obere gand mendelstrasse radfahrer rennrad
obere gand mendelstrasse radfahrer rennrad

Round tour Mendola Pass and Palade Pass

On the legendary route around Mount Mendola we conquer two mountain passes: The tour starts and finishes in Nalles

A demanding day tour leads from the Passo Mendola into the Val di Non valley and via the Passo Palade back to the South Tyrolean Wine Road. We start in Nalles and cycle via Andriano and Riva di Sotto to San Paolo and further on to San Michele/Appiano. Going on to the hamlet Ganda, we reach the Mendola Pass Road. The heat of this summer day and the sun exposed road during the morning makes the climb a bit of a challenge. After a series of bends, we reach the pass at an altitude of 1,363m.

Now we continue our tour: The first downhill section leads us into the Val di Non valley in the Trentino. Past the village of Ruffré we reach Ronzone where we turn to the right towards Malosco and branch off soon afterwards towards Fondo. This lovely main village of the Alta Val di Non valley offers several rest points for a lunch break. Then the demanding section lies in front of us - the uphill ride from 980 m asl to the 1,520 m high Passo Palade. The gradient is moderate but it makes us sweat. Some km before reaching the pass we cross the border between the Trentino (Val di Non) and South Tyrol (Alta Val di Non, municipality of San Felice).

The mountain pass itself is not spectacular, but the downhill ride afterwards is a real highlight with amazing views on South Tyrol, the Dolomites, the town of Bolzano and the Valle dell'Adige valley stretching up to Merano. Also the pass road represents a beautiful trail with many bends and old stone bridges. We cycle through a landscape characterised by forests, meadows and small hamlets to reach Narano (Naraun), a small village belonging to the municipality of Tesimo. At this point we leave the Passo Palade road which continues to Merano and branch off towards Tesimo-Prissiano. Past both villages we turn back to Nalles, the starting point of this round tour.

Author: AT

circular route difficulty: difficult
  • Starting point:
    Nalles (Townhall Square)
  • Time required:
    04:30 h
  • Track length:
    70,7 km
  • Altitude:
    from 244 m to 1.529 m
  • Altitude difference:
    +1703 m | -1703 m
  • Route:
    Nalles - Andriano - San Paolo - San Michele - Passo Mendola - Malosco - Fondo - Passo Palade - Tesimo - Nalles
  • Recommended time of year:
    Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
  • Download GPX track:
    Round tour Mendola Pass and Palade Pass

If you want to do this tour, we suggest you to check the weather and trail conditions in advance and on site before setting out.

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