Nature & Wildside
A crossing for all those who live the Mountain-Bike in an explorative way and who want to spend a couple of days away from the daily routine, completely immersed in the wilderness. Whether you know these places or not, crossing them by bike remains a cathartic experience, especially out of season.
The Campo Imperatore plateau will be the setting for this MTB tour on the ancient mule tracks and the paths that cross it. We will ride on the slopes of the eastern chain of the Gran Sasso, between plateaus and streams, gorges and with the Cresta del Centenario to act as a frame.
A unique opportunity to put yourself to the test and meet other enthusiasts with whom to organize the next adventures.
The tour is divided into two days:
On the first day, we will cross the plain of Campo Imperatore, from the square of the Astronomical Observatory (2100 m asl) to the village of Castel del Monte (1346 m asl). Cycling on the constant ups and downs of the shepherds' mule-tracks, we will ride close to the impressive mountain range of Monte Prena (2561 m) and its rocky and vertical southern slope. Crossing the base of Monte Veticoso, an offshoot between Monte Prena and Monte Camicia (2564 m), we will reach Fonte Vetica. After a short break at the Ristoro Mucciante we will follow a series of characteristic canyons engraved by the action of water until we reach Guado della Montagna (1635 m), the pass that from the base of Monte Bolza (1904 m) leads to Castel del Monte. Here we will spend the night at the hotel inn "Parco Gran Sasso" that will host us and delight us with its typical dishes and will reserve a dedicated space to keep the bikes.
On the second day, after breakfast, we will prepare to close the ring that will take us to Fonte Cerreto. As soon as we leave the village we will follow the cart track that runs throughout its length along Mount Bolza up to Lake Racollo. From here, through the splendid Campo delle Ginestre and the ruins of Santa Maria del Monte, a Cistercian Abbey dating back to 1200, we will walk along the branch of an ancient sheep-track, meeting on our way the Passaneta and Barisciano lakes, small ponds used by shepherds to water their grazing animals. After crossing the sheep-track up to the Fossa di Paganica we will cross the road that leads down to Fonte Cerreto along winding and panoramic hairpin bends.
Technical Info:
Difficulty: MC
Typology: ring tour
Total distance: about 60 km
Total height difference: about 900 m
Terrain: mule tracks, cart tracks, paths, last stretch of asphalted road.