733. Riva del Garda - Prè - Passo Guil - Pregasina

The trail starts out on the lake front in Riva del Garda, in front of the Garda Trentino tourist information office. Take the cycle path which leads along Viale della Liberazione towards the centre of Riva. Pass the imposing structure of the Rocca and Piazza 3 Novembre, coming to the main road Gardesana Occidentale at the harbour. From here, follow the main road to the south for a few hundred metres. Before you reach the first tunnel on the Gardesana, keep to the right and take a steep cobbled ramp which leads to the start of the famous “Ponale” trail. This stretch of the route, on a dirt road, has spectacular views.

Without any alternative trail suitable for a bike we come to the end of the dirt road at the Ponale Alto Belvedere snack bar. At the nearby junction, keep right in the direction of Lake Ledro. You come to the main road at the exit of the tunnel and follow it uphill for a few hundred metres, then turning left in the direction of Pregasina. Immediately after you cross the bridge, take the dirt road on your right. Following the clear signposting you soon come to Pre. The signposting tells you to take a sharp left, but before continuing on the ascent, you can fill up on water at the cool fountain at the entrance to the town. From here on, the going gets really tough: as far as Leano the gradient is around 20%, on a cemented or cobbled surface, and there is no let up. Once you come to the small village, keep to the main road which then becomes a dirt road leading in the direction of Passo Guil. Once you go over the pass, the worst is behind you. Keep to the left, always sticking to the main track until you come to Passo Rocchetta. There are some rather exposed stretches here but the track is always fairly wide and easy. The final few metres of ascent which take you the gap of Passo Rocchetta are steep and quite technical, even with the help of pedal assist, and require a certain amount of commitment and technique. Otherwise, you can always push the bike the short distance. Once you have passed the bar, there are two possible ways down to  Malga Palaer. Follow directions and take the trail on the left, the other one is exclusively for hikers. This section is the most technical part of the trail, you will come across lots of roots, steps, rocks and some narrow bends. When you get to the forest road, keep to the right until you come to  Malga Palaer. Signposting on this trail sends you downward on the forest road as far as Bocca Larici. Here you are in one of the loveliest panoramic spots in all of Lake Garda: Punta Larici.

The trail is still following the forest road, downhill as far as the town of Pregasina. Cross the centre where there are other places to stop off for refreshments, and then continue on downhill along the main road. On this downhill stretch of paved road there are a number of blind bends, the road is rather narrow, and apart from pedestrians and bikes, you might also come across some cars. Shortly after you pass the panoramic viewing point with the big statue of Regina Mundi near the start of the tunnel to Val di ledro, turn right and take the old road, now closed to traffic. This takes you straight back to the junction you came to at the start of the ascent near the snack bar. Follow your tracks back along the spectacular Vecchia Ponale trail to Riva and the point where you started from.