route in the entire region and even groms can ride it. In turn, Blade Runner combined with Goonies provide the right dose of speed, flow and the ability to ride on the root carpets.
A big downside, however, is the fact that after going downhill from Goonies, we have quite a long downhill ride to the lift. It leads on forest gravel, which at times can be a real killer for the brakes. Also, the drive through town to the lift is a continuous descent through narrow Italian streets, so it’s definitely worth having good brake pads and discs.
Trails
- Big Hero (1.8km, 130m elevation) – the easiest route in the entire Dolomiti Paganella MTB region, which is a simple flow trail for beginners. We will find here a whole lot of berms, rollers and a few natural jumps. Perfect for warming up and enjoying the views.
- Blade Runner (2.1km, 210m elevation) – blue-red flow trail that starts with a long section of roots, which is basically the hardest part of this trail. Everything else is a pleasant flow through countless berms and a few jumps. On the way, we pass a picturesque lake, next to which a wooden wallride has been built.
- Goonies (963m, 100m elevation) – a natural extension of the Blade Runner trail. It is also a blue-red line, but its character is a bit more demanding. First of all, the trail is narrower and has a lot more stones and roots – such DH for beginners.
- Matrix (2.1km, 175m elevation) – a freshly built trail, however, it was still closed during our stay, although the official opening was supposed to be in June. From the first meters of the trail it was clear that it would be a nice extension of Blade Runner.
- Natural trails – in the vicinity of Molveno you can find wild trails such as the red 812 Ude’s Trail or the black 805 Secret Trail. These are typical natural mountain paths that are shared with hikers, so be careful while riding it on full gas.
Impressions
Molveno is a great place to warm up. However, limiting ourselves to typical bike park rides, we quickly get bored here, so we set off in the morning to Molveno for a few descents, and then we transferred to the trails in Andalo. Of course, nothing prevents you from riding more enduro around the area. There are several picturesque singletrails at our disposal, which, however, after 2 days of very intense storms, were not our first choice.
Tomasz Profic, 43RIDE
What surprised me on the spot was the fact that the Dolomites are very densely forested. Most of the trails are forest lines and the views break through to us only at times. However, when they do show up, they definitely make up for it.
Molveno has one more definite plus. The cold glacial lake is perfect for the end of a mountainbiking day!
Molveno is definitely one of the best places to start a biking holiday. Simple but not boring trails, beautiful views and delicious cuisine (pasta with venison at the bottom station of the lift…) are conducive to rest and at the same time prepare for the challenges that await in Andalo and Fai. For dessert after a day of riding, you just want to jump into a cold lake and enjoy the Italian Dolce Far Niente.
Justyna John, 43RIDE
Useful informations:
- Dolomiti Paganella MTB consists of three bike park zones, which are connected by natural hiking and mountainbiking trails. It is worth to start area exploration from the easiest zone in Molveno, through Andalo and ending with Fai.
- The route from Warsaw is over 1,300 km and at least 13 hours of driving. Remember about the vignettes for the Czech Republic and Austria. From Innsbruck to the very destination region, the motorway is charged ~22€.
- There are plenty of hotels in the region with the Dolomiti Paganella MTB Bike Hotel logo, and you can find a list of them here.
- It is worth installing the Mowi Bike application on your phone, which is a very useful alternative to a paper map of the region. Importantly, the application also works in the regions of Val di Sole Bikeland, Kronplatz, Bologna Montana, Monti Sibillini, Val di Non, Etnabikeland or the Natisone Bike Arena.
- The region accepts the Gravity Card, which is one card for 28 European Bike Parks. A one-day pass for all lifts costs €44 or €36 for a single zone (price list and types of passes).
This article was created thanks to the cooperation of 43RIDE, rasoulution and Dolomiti Paganella MTB.
About Dolomiti Paganella MTB
More than 20 Bike Trails in the heart of Dolomites, Trentino! The most fascinating Flow Trails / All Mountain / Enduro are here, in Dolomiti Paganella Bike. Three Bike Zones, connected through trails and lifts, singletracks (intermediate – expert), three pump tracks and Europe’s most beautiful skill area. Moreover MTB tours in all disciplines and for everyone
Official website: dolomitipaganellabike.com
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