Finding the Dolomiti Paganella Bike was totally random. Nobody told me about it, nobody said “Man, its soooo good, you have to go sometimes!”, I didn’t see an ad for it…nothing. It’s just that our weekend plans usually play by the weather. It goes something like this. Check the weather, if its going to be sunny and warm, we can go either mountain biking or to the sea… or both:). If the forecast is bad and there are waves (this is goes hand in hand around here, if there are waves the weather is always bad, but not necessarily vice versa) we go surfing. But if the weather is bad and the surf is flat, then it gets complicated. I start by checking the weather in our neighbor countries. Italy and Austria are two places that are still close enough for a weekend trip. I admit that I knew beforehand that Italian Dolomites are fcking epic! I did the Sella Ronda circle around the Sella massif I think two times already and the mountains, the cliffs, the nature, the views… you can’t help but to fall in love with this place. It really is breathtaking. But the Sella circle, you do it for the views and amazing nature, you don’t really do it for mountain biking itself. So if you want to ride a bike park you have to find something else. So I started to scan the Dolomites area for bike parks. With the help of google, worldbikeparks.com and bike park websites Dolomiti Paganella bike park popped up (www.dolomitipaganellabike.com). The bike park is set on the edge of Brenta Dolomites and it actually consists of three areas/towns. The Molveno area above the town of Molveno and the nearby Molveno lake, the Andalo area above the town of Andalo and the Fai de Paganella area close to the town of Fai de Paganella. So we fired up our camper van and hit the road.
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Brenta Dolomites
Brenta Dolmites is a mountain chain in the north of Lake Garda, the area is about 40 km long and 12 km large and is bounded by the Val di Sole, the Valle di Non, lake Molveno and the Paganella mountain chain. In the south it is bounded by the Valli Giudicarie and in the west by Val Rendena. They are a part of the Adamello Brenta nature park and have 8 peaks which are more than 3000 m high the highest being Cima Tosa with 3,173 m. The towns and the bike park are located in the south/south east end of the Brenta mountains, the northern Brenta Dolomites are much wilder. They are one of the few habitats of the brown bear in Europe and the only one in the alpine area. I find this especially cool because to help with the re-population of the brown bear around here bears from Slovenia, my home country, were imported here (they were also sent to France and Spain btw). I bet the bears don’t mind the amazing nature they have found here. I know I don’t mind it, since randomly finding this bike park we have visited it three times this summer, which means three 10 hour drives.
Dolomiti Paganella Bike
The area and the mountain biking options here are huge. The Dolomiti Paganella Bike area offers a network of 400km of mountain bike trails! First there are the bikers-only bike park flow and tech trails, then there is wide array of gondola serviced more technical alpine trails and singletracks that will take you out of the bike park area, but they will all end up at the bottom of the gondola. These are called Bear trails marked with wooden bears at the beginning. And then using the gondolas together with your leg power and with the shuttle bus service that transfer bikers you can tap into the really long epic trails and traverses called Lake to lake trails. So you can be sure there is something for everyone here, from complete mountain biking beginners to seasoned riders.
Everything is really really well marked and signposted. There is a pocket sized map of the trails filled with useful info so make sure you grab that and put it in you mtb shorts, there is a website with .gpx tracks of all trails that you can ride (link further down) if you need some smart phone navigation on the trails outside of the bike park area. There are also mountain bike and protection gear rental possibilities, service workshops, e-bike recharge points, bike tool stands with tire air pumps and essential tools, there are mountain huts with cold beer, bike washing stations and more.
It was impossible to ride everything in the three short visits we had to the area (which is a good thing so we have even more reasons to come back) but here is what you can expect when you come to visit, first hand.
Dolomiti Paganella Bike – The Three Bike Park Areas
FAI ZONE
This is the original historic bike park part of the area at Fai della Paganella. It is also the place that has the most mountain bike feel. The line at the bottom of the gondola is almost exclusively filled with mountain bikers while everywhere else you will share it with families just going up the mountain to enjoy the view, have a lunch in numerous mountain huts, with hikers going higher up the mountains, with para gliders going for the jump from above the Molveno lake etc… This is also where the more challenging bike park area trails are and where you will see the most people on DH bikes. So if you are more into hardcore mountain biking then definitely check this area with trails “Easy Rider“, “Arancia Meccanica” and “Apocalypse Now” being the spotlight. The “Peter Pan” trail is the flow trail here. You can find Fai zone trail map and more info here.
MOLVENO ZONE
There are three trails here, all of them are very new, completed in summer of 2017. From the top of the gondola you can take a chairlift that will take you to the top of the Big Hero trail and into the amphitheater like bosom of the Brenta Dolomites. This is also where you cans start your descent to Andalo. Big Hero is the easiest trail in the whole area, perfect for mountain biking beginners and first timers to work on their mountain bike riding technique. It is gently rolling down the mountain and the sign at the start saying don’t brake, just pump and have fun makes sense. The trail also crosses the meadow with the iconic “mountain biker riding berm with turquoise colored lake below” photo opportunity that we did not miss, check the gallery at the beginning of the post :D.
The view really is quite stunning and the place doubles as a popular paragliding takeoff spot where you can sit and watch the paragliders launch themselves into the air. Where the Big Hero ends the Blade Runner trail begins. Blade Runner is one of the most fun trails I have ever ridden. It is like a roller coaster ride through the woods and is also perfect for anybody with no really technically demanding sections, just adjust your speed to your skills. To get to the bottom of the mountain and to the gondola bottom station you need to ride the third trail called Goonies which is a more natural type of trail. Warning: It is really hard not to get stuck on repeat riding the Blade Runner, before you know it it’s time to call it a day lol.
You can find Molveno trail map and more info here.
ANDALO ZONE
The third area is the Andalo area with a fresh chocolate factory Willy Wonka trail that was completed in autumn 2017 and officially opened in 2018 and even fresher Hustle & Flow trail, that was finished in autumn 2018. Connecting the Hustle & Flow and Willy Wonka will take you from the top of the Andalo gondola back into the town of Andalo for another fun packed descent. Everything I have written about the Blade Runner could also be repeated here. Berms are a bit lower on these trails so it’s not so much of a roller coaster, but both trails are super fun, again suitable for every level, just make sure you adjust your speed to your skills.
You know how sometimes easier flow trails can become to easy and repetitive? Well not here, here the trails are a perfect mix of flow littered with berms, jumps and wooden objects that just fall in line and connect perfectly making the ride really dynamic and fun, no matter how many times you did it and no matter what your riding level is. A big thumbs up to the trail builders for all the trails and for some really original trail features.
You can find Andalo trail map and more info here.
Dolomiti Paganella Bike – Bear Trails
Bear trails is a network of different trails that will take you out of the bike park area away from the crowds, but at the end you will still end up at the bottom of the lift. They are more natural looking singletracks without many man made features like berms and jumps, but you will find that plenty are provided by the nature itself. Now these trails are not for beginners as even the easier ones can get quite technical with lots of rock riding, rolling rocks, tight places, and other technical singletrack. They are expert only. If you riding level is not quite up there they will require some (or lots of) walking over the more challenging sections. So if you decide to hit them anyway make sure you have plenty of time! An exception to this rule are maybe the Dolomiti Paganella bike park areas connecting trails, especially the Ude’s trail which will take you from Molveno to Andalo. The extension at the second part of the trail above Andalo requires some uphill pedaling, but the ride through the thick spruce forest on needle carpet is almost a must. The 806 trail that connects Andalo to Paganella zone is also doable for non expert riders, but only if you use the fire road from the top of the Andalo gondola and leave out the chairlift that takes you to the top of Cima Paganella (the top part of the 806 trail is a bit tricky and experts only will be able to ride it).
Full list of all Bear trails.
Dolomiti Paganella Bike – Lake to Lake Tour
Lake to lake tour is the area most epic tour. It combines many different trails into one big round tour that is 60km long and will eventually take you from lake Molveno to lake Toblino. You will have to do about 1.000 m of ascent to ride 4.050 m descent. To complete the tour you need to take 6 lifts, so you don’t need to pedal up that much. You can begin it wherever you want, but I would suggest to start it from Molveno. The time needed alone makes this a serious whole day tour for experts only. If you decide to do it, here is a link with all the info and instructions.
Where to stay in Molveno, Andalo & Fai de Paganella
A few short tips for anyone thinking about going. The best place to stay during your trip depends on your preferences, if you go in summer and jumping into the lake after a whole day of riding is your thing (we did it, it’s totally worth it, but water is a bit on the cold side even in summer) then Molveno is a no brainer. For general use Andalo is more friendly with more places to stay, eat, and even park your car. Molveno is really packed into the bottom of the mountain while Andalo has more space as it is set in the middle of the valley. The Fai area of the Paganella bike park ends at a mountain pass so there is no real town there, Fai della Paganella is 2km away which is not far, but if you like to sit on your bike and be at the bottom of the gondola in no time maybe Paganella is not the best choice.
So where to stay? There is a camping in Molveno that has a really sick location, it’s set right next to lake Molveno and there is also a camping Andalo. There are plenty of apartments, rooms and hotels covering all budgets but, in the summer there are no really cheap options to stay here. Even the cheaper ones get expensive and even more importantly – FULL! You would not believe how many people visit the Dolomites in summer, so make sure you plan in advance and make reservations, even for the camping places. Actually, after going to the Dolomites it is quite obvious why so many people go here. If you hate crowds then avoid the end of July/beginning of August. Before that and in September you will be fine.
That’s it, if you have some questions hit the comments:)
Many thanks to the Dolomiti Paganella Bike for the welcome.