The long mountain ridge that towers above the northeast shores of Lake Garda is known as Monte Baldo. Ironically, the name doesn’t refer to its baldness (although the upper slopes are treeless), rather, it comes from the German word wald meaning forest. The Monte Baldo ridge reaches its highest point at Cima Valdritta (2218m), one of five significant summits that punctuate the ridge.
Baldo is a hiking and mountain-biking paradise thanks to a combination of Google Earth lake views, well-maintained trails and easy access to high alpine terrain via the Monte Baldo cable car located at 1760m. From the summit station, hiking trails fan out in all directions including along the narrow ridge to the summit. Mountain bikers prefer the tumbling single-track descents that head down towards the base terminus in Malcesine. Another popular way of descending is by paragliding off the ridge utilising the thermals that caress the slopes on this part of the lake.
