Cima Palon
2,232 m
Italy
Also known as Monte PasubioAlso known as
Monte Pasubio
- Elevation
- 2,232 m
- Prominence
- 1,062 m
- Difficulty
- 2/10
- Hike
- Best Season
- Jun–Sep
- Routes
- 1
AdvisoryReported 27 May 2024
In late May 2024 a rockfall blocked the entrance of tunnel 52 on the Strada delle 52 Gallerie; the Rifugio Papa managers advised using a path that climbs to the right just before the tunnel. Later status not confirmed.
ildolomiti.it
Routes
1The classic ascent of the Pasubio: the First World War mule road of 52 tunnels (path 366) climbs 750 m from Bocchetta Campiglia (1,216 m) to Rifugio Achille Papa at the Porte del Pasubio, then path 105 crosses the old front line to the summit of Cima Palon. A torch is essential. Usual descent by the Strada degli Scarubbi (path 370).
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 8.3 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,109 m
- −95 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 2,232 m
- Time Up
- 4h 55m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 3h 34m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the large paid car park at Bocchetta Campiglia (1,216 m), path 366 follows the Strada delle 52 Gallerie, built by Italian army miners in 1917 as a supply route out of reach of Austro-Hungarian artillery. The road is 6.5 km long, 2.3 km of it in 52 numbered tunnels, some of them spiralling inside the rock with hairpins and side branches; it averages 12% and reaches 22%. Short side paths lead to gun positions and lookouts. The outer edge has no railings: do not lean over, do not enter side tunnels, and pass other walkers only where the road is wide. Water drips in some tunnels, making the floor slippery. The road tops out at about 2,000 m at tunnel 47 and ends at the Porte del Pasubio and Rifugio Achille Papa (about 1,930 m), 2½–3½ hours from the start. From the hut, path 105 (the historic 'sentiero tricolore') climbs north across the plateau, past trenches and war remains, to the summit of Cima Palon (2,232 m), the highest point of the Pasubio, in a little over half an hour. The Dente Italiano (2,220 m) and the Dente Austriaco just to the north were the scene of mine warfare between 1916 and 1918. The quickest and easiest descent is the Strada degli Scarubbi (path 370), a long, gently graded military track on the north side back to Bocchetta Campiglia; a variant cuts many of its hairpins. The tunnels should not be entered with snow or ice. In May 2024 a rockfall blocked the entrance of tunnel 52; walkers bypassed it on a path climbing to the right just before the tunnel.
Start
Bocchetta Campiglia1,215 m
- No regular public transport to Bocchetta Campiglia; buses reach Schio and Valli del Pasubio.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bocchetta Campiglia → Cima Palon | 8.3 | 1,109 | 95 | 4h 55m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Bocchetta Campiglia1,215 m
Large paid car park; fills early on summer weekends
- Col: Porte del Pasubio1,926 m
End of the Strada delle 52 Gallerie
- Hut: Rifugio Achille Papa1,923 m
- Summit: Cima Palon2,232 m
Key Passages
- Strada delle 52 Gallerie (tunnel 19 'Re', helical, about 320 m)
- Unrailed edge between tunnels
- Tunnel 52 (rockfall in 2024; bypass path on the right)
- Trenches and war remains on path 105 to the summit
Equipment
0/4 packedDownloads
Route confidence 75%Overview
The highest point of the Pasubio massif (2,232 m) above Schio and Rovereto, one of the great First World War battlefields of the Italian front. Most people reach it by the Strada delle 52 Gallerie, a 1917 mule road tunnelled through the mountain.
Cima Palon rises from the broad limestone plateau of the Pasubio, at the western end of the Piccole Dolomiti on the border between Veneto and Trentino. The plateau was the last defensive position before the Venetian plain: in May 1916, during the Austro-Hungarian Strafexpedition, Italian troops under General Achille Papa halted the advance here, and for the rest of the war the two armies faced each other a few dozen metres apart on the Dente Italiano and Dente Austriaco, fighting a mine war beneath the summit. Trenches, galleries, craters and memorials still cover the top.
The Strada delle 52 Gallerie, built in 1917 by Italian army miners to supply the front out of reach of enemy guns, is now one of the most popular hikes in the Alps: 6.5 km and 52 tunnels from Bocchetta Campiglia to the Porte del Pasubio, where Rifugio Achille Papa stands. From there the summit is a short walk over the old front line.
The walking is technically easy, but the tunnels are dark, wet and unrailed at the edges, and the plateau is exposed to weather. On summer weekends the car park and road are very busy.
Climbing Notes
A full day of about 1,000–1,200 m of ascent and 16–17 km as a loop: 2½–3½ hours up the Strada delle 52 Gallerie to Rifugio Achille Papa, half an hour or so to Cima Palon, and a long descent by the Strada degli Scarubbi. The grade is T2, but a reliable torch is essential, the tunnels are slippery where water drips, and the outer edge has no railings. A helmet is a sensible precaution given recent rockfall.
The route is a summer and early autumn outing (roughly June to October). Do not enter the tunnels with snow or ice. Arrive early to find parking at Bocchetta Campiglia, and check with CAI Schio or the hut before going, as sections are closed from time to time for maintenance or after rockfall. Rifugio Papa makes a good base to explore the war remains on the plateau.
History
In May 1916 Italian troops brought from the Isonzo front and led by General Achille Papa stopped the Austro-Hungarian offensive at Cima Palon. The Strada delle 52 Gallerie was built between 6 February and November 1917 by the army's 33rd Miners' Company with about 600 workers, replacing the exposed Scarubbi road as the supply line to the summit. The Pasubio saw some of the fiercest mine warfare on the Italian front, centred on the Dente Italiano and Dente Austriaco.
Season
Best Jun–Sep- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Not advisable
- May: Possible
- June: Best (best window)
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Good
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Snow and ice in the tunnels; do not enter
- Feb
- Snow and ice in the tunnels; do not enter
- Mar
- Winter conditions
- Apr
- Freeze–thaw rockfall season; ice in the tunnels
- May
- Check for rockfall closures and snow in the upper tunnels
- Jul
- Very busy at weekends
- Aug
- Very busy; afternoon thunderstorms
- Oct
- Quieter; first snow possible
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Rifugio Achille Papa (CAI Schio): tel. +39 0445 630233, rifugiopapa@caischio.it.
- Fees
- Paid parking at Bocchetta Campiglia
- Rules
- Mountain bikes are banned on the Strada delle 52 Gallerie, even when pushed
- The road is classed as an alpine path for expert walkers; the municipality of Valli del Pasubio closes it by ordinance after rockfall or for maintenance
- Do not enter side tunnels or war galleries
- Getting There
Schio; Valli del Pasubio and Posina
Verona (VRN) or Venice Marco Polo (VCE)
- Car: from Schio via Valli del Pasubio and Passo Xomo to Bocchetta Campiglia (last section rough); large paid car park
- Alternative start at Pian delle Fugazze (SS46 Schio–Rovereto) for the Strada degli Scarubbi and Strada degli Eroi
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Exposure
- Weather
Huts & Shelters
1- 1,929 m
Rifugio Achille PapaHutStaffed