Valtellina Week Hike 1: Forni Glacier Trail

Overview ~ Notes ~ Flora ~ Photos

  
 

Top left: View of Forni Glacier meltwater in Santa Caterina di Valfurva.
Top right: Tracks of the hike. (We went counterclockwise.)

Bottom left: Lago delle Rosole near Rifugio Branca, with Forni Glacier in the background.

Bottom right: [Crassulaceae] Sempervivum montanum.

Overview

Length: 12.1 km
Duration: 5.5 hours (with stop for lunch at Rifugio Branca)
Elevation: 625 m
Location: Italy, Lombardy, Valtellina

Notes

Our Valtellina week hiking trip was inspired by friends talking about glaciers in the area, so two glaciers were the focus of our week of hiking. One of the glaciers was the Forni Glacier (Ghiacciaio dei Forni) in Valfurva, which we visited on this hike.

The Forni glacier covers an area of about 11.38 km² (latest published data) and is the second largest glacier in the Italian Alps after the Adamello glacier. The Forni glacier is located in the Ortles-Cevedale group in Alta Valtellina within the Lombard sector of the Stelvio National Park.

To see the glacier, you can take the trails Sentiero Glaciologico Basso ir Alto. We took the upper (Alto) trail thinking somewhat romantically, we would get up to and “touch” the glacier. That wasn’t the case. The glacier, or more accurate to say glacier tongue, has receded so much that maybe at one time the trail did bring you close, but not today.

On the Alto trail you come to a Tibetan bridge crossing the Torrente Frodolfo. From there you can walk more or less south toward the glacier on a less-well-marked trail. We followed this trail until we were stopped by a serious flow of water that we didn’t want to cross and decided to turn around. We could see people on the glacier (safety training or just walking) and knew there were other trails to reach the glacier. But this wasn’t really our goal.

It was slightly disappointing on one hand to not get closer to the glacier, but on the other hand gazing at the glacier from the trail was still awe-inspiring. And the thought of lunch at Rifugio Branca made up for any disappointment we were feeling at the moment.

All parking for hikes in this area is at Parcheggio pubblico dei Forni. You need a ticket to park, which we purchased just outside of the village of Santa Caterina di Valfurva, here.

Flora

[Asteraceae] Achillea moschata



[Asteraceae] Antennaria dioica



[Asteraceae] Crepis aurea



[Asteraceae] Hieracium sp.



[Crassulaceae] Sempervivum montanum



[Ericaceae] Rhododendron ferrugineum

[Ericaceae] Vaccinium vitis-idaea

 
[Euphorbiaceae] Euphorbia cyparissias



[Gentianaceae] Gentiana sp.



[Lamiaceae] Ajuga pyramidalis


[Lamiaceae] Thymus sp.



[Lentibulariaceae] Pinguicula vulgaris - Butterwort is a carnivorous plant!


 
[Orchidaceae] Gymnademia nigra - we call this the chocolate chip orchid because of it's vanilla - chocolate smell.



[Orchidaceae] Orchis mascula



[Orobanchaceae] Pedicularis sp.



[Primulaceae] Primula sp.

[Rosaceae] Alchemilla sp.


[Rosaceae] Geum reptans


[Thymelaeaceae] Daphne striata

Photos

  
Left: Forni Glacier in Santa Caterina in Valfurva, Italy.
Center: Heading toward Forni Glacier on the Upper Glaciological Trail.

Right: Lago delle Rosole - near Rifugio Branca.


  

Left: On the upper glacier trail heading to Forni Glacier - not a particular difficult trail.

Center: Rifugio Branca once had a commanding view of the glacier, but now sits far away.

Right: Staring at the Forni Glacier Meltwater Stream.

  

Left: Starting on the upper trail just outside the parking area.

Center: Tagliatelle with venison ragu.

Right: A roche moutonnée - sheep‐back rock.

  

Left: The Forni Glacier - look closely in this to see people.
Center:  The Forni Glacier in Santa Caterina in Valfurva.

Right: The glacier used to extend to here in 2016.


  

Left: Tibetan bridge over the Torrente Frodolfo.
Center: View north from Forni glacier trail toward Gran Zebru.

Right: World War 1 lookout post.