The Background  

The Lago di Ledro ride is the most popular route for visitors to the Lake. The first section of the ride is on the old road Via Panale which is world famous. The road was in use right up until the late 1980's and it's hard to believe cars could even pass each other it's so narrow! The road is now used for walkers and bikers only which is great as it opens up so many trails on the western side of the lake. If you look hard, the old road can be spotted from Riva del Garda, as it appears as a ridge in the rock face occasionally disappearing into the tunnels which offer a nice cooling break from the heat.

The Trail 

Lago di Ledro is at a height of 600 meters above Lake Garda so there is a fair amount of climbing to be done! The spin is an out and back, taking in a loop of the 3km lake for good measure. The first half is a climb, and the second is, of course a great descent. We start off is Riva del Garda and take the main road south for a couple of minutes before we turn off onto the old road. The old road is called via Panale and can be tackled by every biker no matter their fitness of technical level. The road was built in the 1800's for cars but soon out became inadequate as traffic volumes increased. The road, now filled with a soil and gravel surface is now solely used for walkers and bikers.

As we twist and turn our way up via Panale we quickly gain height and its not long before we have a great view over Torbloe, Riva del Garda and even Arco! Early in the morning before the wind picks up the lake looks so refreshing, it's just perfectly still and clear. We usually stop at the top of Via Panale for pictures before the lake disappears out of site behind us. 40 minutes into the ride and now at the half way point on the climb up we enter the Ledro Valley. The valley runs East West and we are usually greeted by a very welcome tail wind which not only pushed us up but really cools us down too! The trail into the Legro Valley follows the river all the way to Lago di Ledro taking in many picture perfect cottages and gardens.

Once at Lago di Ledro, the rest stop is relaxed with coffee and ice cream usually followed by some pictures down by the water's edge. Once our food settles we take the flat lake road which is a mix of gravel and tarmac. We circumnavigate the lake, making sure to avoid the road on the northern side of the lake as it tends to be quite busy with traffic coming the next town called Bezzecca.

Now gravity is on our side we take to the descent which runs all the way down to Riva del Garda. What was a tough climb up now feels far too easy on the way down! The sweeping banks make for great fun but we must be weary of other bikers and walkers on the trails, especially as we shoot into the dark tunnels on the way back down via Panale. Rolling into Riva with a smile on your face after another great mountain bike ride is what it's all about.