Alpacking is more than just bikepacking. It’s a new kind of adventure, deeply connected with nature. It’s about finding the silence of wild mountains, venturing far from the main routes, and using your mountain bike as the key to your freedom. This is the vibe we were looking for when we decided to cross the untamed Lagorai mountain range in Trentino.
Designing the Route (95 km, 3300 m ascent)
While the Translagorai is well-known for trekking, no one had ever officially reported a full crossing by bike. We weren’t looking for a “portage” experience; we wanted a true biking adventure with the same wilderness and alpine vibe as the famous trekking route.
My partner, Damiano, meticulously planned and tested the trails to ensure it was feasible for our family, including our three-year-old. We were determined to be the first family to bikepack the Translagorai.
This is not a classical family adventure—it is a demanding route with technical parts and portage sections. These challenging moments, however, are an essential part of the Alpacking experience, and our success stands as proof of its feasibility.
Bike Setup
We decided to ride with a front mountain bike and an e-bike, which allowed us to comfortably carry all our gear, including the kids’ trailer. It’s important to note that this route is not feasible with trailers larger than a singletrailer due to the narrow and technical sections.
If you are planning to ride this route on an e-bike, we suggest either using eco-mode for the entire way and planning a two-hour recharge at Rifugio Carlettini, or staying a full night at Rifugio Conseria to fully recharge the battery.
From Story to Reality
Once we had the route, we knew we had to make this a fun and unique experience for our little one.
We prepared a book with a story about bikepacking using real pictures of the places we would visit. Our book, Bike Garage Stories: Alpacking in Lagorai, is a must-have for parents preparing a bikepacking trip or simply for bike lovers who want a story written by fellow enthusiasts.
Our son was so excited to have the same adventure as Bek and Bruno, the characters from the book, and he’d shout “I’m Bek!” every time we rode.
Translagorai Alpacking Day 1: Panarotta – Passo Palù
Grandpa Luciano gave us a lift to the starting point. If you’re coming on your own, there’s a bike shuttle available from Pergine/ Caldonazzo/ Levico that brings you directly to Panarotta.
Panarotta – Palù
The very first part of the trail is a wide forest road with a slight ascent, leading to La Bassa (the connecting field between Fravort and Cima Panarotta). From there, you’ll continue on a singletrack that faces the beautiful Valle dei Mocheni.
In just a few minutes, you’ll reach the first bivouac. This part of the trail has some technical sections, so ride with caution. We had to carry our bikes and the trailer through these parts. If you’re riding lighter, you’ll have a blast—it’s nothing too extreme, just a bit technical.
This singletrack will guide you through a rocky section and then a descent with floating stones. Get ready for a beautiful wooden bridge, the same one where Bek and Bruno leave for their second day of Alpacking. The surrounding panorama of typical Lagorai-style mountains will leave you in awe.
You’ll then reach Prati Imperiali, where you’ll most likely encounter some cows, and then descend to the village of Palù. We had lunch there and enjoyed a refreshing break by the creek, which faces a playground with the region’s longest slide.
Palù – Passo Palù
Back on the bike, you’ll start on an asphalt road for a bit, before it becomes a large forest road with a steady ascent. If you’re riding light (without a child carrier), you can almost ride all the way to Passo Palù. We, however, had to carry our bikes for the last 200 meters of the trail—a serious workout for our Daddy Damiano the Alpaca, who was pushing an e-bike, a heavy, fully-loaded trailer, and his own bike.
Just a few meters before the top, you’ll reach the bivouac. It’s quite large (when we slept there, we shared it with a group of five hikers) with a cozy wooden floor. It’s very essential, with no beds or lights, just a warm space and protection from the cold and bad weather, as it should be.
For us, this place was magical because in our book, it’s the “Marmot Refuge.” Our little one kept looking for marmots and saying, “It’s the same!”. If you pass by, you might find a copy of our book—we left one there for other adventurers.
Translagorai Alpacking Day 2: Passo Palù – Rifugio Conseria
Passo Palù- Rifugio Carlettini
Refreshed from a good night’s sleep and re-energized by a solid breakfast, we still had some portage to start the day. The descent from Passo Palù is very technical and not advisable with a baby carrier, so we had to carry our bikes to the end of that section. The trail then becomes a large forest road that leads you to the Valle del Calamento, where little alpine huts are nestled around a creek. When the forest road turns to asphalt, you’ll find a fountain to refill your bottles. We stopped for a quick break and a little recharge of my e-bike at the nearby Malga Baessa.
We then went through a short trail that I loved, with sections of singletrack on green grass and small rocky parts (all very rideable) that lead to the start of Val Campelle. Then comes the long, steep ascent to Rifugio Carlettini, with no shade. Val Campelle is well known for its creek, green fields, and well-kept alpine huts.
At Rifugio Carlettini, we refueled with delicious pasta with venison ragu and a Spiegeleier. The staff was very bike-friendly, and we were able to leave our bikes and trailer to charge while we cooled off in the creek behind the rifugio. This was our only chance to shower, and our little one didn’t mind the cold water at all, joking that it was as warm as the sea in Corsica.
Rifugio Carlettini – Rifugio Conseria
In the early afternoon, we left for Rifugio Conseria. The ride takes about an hour and a half on a large, scenic forest road. We opted to stay at the nearby parking lot with our tent, but the rifugio also offers nice rooms for a full night’s recharge (advisable, as I ran out of battery on the last ascent the next day).
We chose the parking lot because it has a fence to protect you from animals, but you’re still surrounded by cows, which we really enjoyed and which gave a boost to the mountain vibe. My son kept asking us to read the names on their ear tags and then calling them out, which was really funny. We savored our Italian-style bikepacking dinner of noodles and cherry tomatoes, then went to sleep really early.
At midnight, an unexpected thunderstorm came. With no phone signal available, we worried a bit, and my husband ran up to Passo 5 Croci, where he remembered he could get a signal, to check the radar. Fortunately, the storm was on its way out. We later discovered there is a small bivouac at the rifugio for safety. Luckily, our son didn’t even notice the thunderstorm and kept sleeping soundly.
Translagorai Alpacking Day 3: Rifugio Conseria – San Martino di Castrozza
To start our last day fully charged, we had breakfast at Rifugio Conseria, where our supporters (our parents) came to meet us. We left our tent and sleeping bags with them for a lighter riding day. We knew this would be the hardest day in terms of fatigue due to the one-hour portage to Malga Tognola.
Rifugio Conseria – Caoria
We then set off for the first point of interest, Passo Cinque Croci, where you can admire the landscape of the two connecting valleys. The descent to Rifugio Refavaie and Caoria is on a large forest road.
The first part takes you to one of my favorite places on the entire route: Malga Val Cion. The surrounding mountains have a unique lamellar shape with the harsh, dark brown color typical of the Lagorai. The Lagorai is wild in its color; it doesn’t have the majestic look of the Dolomites—it’s rough, pure mountain. This is probably what made us feel even more connected to these home mountains. At this small malga, we encountered a family of baby donkeys that were really cute and curious about our bikes; they even tried to gnaw on the handlebars.
The descent continues to Rifugio Refavaie, which was too crowded for our idea of the Lagorai, so we didn’t stop there, but it could be a good option for a charging point. From Rifugio Refavaie to Caoria, we followed the asphalt road. In Caoria, we stopped for lunch at the local supermarket and a quick break at the playground.
Caoria – Malga Tognola
Next, get ready to enter “zen mode,” as the ascent to Malga Tognola seems neverending. Despite the beautiful landscape with its creek and natural swimming pools, the forest road has a very steep, consistent grade that made for a quite demanding climb until we reached the start of the portage. There, we stopped for another break and a refreshing swim at the Rio Valsorda creek.
Then came what was probably the most difficult part of the entire alpacking route: the final trail to Malga Tognola. The first section was extremely steep and rocky. My husband first tried pushing my empty e-bike with his bike disassembled on the trailer while I carried our son. However, the very narrow turns and the steepness of the trail made us realize this was impossible, as the trailer kept bending under the weight.
The only solution was to motivate our son to hike the entire technical section and pushing each one a bike. Luckily the trail, with its small wooden walkways and big stones, was a fun challenge for him. He pretended to be an expert climbing guide and hiked for a full hour. He truly deserves a big round of applause for his effort, as his enthusiasm gave us the energy to keep going.
For the very last part to Malga Tognola, we decided to cut the trail and take the ski slopes instead, given the rocky section. It was much easier for us to carry the bikes on this terrain, despite the extra steepness.
Malga Tognola – San Martino di Castrozza
When we finally reached Malga Tognola, our hard work was paid off. The stunning landscape overlooking the Pale di San Martino is simply “wow,” and it stands in such contrast to the color and shape of the Lagorai that it seems to say “Welcome to your destination!”. Indeed, San Martino di Castrozza is right there.
When we got to Malga Tognola, quite tired and out of water, it was 5 p.m. and already closed (it operates on the same hours as the gondola). But don’t worry, in a few minutes you can reach San Martino on an easy, descending forest road.
As we rode down, I was filled with a mix of emotions: a sense of accomplishment for completing our adventure, and a twinge of nostalgia for it already.
The Translagorai Alpaking vibe
This adventure truly captured the spirit we were looking for, which we call Alpacking—alpine bikepacking. We found a unique connection with the mountains, the freedom of exploring by bike, a bit of struggle, and the incredible memories of sharing it all with our beloved ones.
If you choose to bikepack the Translagorai, don’t expect classic green fields, many rifugi, crowds, or majestic peaks. Instead, expect to savor the stillness of the mountains, the roughness of their rocky trails, and the real sounds of nature. If you are more trained, you can even plan a crazy one-day ride. What counts most is the sense of connection that only riding in these mountains can give you.
Hope you embark on this ride and feel the alpacking vibe. But before you do, don’t forget to read the story Bike Garage Stories: Alpacking in Lagorai!
For more mountain bike routes in Trentino, be sure to check out our dedicated section. And if you have any questions or need tips, feel free to contact us!
