MTB tour to the Salto and Langfenn

We start our MTB tour to the Salten larch meadows in Terlano village. South of the centre, Via Meltina Road branches off. This first section of the route is a challenge: It starts off steeply uphill, the gradient averages 10% up to Meltina. The asphalt mountain road winds its way in 8 hairpin bends up to Frassineto and from there on to Meltina. Advantageously, the steepest sections are shaded in the early morning. In Meltina village (1,142 m a.s.l.) we have already completed most of the sweaty ascent. Here we follow the signpost to "Schermoos". At the Schermoos Saddle at 1,453 m above sea level, the forest road to Langfenn branches off to the right.

A few minutes later, we reach the highest point of our tour here, at an altitude of just under 1520 m, at the mountain hut (restaurant) and the little St. Jacob Church of Lavenna. The place offers a wide panoramic view of the South Tyrolean mountains. From here, the route descends slightly along the forest road in a southerly direction, across the larch meadows of the Salto highland to San Genesio village. Above the Edelweiss Inn the descent then becomes somewhat steeper. With asphalt under the tyres we reach San Genesio and following the main road we come down to Bolzano. After a sweeping descent (watch out for tunnels!) we join via Sarentino Road.

We turn into Via Fago road and ride through the Bolzano district of Gries to Piazza Gries - there we take Via Vittorio Veneto road and Via San Maurizio road to Via Merano road, which we follow to Terlano, where our circular tour ends. This tour combines crisp, steep mountain roads with a roughly 5 km long easy MTB track on forest roads. Technically not demanding, but it requires a lot of fitness in the first section - unless you have an e-bike. Important: As there are tunnels to go through on the descent, wearing a reflective safety waistcoat is mandatory!

Author: AT