This extensive hike around seven lakes in the upper Ridanna Valley is undoubtedly a highlight of the Stubai Alps
Image gallery: Seven Lakes Tour in Ridanna
The car park in front of the Ridanna Mining Museum near Masseria is the starting point for our full-day tour. We follow trail number 28, which leads us into the Lazzaggo Valley. The forest road on the west side of the valley takes us to the Stadl Mountain Hut, after which we continue on a hiking trail. High alpine meadows replace the forest. Soon, we cross the rushing stream over a bridge and reach the head of the valley at the former Monteneve mine's Poschhaus, an ore deposit.
From here, we follow trail number 33. While trail number 28 indicates a slightly longer route via the Moarerberg Hut, we ascend the steep Kastenbremsweg trail to gain altitude more quickly. We've been hiking for almost two hours now and have climbed around 600 metres. Now comes the ascent to the lake plateau. In 40 minutes, we reach the Central Massaro Lake. It's a clear mountain lake reflecting the sky, which is called Mittlerer Moarer Egetensee in German language.
We continue upwards over the snow-white marble scree of the Rocce Bianche del Massaro rocks. During the ascent, it's worth looking back to spot not only the Upper Massaro Lake but also the Lower Massaro Lake, the two smaller, less conspicuous siblings of the Central Massaro Lake. On a clear day, you can even see the Dolomites on the horizon. The Passo dell'Erpice pass (Egetenjoch) at 2,700 metres above sea level marks the highest point of the tour.
With a view of Mt. Il Capro (Botzer) and Mt. Vedretta Pendente (Hängender Ferner) below, we descend to the Inner Massaro Lake. Its turquoise-blue colour suggests that it's also fed by meltwater from the surrounding glaciers. We now descend through the Massaro high valley, which starts as a barren rocky desert but later transforms into a dreamlike high-alpine landscape with the blooming of woolly grass. The dominant feature is the flowing water, which collects here to form upland moors and mountain lakes, such as the partially silted up Big Outer Massaro Lake and the bright blue Small Outer Massaro Lake.
Gently descending, we continue to the view of the next lake, the Turbid Massaro Lake. Then follows a long descent to the Sandböden, a terrace dating back to the last Ice Age. At the crossroads, we follow the sign to the Vedretta Piana Hut, also known as Grohmann-Hütte. A short, steep climb leads up to the hill on which the small hut stands. After a break, we follow trail number 9 to the Aglsboden highland and from there, still on trail number 9, the last few kilometres along the stream back to Masseria (Maiern) in the Val Ridanna valley.
The magic number seven gives this mountain tour in the Stubai Alps its name. However, if you count all the large and small lakes together, you'll find a much larger number of bodies of water along the route. With over seven hours of walking time, this circular tour is a full-day hike for fit mountain hikers. Given the length of the tour, an early start is advisable.
Author: AT
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- Time required:
- 07:30 h
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- Track length:
- 20,5 km
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- Altitude:
- from 1.411 m to 2.707 m
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- Altitude difference:
- +1431 m | -1431 m
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- Signposts:
- Nr. 28, 33, 33A, 33, 9; "7-Seen-Tour"
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- Recommended time of year:
- Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
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- Download GPX track:
- Seven Lakes Tour in Ridanna
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.
