Colle della Garda (2314m), sentiero 1C

from Weismatten to Colle della Garda

The cairn at the Pra Bianco Pass

Trail 1C starts in Weismatten and ends at Colle della Garda (2314 m). It is 1808m long and the total elevation gain is 283m.
The estimated time for the climb is 0h47. The trail is rated of difficulty E.

Trail 1C is an interesting alternative route to reach the Gombetta Lake basin without taking trail 3A to Punta della Regina. From the Pra Bianco/Wissomatto hut, cross a flower-filled plateau until you reach a stony area, above which, with very little effort, you will arrive at the small Pra Bianco Pass (2331 m), a balcony from which you can admire the entire route of trail 3A from Lake Gombetta to Punta della Regina. From the pass, it is a 300-meter descent to Colle della Garda (2280 m), where you rejoin trail 3A.

A few meters before reaching Colle, you will come across the challenging trail 1B that leads to Colletto Taf (passing through the Rena, Taille, and Taf mountains). Once you reach Colle della Garda, you can continue to Punta della Regina along trail 3A, or to Colle Ranzola along trail 3B, or simply return to Weismatten by following trail 3A towards Lake Gombetta.

More information on level of difficulty, ascent times, maps and GPX tracks

Photo Gallery

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At the end of the plateau we approach the stony ground

The path gets closer and closer to the stony ground

The stamp indicating the entrance to the stony ground

Looking toward Pra Bianco from the stony ground

The path from Pra Bianco Pass down to the Garda Pass

Departure and arrival

Il sentiero 1C parte da Weismatten, l’altitudine è di 2041m.
See on Google Maps.

Latitudine e longitudine (WGS84 - EPSG 4326): 45.7483138513, 7.82499961266

The arrival location is Colle di Garda. The altitude is 2314m.
See on Google Maps.

Latitudine e longitudine (WGS84 - EPSG 4326): 45.7459375688, 7.80675572038

The route

In front of the Carlo Mollino refuge, there is a signpost indicating the directions for trail 3A (to Punta della Regina) and trail 1A (to Colle di Frudière).

The pole in front of the Mollino shelter

Trail 1C starts off together with trail 3A: take it by turning right. The trail is wide at the beginning and always well marked: it climbs gently up and down through a forest of larch and swiss pine trees that is not too dense.

The beginning of the trail

Continue climbing along the wide path..

The trail is almost like a highway.

…until reaching, at about 2161m, the hut of Pra BiancoWissomattò, 2161m.

Pra BiancoWissomattò, 2161m

Take the trail that you see to the right of the building: this is where the 1C trail leaves the 3A trail, which continues towards Belvedere.

Trail 1C passes by Pra Bianco

The 1C accesses the beautiful and wide grassy plateau behind the hut: you have to cross it in the direction of the passage in the ridge that can be seen at the bottom on the right, above a scree slope.

The wide plateau behind Pra Bianco

At the end of the plateau, the trail climbs slightly, continuing to wind its way through rocks and flowering bushes that seem to have been artfully arranged by a skilled garden designer.

The trail is definitely picturesque

The trail approaches the rocky area, entering it at a clearly visible marker.

The stamp indicating the entrance to the stony ground

In reality, the trail does not remain on the scree for long: after a couple of turns, it heads directly upwards, leaving the scree and climbing towards the obvious Passo di Pra Bianco (2331 m), which can be reached without any technical difficulty.

The view towards Punta della Regina

In front of us, Punta della Regina stands out clearly, and trail 3A climbs up it after skirting Lake Gombetta below.

A video from June 26, 2022 with the view from Pra Bianco Pass.

The Passo della Garda, on the other hand, is located at the deepest point of the V formed by the ridge that separates us from Punta della Regina. It is towards that point that we descend for the last 300 meters of trail 1C, which ends when it meets trail 3A.

The path from Pra Bianco Pass down to the Garda Pass

Continuation

From the Garda Pass there are 4 main destinations that can be reached, following the official Gressoney trails.

Continuing uphill along trail 3A, you can continue to the nearby Punta della Regina, a popular viewpoint described in the trail 3A information sheet.
Continuing along trail 3A, but in the opposite direction, you can return to the Weismatten chairlift station.
You can reach the nearby Colle della Ranzola via trail 3B. From the Colle, you can return to the valley in about an hour by following trail 3.
You can reach Colletto Taf by following the challenging trail 1B, which passes through the summit of Mont Rena and near Mont Taille and Mont Taf. Read the trail description for trail 1B for more information about the difficulty of this trail.

3. Map and GPX track

This is the official map of the trail as recorded in the SCT Trail Registry of the Aosta Valley.
You can download the GPX track of the trail if you want to use it later in your favorite app.

Download the trail in GPX format