Malga Ces – Cavallazza – Lago della Cavallazza – Laghetti di Colbricón

September 3, 2019 | by gi4n

Details

Location San Martino di Castrozza

Features Lagorai, history

Track Condition Well marked and signed

Vertigo Level 1/5

Terrain (Forest) 40%

Terrain (Grass) 40%

Terrain (Rock) 20%

Terrain (Urban) -

Length 9.3 km

Duration 4h

Elev Gain 687 m

Elev Loss 687 m

Max Elevation 2 324 m

Min Elevation 1 670 m

Car Park 46.270667, 11.773930

Start

Description

This route starts from the hut of Malga Ces (1,670 m. a.s.l.), one of the classic starting points for hiking on the northern side of the mountain range of Lagorai. The hut is located at the edge of the village of San Martino di Castrozza. The hike, fully developing in the Lagorai range, goes to the summit of Cavallazza, then continues passing by the lake of Cavallazza, for then passing by the alpine and very tourist lakes of Colbricón, in its final stretch.

The walk starts from Malga Ces. In the beginning, the hike starts by ascending along the Valbonéta ski slope (north-west direction). After a few hundred meters, on the right, the trail of the Signpost No. 348 starts, leading to the ridge of Cavallazza. Right before the hut of Rifugio Laghi di Colbricón and after passing through the location called Pian delle Cartucce, the path arrives at a crossroads, which allows to reach the summit of Cavallazza (2,324 m a.s.l.) by simply following the signs.

From the extremely panoramic top of Cavallazza (2,324 m a.s.l.), after a short descent, the trail approaches a small gap. From the gap, by following the signs towars Passo Rolle, the path, never exposed, runs along the western sides of Cavallazza Piccola and Tognàzza, passing through the beautiful lake called Lago della Cavallazza and then arriving in Passo Rolle.

From Passo Rolle, the hike descends through the Ferrari ski slope until reaching the start of the Paradiso ski slope cable car. From here, simply follow the Signpost No. 348, which leads to the beautiful lakes of Colbricón and the nearby hut of Rifugio Laghi di Colbricón.

From the lakes of Colbricón, the trail continues along the Signpost No. 348 which follows in reverse order the same initial stretch of the hike, leading directly to Malga Ces.

This loop is also one of the routes proposed by Ces Trail, under the name of “Giro della Grande Guerra”.

Paths

From Malga Ces (1.670 m a.s.l.), ascend along the ski slope of Valbonéta (heading north-west) until the path of the Signpost No. 348,
Follow the Signpost No. 348 first towards Laghetti di Colbricón, then the path to Cima della Cavallàzza,
From the summit of Cavallàzza (2.324 m a.s.l.), follow the signs towards Passo Rolle, passing by the lake called Lago della Cavallazza,
From Passo Rolle (1,970 m a.s.l.), descend along the ski slope Paradiso, until reaching the Signpost No. 348,
Follow the Signpost No. 348 towards Laghetti di Colbricón,
From the lakes of Colbricón, keep the same direction while descending along the first stretch of the hike, on the Signpost No. 348 towards Malga Ces. ✓

LAKES OF COLBRICÓN

The small lakes called Laghetti di Colbricón (also known as Laghi di Colbricón) are two cute alpine lakes at 1,909 and 1,922 mt. of altitude.
On June 18, 1971, during a day of fishing at the Colbricón lake, Gian Luigi Secco from San Martino di Castrozza found a strange stone by the water stream feeding the largest lake. The stone, a flint apparently worked by human hands, was examined with Luigi’s uncle. At first, the two thought it was a random discovery. However, later they made another inspection by the lakes. At the end, 57 worked flints were found around the Colbricón lake. The worked stones date back to 6.500 BC, when Mesolithic hunters set up summer camps located in one of the most interesting high-altitude gap of the eastern part of the Lagorai mountain range, namely the Passo di Colbricón.

THE GREAT WAR ON THE COLBRICÓN

The mountain ridge starting from Colbricón and ending in Passo Rolle, that belongs to the mountain range of Lagorai, was part of the front line during the Great War.
During the First World War, before Italy joined the conflict in 1915, the peak of Cavallazza was used to be an Austro-Hungarian military outpost. The outpost, with its articulated system of trenches and tunnels, was strategically located above the access to Passo Rolle, in defense of the valley of the Travignòlo stream.
During the autumn of 1915, after the fall and the consequent capture of the mountain of Castelàz by the Italian troops, the Austro-Hungarian soldiers were forced to retreat from Passo Rolle, after the pass became a weak spot of the newly created front. On 21 July 1916, the Italian troops striked against the installations on the peak of Cavallazza, managing to take it, together with the entire ridge from the mountain of Colbricón up to Passo Rolle. Right after, due to Austro-Hungarian reinforcements, the Italian offensive was stopped, freezing the front line on the ridge of Colbricón.