There are mountain trips that are special and remain in your heart: the one to the Silverster Alm, in the San Silvestro Valley, just above Toblach, in the Pustertal, is definitely one of these!

Silvester Alm, Dobbiaco, Val Pusteria: a beautiful trek in the snow

It is not true that mountain excursions are serious, significant and satisfying only if they reach high altitude peaks, or if they have a high technical difficulty.

A trek in the San Silvestro valley is proof of this. Recently, I had the opportunity to take a beautiful walk in this valley, in a fairy-tale snowy landscape.

The San Silvestro valley is perhaps an underrated one. Those who arrive in Val Pusteria, in Toblach or Innichen, often end up planning their own excursions, preferring the most famous and touristic destinations, such as those around the Sesten Dolomites, Val Fiscalina, Braies, etc. Even if I have been frequenting Val Pusteria for many years, I had until now guiltily neglected the San Silvestro valley.

And instead this valley gave me a day of authentic mountain, made of nature, silence and landscapes still quite uncontaminated, profoundly different and "far" from those mountain places that have now been transformed into a sort of playground.

The hike to Silvester Alm is technically trivial, and requires modest physical effort. Especially in summer. In winter, the more or less abundant snow cover (the valley remains partly in the shade, in the winter months) can make the progression slower and more tiring (but without particular problems). It is also an excellent route to approach the use of snowshoes. The use of crampons, uphill, although not essential, can guarantee greater grip on the snow, and therefore faster progression. On the descent, however, it is preferable to have a free foot, to slide in a controlled manner, and descend more quickly.

Therefore, there is no need to dwell too much on the description of the itinerary. I also refer you to the map of our hike below.

You can even start walking from the center of Dobbiaco to get to the Alm, although this lengthens the route quite a bit, and you follow the paved road for the first part of the hike. We preferred to arrive at the small parking lot (paid in summer, €4/day), at the Schnegga Soge hut, which, in summer, is also a pleasant refreshment point. From here, due to the snow, it took us about 1.5 hours to reach the Malga, and just under an hour to go down. In summer, the ascent time is probably reduced to an hour. The difference in altitude is modest, and is equal to about 300 meters. Keep in mind that, in summer, the parking lot probably fills up quickly.

Shortly after the parking lot, you take the agro-silvo-pastoral road, accessible only to authorized vehicles, which heads east, and which, in winter, shortly after the parking lot, is covered in snow (it is not cleared by snowplows), in the case of recent snowfalls.

We happened to do the excursion a few days after a snowfall, and the scene that we enjoyed along the route was breathtaking. The road mostly follows the stream that runs through the Valley, oriented East-West, and then sheltered to the South by the modest crest of mountains that culminates in Innichen Mount/Monte San Candido (another possible destination for an easy excursion). The road passes through a forest of red firs, and in several places remains in the shade, with a longer permanence of the fallen snow. In winter, it can be cold in this first initial part of the track, at least until you warm up adequately, by walking. So, dress appropriately.

The road climbs constantly, but never without too demanding climbs. Adequate signage at the forks indicates the correct direction (always follow path no. 1, for the Silvester Alm).

After about 3 kms, and an hour of walking, you pass a gate at the fence that delimits the summer pasture. The landscape opens up, and the road begins to turn north, first slightly, then more decisively. The blue sky and the white blanket of snow on the meadows, and on the trees, here, offered us an even more amazing view.

A few more steps, and once the road has turned sharply north, the Malga finally appears, a beautiful building in light wood, almost reddish, which stands out, wonderful, in the middle of the white snow. A wide curve to the right then takes you to the Alm/Malga, unfortunately closed in winter. We consumed our Tyrolean snack...., blissfully stretched out in the sun.

The return is via the same route. If you have time, you can also reach the Steinbergalm, a mountain hut at 1975 meters above sea level (also open only in summer), or you can complete a circular route, also touching the Chapel of San Silvestro.

Enjoy your walk. Fabio