Prato Piazza

Description

We start from Cortina station: along the cycle path towards Dobbiaco we pass Fiames and Ospitale, reaching the Passo Cimabanche at an altitude of 1,530 m, after 13.6 km. Here we continue on the SS51 for a stretch of 2.5 km, arriving just before Carbonin: on the left, where there is a fountain, we find the start of the comfortable dirt road that climbs towards Prato Piazza, trail sign 37. The climb is one of the most pleasant and most easily rideable in the area: it is about 7km with constant gradients of 7-8%, on an always excellent surface that alternates dirt road with asphalted sections. The road climbs in the first 5.5 km, remaining immersed in the woods, with a series of seven very wide hairpin bends allowing you to gradually gain altitude. The vegetation becomes gradually sparser, with the plateau of Prato Piazza peeping out above us in a northerly direction. The last two hairpin bends remain just below the Rifugio Vallandro on a hill, once dominated by a fort, allowing us to climb without too much effort to an altitude of 2,000 m. The following stretch crosses the vast plateau at the foot of the Croda Rossa, wonderful to the SE in its thousand shades of colour. Cycle on the flat surface until you reach the Rifugio Prato Piazza after 25 km, at an altitude of 1,991 m. From here, it is advisable to return to Cortina along the same route. The alternative along the Valle dei Chenopi, a narrow gorge that descends in a southerly direction towards Cimabanche, is a very exposed and dangerous single-track, only accessible on a bike in certain places. For the more experienced visitors, from Prato Piazza it is advisable to continue along the Valle di Stolla, in the direction of Lago di Braies (18 km): with 12.5 km of descent, on an asphalt road (alternatively follow trail sign 37 just beyond Ponticello) you reach Ferrara. From here, following to the left, continue on gentle slopes for 5.5 km, until you reach the splendid Lago di Braies, a stretch of crystal clear water nestled among the rocks, dominated by the Croda del Beco. The return can be made towards the Pusteria, along the cycle path ("Pusterbike") which leads via Villabassa to Dobbiaco. From here return to Cimabanche along the former railway (total kilometres from Braies: 31.5).