You either love it or you hate it. Hardly any other super trail in the Alps is as controversial as the legendary 136-bend trail on Lago d'Idro: "If you want to have fun on this trail, you have to be able to shift your rear wheel," say some. "That's rubbish, once you've done the first six hairpin bends, you just roll through the last 130!" claim others.
You will probably only find out which of these two groups you belong to once you have ridden the trail yourself. The 1466 metre high Monte Stino is the panoramic mountain on Lake Idro and you first have to fight for it yourself. There is no shuttle service here like there is at Lake Garda, 44 kilometres away. This ascent will keep you busy for 20 kilometres - with a total of 1378 metres in altitude.
Initially, steep tarmac hairpin bends lead out of Baitoni, then long but flatter gravel roads stretch ahead. After 750 metres in altitude, the route suddenly continues uphill in the forest on a trail. Bikers without a motor will be pushing a lot here over the roots, stones and steps. Those travelling with an e-MTB, on the other hand, will now experience a kind of uphill rush in Sport mode. But beware: the battery still has to last for the final, again steeper, 200 metres up to the Rifugio Monte Stino.
The view from the Rifugio is gigantic. As the mountains here have such steep flanks, from up here, at an altitude of 1466 metres, you practically have a bird's eye view of Lake Idro. Even if the anticipation of the hairpin bend descent is great, the opportunity to top up your carbohydrate stores should not be missed lightly.
The time until the next stop in Vesta ultimately depends on your own riding skills. On the way to the trail, you can visit a few old trenches and emplacements from the First World War.
And now the time has come: the start of the 136 hairpin bend trail - in the form of a stone staircase. That wouldn't be the problem, but the railing makes it narrower, and its last step merges with the very exposed trail at the bottom, which soon turns into the first hairpin bend.
You can at least attempt this trial with a normal bike, but with a heavy E-MTB you should feel very confident. In the following left-hand bend, you have to turn the rear wheel, but the rock face behind you leaves hardly any room for this.
Bend three is also damn tight in the steep terrain, but is just about manageable. Only very good riders will stay in the saddle until hairpin five. But then it gets going. The terrain becomes flatter, the hairpin bends rounder and the trail itself turns out to be a well-maintained, stony forest path.
Easy to roll. So you can devote yourself entirely to cornering. Some bends can be taken on the front wheel, some on the rear wheel. Or very slowly with a great sense of balance. You can also practise shifting the rear wheel perfectly here.
All this with a view of the lake, which is barely noticeably closer. You only come across its gravel beach again in Vesta, after a whopping 1100 metres. The conclusion in our small group: riding technique expert Flo Konietzko mastered 134 hairpin bends without putting his foot down, photographer Markus Greber 130 and tour rider Sabine Greber a whole seven.
But then everyone pushes for the last three kilometres back to Baitoni. The Sentiero Contrabbandieri climbs extremely exposed above the lakeshore through the forest. At the two or three places secured by steel cables, every step has to be carefully considered. A rough end for such a super trail, but one that can literally be circumnavigated over the lake from Vesta onwards. But even Sabine grinned at the end: "The fun was worth it."
Info 136-Kehren-Trail
- Length: 30.1 kilometres
- Uphill: 1378 metres in altitude
- Trail section: 10.8 kilometres
- Difficulty: medium - difficult
The precinct
Lake Idro is just 45 minutes by car from Riva del Garda. If you are on holiday at Lake Garda, you can easily take the 136 hairpin bend trail with you. It's worth spending a whole weekend at Lake Idro. It is one of the cleanest bathing waters in Italy and its mountains are criss-crossed by military trails.
Starting point
Baitoni campsite. From the car park, take the asphalt ascent towards Bondone.
Cable car / shuttle
Not a chance. In your own car, you could drive up the SP58 via Idro to just before the Rifugio Monte Stino. This also saves you the climb over the riverside trail, as you can roll back south to Idro on tarmac in Vesta. However, you would still have to pick up the car afterwards.
Alternative from Vesta: by boat back to Baitoni. The boat stops three times a day on weekdays, four times on Wednesdays and Sundays.
Retreat
Rifugio Monte Stino (1416 m): The hut was renovated in 2014. Delicious homemade cakes, pasta and polenta accompany the beautiful view.
Vesta: After the long descent, the beer at the beach bar tastes great. Dinner is also very tasty in the campsite restaurant, pizza is available until late in the evening. campingmiralago.it
E-MTB info
The tour is then a pleasure with an E if you take the boat back to Baitoni in Vesta. Otherwise, the riverside trail is too dangerous with a heavy bike!
You can find the GPS data for the classic 136-Kehren-Trail in the BIKE tour portal:
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Fancy more trail tours on Lago d'Idro? Click here for a very exciting and lonely 4-day trail tour around Lake Idro.
