“Wormisionssteig” – I wonder whether the Goldseeweg would have developed such a cult following if it had kept its original name? To this day, this trail remains the top choice in Vinschgau.
On a beautiful summer’s day, up to 100 cyclists thronged this panoramic trail between the Stelvio Pass and the Vinschgau Valley. That was until the authorities pulled the plug and banned mountain bikers from the Goldseeweg in 2009. Too many walkers had complained. Particularly on the upper section, between the Furkelhütte and the Dreisprachenspitze, there was simply not enough space to safely avoid cyclists coming down the mountain.
No Goldseeweg for cyclists for four years
The walkers weren’t entirely wrong. However, the longer the closure lasted, the louder the protests from the cyclists became. So, in 2013, an agreement was finally reached with the authorities on a time-restricted scheme: cyclists are allowed to use the trail again, but only before 9 am or after 4 pm. Ever since then, in summer, you can see convoys of shuttle buses plying the Stelvio Pass road early in the morning. This is because anyone wanting to ride the trail has to set off from the top of the Stelvio Pass at 9 am and then pedal up the 80-metre-high gravel ramp to Rifugio Garibaldi. The shuttle alone takes about an hour. So, to reach the trailhead entirely under your own steam, you’d have to set off from the valley very early in the morning. Or stay overnight at the Stilfserjoch.
Perhaps people had hoped that the hype surrounding this trail would die down a bit given these restrictions. Especially as, during the four years it was closed, an incredible number of other trails popped up in Vinschgau that are at least as much fun – if not even more so. But no such luck. The hype surrounding the trail flared up again immediately after its partial reopening in 2013 and has remained steady ever since. No wonder, when you let the bare figures for the Goldseeweg Trail sink in:
- Distance from the Stilfserjoch: 25.2 kilometres
- Proportion of trail: 18.9 kilometres
- Downhill: 2,213 metres of elevation loss
- Ascents: 329 metres of elevation gain
- Panorama: priceless
No sign of the lake now – the gold is somewhere else
I’ve no idea whether anyone has ever actually seen the Goldsee, from which the place takes its name. At least, an information board at the spot – which is still slightly damp – suggests that there must once have been something like a small pool there. Apparently, under certain lighting conditions, its water used to shimmer golden. They say that after particularly snowy winters, a small puddle sometimes forms there again. But where, then, is the ‘gold’ for cyclists? We can see it here:
- At first glance: Once you’ve reached the start of the route just below the Rifugio Garibaldi, you look out over a long mountain ridge (on the border with Switzerland), which is just being awakened by the first rays of the sun and shimmers in a reddish-golden hue.
- If you wait a few minutes, the sun will soon shine down on the gravel slope below and you’ll spot this path that cuts across the entire slope without losing much altitude: Voilà, the Goldseeweg is bathed in light. Let’s get going!
- View of the Ortler: The trail draws you right into the panorama ahead of you, but the view behind is even more beautiful: the Ortler’s thick ice cap is just beginning to awaken!
- Bimbam junction: You really don’t want to leave this panoramic vantage point in the warming sunshine, but the locals are quite right: from the second barracks, it’s best to take the ‘Bimbam’ trail down to Trafoi. Its zigzagging hairpin bends are fully rideable, unlike what appears shortly afterwards on the Goldseeweg: a blocked scree slope leading down to the Furkelhütte. That’s likely to be rideable for very few people.
- Take the chairlift from Trafoi back to the cycleable section of the Goldseeweg. Then there are a few proper climbs to tackle between the Furkelhütte and the Oberer Stilfseralm.
- From the Stilfseralm, however, the path really does head down towards the valley: a 1,300-metre descent to Prad. Partly over root-covered, but mostly firm forest ground.
The Goldseeweg was also once a military road
Until the construction of the famous Stelvio Pass road in 1825, the “Wormisionssteig” was one of the main routes linking Vinschgau and Bormio – at least for the transport of goods on foot. The Rifugio Garibaldi, situated atop the Dreisprachenspitze, still served as a customs house in those days. Then came the First World War, with its ‘glacier front’ in this area, and it was mainly soldiers who trudged up the panoramic trail to the strategically important positions at the Stelvio Pass. Later, the path fell into obscurity and was only restored for hikers in 1999. You can read about the history of the path in greater detail on the information boards along the Goldseeweg.
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Gitta Beimfohr
Editor