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Old Ponale Road Path
- Category What to do Lake Garda and Verona
Agriturismo - Where to stay overnight
- The Ponale Path, panoramic path on Lake Garda
- How to get to the Ponale Path
- What can be seen during the walk
The Ponale Path, panoramic path on Lake Garda
The Sentiero del Ponale, north of Lake Garda, is one of the most famous and popular trails in Europe and connects Riva del Garda to the Ledro Valley.
The walk takes about 3 hours of walking each way, either by mountain bike or bicycle.
Before taking the walk it is advisable to make sure that the path is open and accessible.
How to get to the Ponale Path
The walk starts right from the center of Riva del Garda. After parking the car, you pass the port and follow the coast towards Limone, then past the hydroelectric power station of Riva del Garda you reach the Western Gardesana.
The path is indicated as D01 towards Ledro and after having taken the unpaved road, the real path begins, ready to amaze thanks to a breathtaking view, between rocks, lake, history and nature.
What can be seen during the walk
The Sentiero del Ponale has very ancient origins, in fact the road was carved out of the rock as early as the mid-19th century only to be interrupted no more than 20 years ago.
It is only since 2004 that the old road has become a cycle-pedestrian path, to be precise one of the most beautiful in Europe.
The walk can be undertaken on foot or by bike (or mountain bike) and is suitable for everyone. The only precaution is to pay attention to cyclists who occasionally whiz by, creating some discomfort for pedestrians.
The route is quite long, not of great difficulty except in the last stretch towards Lake Ledro, where the route crosses an uphill forest.
As you walk along the path, unique programs are continually offered, with the imposing rock on one side, and Lake Garda on the other.
In some places it is also possible to see some old shelters built by the military during the war.
The advice is not to choose a season that is too hot to travel the Sentiero del Ponale, and to bring water with you.
It is possible to complete the entire route, bearing in mind that it ends after just over 20 km in total, or to choose the circular route, which is shorter but always beautiful.
To avoid having to go around the entire Ponale, when you arrive at the crossroads after the bar you have to go down from the side of the tunnel for a short distance along the state road and then return to the crossroads towards Pregasina and then return.
The Ponale di Riva del Garda walk is slightly uphill for about 2 km until the right turn for the Ledro Valley.
At this point the road divides, separating the pedestrian path from that for bicycles.
Cross a bridge and continue past the trail sign that leads to a forest road.
Once you reach Valle di Ledro, after passing the Pregasina road, you pass along a series of hairpin bends to get to the statue of the Madonna with its panoramic terrace. At this point you can rest in the bar or in the village restaurant for a regenerating break.
The pedestrian path and the cycle path then come together to lead to the center of the village Prè di Ledro.
The walk continues towards Molina and then continues towards Lake Ledro with its Palafitte Museum. The Sentiero del Ponale is a walk recommended for everyone and absolutely not to be missed.
