Mount Adamello
3,539 m
Italy
Also known as Monte Adamello, Adamello, +3Also known as
Monte Adamello · Adamello · Ανταμέλλο · Adamèl · Адамелло
- Elevation
- 3,539 m
- Prominence
- 670 m
- Difficulty
- 4/10
- Alpine hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 2
Hut closedReported 2 Oct 2026
The Via Terzulli (CAI path 623, Val Miller to Passo dell'Adamello) has been closed again by order of the Comune di Sonico since Rifugio Gnutti shut for the season on 27 September 2026. It reopened on 20 July 2026 after its fixed equipment was replaced (new galvanised chain, stainless anchors, two short variants) and is expected to reopen in summer 2027 after checks.
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Routes
2The classic Trentino approach and roughly the line of the 1864 first ascent: up the Val Genova and the cabled path 241 to Rifugio ai Caduti dell'Adamello (3,040 m) at the Passo della Lobbia Alta, then about 7 km across the gently rising Pian di Neve, Italy's largest glacier plateau, to a short rocky ridge (one move of II) and the summit.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 14.3 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +2,082 m
- −112 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,539 m
- Time Up
- 8h 57m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 6h 19m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the car park at the end of the Val Genova road (about 1,580 m) walk a few minutes to Malga Bedole and take path 241 up the left side of the valley towards the Lobbia glacier. Above about 2,250 m the path becomes a steep, partly cabled route (graded EEA by CAI) over rock and moraine; follow the marks right on a traverse to the Passo della Lobbia Alta and the Rifugio ai Caduti dell'Adamello (3,040 m), about 4½–6 hours from the car park. It is also possible to sleep lower down at Rifugio Città di Trento al Mandrone (2,442 m), about 2½ hours from Bedole, which adds an hour or two to summit day. From the hut drop about 100 m west onto the glacier and, without losing more height, turn left onto the Pian di Neve. Climb it gently south-west and then west for about 7 km, in successive steps, towards the col between the Adamello and Monte Falcone. Pass below the summit on its right and climb the short north-east or south-west ridge: about 50 m of easy rock with a fixed rope and one move of grade II, keeping well away from the vertical north face, then a small snowfield to the top. About 2½–4½ hours from the hut. Descend the same way, or via the Mandrone glacier and Rifugio Città di Trento back to Val Genova. The glacier is long, wide and not steep, but it gets very hot in the sun and is very easy to get lost on in fog. Rope up for crevasses even where it looks benign.
Start
Malga Bedole1,569 m
- Bus to Pinzolo or Carisolo; summer shuttle buses run up the Val Genova (check the local timetable)
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Malga Bedole → Rifugio ai Caduti dell'Adamello | 6.9 | 1,455 | 6 | 5h 44m |
| 2 | Rifugio ai Caduti dell'Adamello → Monte Adamello | 7.4 | 627 | 111 | 3h 14m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Malga Bedole1,569 m
Paid car park at the end of the Val Genova road; summer bus up the valley
- Col: Passo della Lobbia Alta3,023 m
- Hut: Rifugio ai Caduti dell'Adamello3,023 m
- Feature: Pian di Neve3,036 m
About 7 km of gently rising glacier
- Summit: Monte Adamello3,539 m
Key Passages
- Steep cabled section of path 241 above 2,250 m
- Glacier descent west of the hut onto the Pian di Neve
- Long, featureless crossing of the Pian di Neve
- Short summit ridge with fixed rope (one move of II)
Equipment
0/10 packedDownloads
Route confidence 75%Overview
A 3,539 m granite summit rising from the rim of the Pian di Neve, the largest glacier plateau in Italy, on the Lombardy–Trentino border. The classic ascent is a long, technically easy glacier crossing from Val Genova; the direct line from Val Camonica uses the chained Via Terzulli.
The Adamello is the central peak of a huge glaciated upland in the Adamello-Presanella Alps. The Adamello glacier, of which the Pian di Neve is the heart, covers more than 16 km² and is the largest glacier entirely within Italy. The summit is a modest rise on the western rim of this plateau, but it falls away in great precipices to the north and west towards Val Camonica. Douglas Freshfield described the massif as a block 'large enough to supply materials for half-a-dozen fine mountains'.
There is no single normal route; the summit itself is a short climb from the Pian di Neve, and the choice is really how to reach the plateau. From the Trentino side, the Val Genova route via Rifugio ai Caduti dell'Adamello (3,040 m) is the most used: a long, easy glacier walk ending on a short rocky ridge. From Val Camonica, the Via Terzulli climbs a chained rock route from Rifugio Gnutti to the Passo dell'Adamello, shorter but steeper. Other routes come from Rifugio Garibaldi, Val Salarno and the Passo del Tonale side.
The massif was on the front line between Austria-Hungary and Italy in the First World War, and remains of positions, cableways and the 'Cannone dell'Adamello' on the Cresta Croce are still visible. The area is protected by the Adamello regional park (Lombardy) and the Adamello Brenta nature park (Trentino).
Climbing Notes
On the Val Genova route the challenge is length and navigation rather than technique: about 1,500 m to the hut on day one, then roughly 7 km of glacier each way on day two. Glacier skills (rope, crampons, axe, crevasse rescue) and good navigation in poor visibility are essential; the Pian di Neve is a featureless white plain in fog. The Via Terzulli needs a head for heights, via ferrata kit and comfort on grade III rock with a chain, plus crampons for the snow above the pass. Guides in Pinzolo, Val di Sole and Val Camonica offer both.
Typical itineraries: Val Genova (Malga Bedole) to Rifugio ai Caduti dell'Adamello on day one, summit and descent via the Mandrone glacier and Rifugio Città di Trento on day two; or Val Malga to Rifugio Gnutti, then the Via Terzulli to the summit and back. In spring the Adamello is a celebrated ski-mountaineering traverse, often from the Passo del Tonale lifts.
Check whether the Via Terzulli is open before planning it: it is closed by municipal order whenever Rifugio Gnutti is shut. Thunderstorms build quickly over the glacier in summer; aim to be back at the hut by early afternoon.
History
Julius von Payer, the Bohemian explorer, made the first ascent in September 1864 with the guide Giovanni Caturani, the guide Girolamo Botteri and the porter Antonio Bertoldi in support. Starting from Val Genova on 8 September, they first climbed two subsidiary summits by mistake, the Dosson di Genova and the Corno Bianco, before reaching the true summit by the east side and east-north-east ridge across the Pian di Neve; Camptocamp dates the ascent to 15 September 1864, English Wikipedia to 16 September. Douglas Freshfield and Francis Fox Tuckett, with François Devouassoud, made the second ascent on 3 July 1865. The first winter ascent was on 26 February 1891 (W. von Arlt with Giacinto and Amanzio Collini). During the First World War the Austro-Hungarian and Italian armies held positions across the massif year-round, including the 'war on the glaciers' around the Lobbia and Crozzon di Lares.
Season
Best Jul–Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Possible
- April: Good
- May: Possible
- June: Possible
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Good
- October: Not advisable
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; huts closed (winter rooms only)
- Feb
- Winter
- Mar
- Ski-mountaineering season opens; Rifugio ai Caduti open from early March (6 March in 2026)
- Apr
- Classic ski-mountaineering traverses of the Adamello glacier
- May
- Late ski tours; Rifugio ai Caduti spring season ends early May
- Jun
- Summer season from about 20 June; lots of snow, Via Terzulli may still be closed
- Jul
- Main season; afternoon thunderstorms
- Aug
- Main season; glacier crevasses more open late in the month
- Sep
- Huts close about 20 September; Via Terzulli closes when Rifugio Gnutti closes (27 September in 2026)
- Oct
- Huts closed; early winter
- Nov
- Winter
- Dec
- Winter
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Rifugio ai Caduti dell'Adamello (CAI Brescia): book by phone with the warden (open about 20 June – 20 September and early March – early May). Rifugio Gnutti: book with the hut.
- Fees
- Paid parking at the end of the Val Genova road
- Hut overnight fees with discounts for CAI and reciprocal club members
- Rules
- The Via Terzulli (CAI path 623) is closed by order of the Comune di Sonico whenever Rifugio Gnutti is not staffed
- The Val Genova road is subject to seasonal traffic regulation within the Adamello Brenta Nature Park; check whether shuttle buses replace private cars in high summer
- Adamello regional park and Adamello Brenta nature park rules apply; stay on marked paths
- Getting There
Pinzolo and Carisolo (Val Genova route); Sonico and Edolo (Val Camonica route)
Bergamo (BGY) or Verona (VRN)
- Val Genova: drive or take the bus to Pinzolo/Carisolo, then the Val Genova road to the last car park near Malga Bedole; summer shuttles run in the valley
- Val Camonica: train on the Brescia–Iseo–Edolo line to Sonico area, then drive via Garda di Sonico up Val Malga to the Ponte del Guat car park
- Tonale: lifts from Passo del Tonale towards Passo Paradiso and Presena give access to the Mandrone glacier and the Lobbia hut (summer operation not verified)
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Weather
- Exposure
- Rockfall
Huts & Shelters
2- 2,166 m
Rifugio GnuttiRefugeStaffed
Summer; closed 27 September in 2026
- 3,040 m
Rifugio ai Caduti dell'AdamelloRefugeStaffed
100 beds · Spring 6 March – 3 May and summer 20 June – 20 September (2026); the east dormitory is always open as a winter room