Five MTB rides in Santa Caterina Valfurva

Five memorable MTB routes

Alta Valtellina — words and photographs by Graziano De Maio

Lunar landscapes, a quiet, unassuming village and friendly people: Santa Caterina Valfurva feels like a real mountain community, where you might meet a famous mountaineer at the bar.

For mountain bikers, I would divide the possibilities into three broad groups: the bike park in the ski area; the valley towards the Gavia, Val Cedec and the Tibetan bridges, with their scenic gravel roads; and the enduro trails scattered across the mountains. These five rides filled our days with dust and wide-open spaces. Santa Caterina is in Alta Valtellina, in the Ortles–Cevedale area. Our journey from Milan, through Bormio, took around three hours.

Browse the Santa Caterina Valfurva routes (in Italian).

The Tibetan bridges

Suspension bridges cross mountain streams beneath the Forni Glacier. The bridges themselves cover a short stretch of roughly 200 metres, but their name is often used for the whole ride: starting from the paid Forni car park, climbing to Rifugio Branca, crossing the bridges clockwise and descending on a wild enduro trail.

That loop can also be part of a longer outing. We went into Val Cedec, took a high trail back towards Rifugio Branca, crossed the bridges and descended all the way to Santa Caterina on enduro trails, avoiding the tarmac.

GPS track and route map (in Italian).

Dos Bolon

An adventurous MTB route with rocky steps and beautiful streams. This one gives a great return for the effort: a comfortable, scenic and relatively short climb leads to an excellent wild trail.

From Santa Caterina, follow the Gavia road. At Rifugio Berni, cross to the opposite side of the valley and turn back towards Santa Caterina on the wild slopes below Pizzo Tresero. A long traverse leads to a natural descent through rhododendrons and small pines to Ponte delle Vacche. A connecting section reaches more trails down to the village. For extra adventure, extend the traverse and descend La Romantica, with its tight switchbacks.

GPS track and map (in Italian).

Val Cedec, Rifugio Pizzini and the Panoramica

At the foot of Gran Zebrù and Cevedale, these high mountain trails emerge for only a few months each year.

A long gravel road heads into Val Cedec to Rifugio Pizzini. I also explored towards Passo Zebrù, drawn by the area’s fascinating geology. The huge mountain behind the hut is Gran Zebrù, a training ground for accomplished mountaineers preparing for Himalayan summits.

From Pizzini, take the Panoramica — a very good trail, my friend — back above Rifugio Forni and towards Santa Caterina. At Baite dell’Ables, several trails shown on Trailforks descend to the village.

GPS track and map (in Italian).

Dynamite Trail and Sunny Valley

Take the gondola for a seemingly endless descent, perhaps my favourite trail in Santa Caterina Valfurva. This was another wonderful route, with a lift doing the climbing: ideal for an easier day or for riders concentrating on descending. We used Trailforks to find the start of the trail, which carried us through remarkable scenery towards Val Rezzalo and then back down to Santa Caterina.

Bormio 3000 to Santa Caterina Valfurva

This spectacular, adventurous ride stands out for its blue lake and high-altitude trails. It had to be in this collection: MTB guides bring groups here from Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

My suggested starting point is Santa Caterina. Ride down the tarmac road to Bormio, then take the lifts to Bormio 3000. The long descent starts on rocky ground in a landscape without vegetation, heading towards the blue lake. There are still some climbs along the way before the route reaches Santa Caterina through larch woods and trails carpeted with pine needles.

GPS track and map (in Italian).

These five rides give a good sense of the area and its possibilities. You can link other trails between the mountain huts as you become familiar with the terrain. Contact us for information about MTB outings in Santa Caterina Valfurva.