Rifugio Caltena → Croce del Padèla
Rifugio Caltena - Croce del Padèla
Pale Alte Chain,Upper Primiero
gian • 05/07/2020
Details
- Sport
- Hike
- Rating
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Duration
- 01:30 hrs
- Length
- 2.9 km
- Vertigo
- A little
- Min. elevation
- 1265 m
- Max. elevation
- 1867 m
- Elevation gain
- 575 m
- Elevation loss
- 10 m
- Car park
- View on Gmaps
Terrain
- 90%
- 5%
- 5%
- Forest
- Grass
- Rock
Seasons
- jan
- feb
- mar
- apr
- may
- jun
- jul
- aug
- sep
- oct
- nov
- dec
Signposts
Description
This itinerary describes the easiest and most popular access route to the iron cross of Croce del Padèla, starting from the location of Caltena / Sant’Antonio. Croce del Padèla – or Croce Padella, depending on the toponymy – is located in the mountain group of Pale Alte, on the westernmost shoulder of the peak of Cimón di Fradusta (1,861 m asl), near the saddle that separates the summit from that of the Sasso Padella ( 1,748 m asl). The imposing and illuminated iron cross is visible from the bottom of Primiero Valley, looking E, on the top of a rather unimpressive wooded relief. Given the lack of immediate alternatives to get back to the starting point, the route simply involves a round trip along the same path.
The itinerary starts from the hut of Rifugio Caltena (1,265 m asl), easily accessible by own means and located in the middle of the beautiful and open towards the mountain range of Vette Feltrine meadows of Sant’Antonio, between the municipalities of Mezzano and Primiero San Martino di Castrozza. The route starts towards N, along the path of the Signpost No. 744 “Alessandro Miola” which, after having skirted the hollow of the meadow where the hut stands and having entered the forest, reaches the small gap called Sforzelìn de la Chegantàia (1,295 m asl), where it meets a crossroads. From here, the itinerary proceeds to the right, towards E, always following the Signpost No. 744, which begins to climb steeper in the forest, following the natural line traced by the southern ridge of Col Guión. Once you reach the mount of Col Guión (1,527 m asl), the path continues until it leads to the gap called Sella Alta de la Val dei Pradi, where there is a crossroads with a barely visible track that descends to the left towards Val Ombría.
After passing the gap, the climb resumes steeply on the southern side of Mount Padella, bypassing the rocky slopes that overlook the nearby Valley of Giasinòzza and Caltena. A last stretch of relatively impervious climb, where metal ropes are also available, leads to the small fork that separates the peak of Cimón di Fradusta from the small promontory located on its westernmost shoulder, where the imposing iron cross is located. The cross is just a few meters away from the fork. From the iron cross of Croce del Padèla (1,867 m asl), you can admire what is perhaps the best viewpoint over the entire Primiero Valley, with a view that extends to Passo Rolle and Val Canali to the N and Vette Feltrine to S.
From the cross, it is sufficient to head back by retracing the Signpost No. 744 towards Rifugio Caltena.
Paths
- From the hut of Rifugio Caltena (1,265 m asl), go up along the path of the Signpost No. 744 “Alessandro Miola” towards Croce del Padèla (1,867 m asl) [1h 30]. ✓
