The Livigno Loop

• When to go: this loop can be ridden as soon as the high passes are clear of snow, generally between May and October, depending on the weather. However, I can highly recommend reserving this route for the first or second week of October, with fall in full force and an abundance of color being displayed in an almost theatrical performance by Mother Nature. The European larch that grow this route displays a striking yellow transformation that’s not to be missed. Find a handy local weather webcam here.
• What bike: climbing is your main focus, so bring plenty of gears. Surface-wise, a rigid mountain bike with tubeless tires, or any sort of suspension option from there on, will set you up very well for the terrain.
• Travel basics: Milano Centrale train station serves as the best way to the Livigno Loop because of the frequent Trenord regional trains to and from Tirano. Bikes are transported free of charge on this trajectory. Flying into one of Milano’s airports and connecting to this train is by far the easiest way of making it there, although you may consider arriving entirely by train if traveling from within Europe.
• Cooking: the easiest way to cook on this loop would be to bring a gas stove and purchase a large canister at a Decathlon in Milano. You’ll likely have enough gas for the entire trip this way, without the need to refill/repurchase.
• Weather conditions: the Alps can be quite unpredictable at times, especially in late summer with frequent showers and thunderstorms as heat gets trapped in the Po Basin. However, if you follow my recommendation to ride this loop in the fall and can plan for a sunny weather window, you’re in for a treat.
• Steepness Hike-a-Bike: the loop contains a few sections you’ll probably walk, and has a steep overall elevation profile. Gavia’s downhill segment is an MTB trail that you’d really only ride with years of downhill experience. The segment up to Lago di Cancano is very steep. The way up to and through Val Minor is mostly unridable, and the hike-a-bike to Val Viola Pass is tough!
• Dangers: some trails are dangerous in how narrow they are, requiring confident riding or walking so as not to slip on their steep slopes. Namely, the forest singletrack segments after kilometers 17.4 and 28.6 require extra attention.
• Annoyances: a minor annoyance is that after the 10th of October, until early May or in some cases June, most mountain huts along the loop are closed. But wild camping will be easier because of this.
• Sfazù – Alp Camp PostBus service

• Wild camping: although not officially allowed in most of Europe, at high elevation in the Alps during the off-season, you likely won’t have any trouble finding a quiet pitch for the night. In fact, I lived some of my most spectacular camp nights in Italy on this loop. Practice LNT principles, refrain from making fires, and never leave anything behind.
• Lodging: there are several lodging options available in the form of mountain rifugios or hotels on the passes or in the valley towns. I didn’t use any, but I’ve marked a few I would’ve liked to stay at on the route map.

• Bars: I love Italian gastronomy, and much of it is available in these mountains, albeit a bit more basic. Each morning, I found a bar (all marked on the map) that served a sweet breakfast and flavorful coffee, with the occasional savory options. Pizzerias in Tirano and Livigno are worthy stopping points. Mountain huts along the way serve heartier dishes, often meat-based, and when combined with lodging, can reduce or completely eliminate the need for cooking or camping.
• Water: is plentiful in the Alps all year-round, to be found in every town and along many trails. I’ve marked the ones I found on the map.
• Resupply: the supermarket in Livigno is a great midpoint resupply.

This loop is best ridden with ease of climbing in mind. The many meters of elevation gain can prove an enormous challenge, as can the average steep gradient of each climb. Therefore, I recommend the following itinerary to guarantee both better camp spots (or rifugio stays) and a feeling of accomplishment every day:

location Tirano – Motti del Laghetto

Day 1 (10 mi +4,771 ft)

Assuming arrival in Tirano by regional train from Milano, utilize the afternoon by having a pizza lunch in town before scaling the 1,500-meter climb that awaits you right outside of town. Pitch your tent somewhere at the top and wave the mountains goodnight.

location Motti del Laghetto – Lago Bianco

Day 2 (33 mi +6,960 ft)

You’ll have to push your bike up and down some sketchy singletrack this morning, in particular the forest trail down to Monno, but breakfast awaits you at La Taverna del Gatto Nero. Then starts the long climb to Passo Gavia, with the steeper bits commencing beyond Ponte di Legno. If you manage to complete the ±1,700-meter climb this day, you’ll be rewarded with either a stay at Rifugio Bonetta or a pitch somewhere along the trail curving around beautiful Lago Bianco.

location Lago Bianco – Rifugio Solena

Day 3 (23 mi +3,272 ft)

With either a breakfast at Rifugio Bonetta or something self-made in your tummy, set in for a long trajectory of trail riding down the hiking track from Lago Bianco. This’ll be steep in many places, likely forcing you to hike your bike a lot, so take your time. Once you ride into Santa Catarina, make sure to stop at Bar Centro along the river and try one of their delicious Paninis. Following the track heading west, descend to Bormio and climb the steep trajectory to Rifugio Solena, to stay the night. If camping, you may be able to find a pitch in the area ahead of the rifugio to guarantee yourself coffee and cake the following morning.

location Rifugio Solena – Piz Lagalb

Day 4 (24 mi +3,241 ft)

Start it with coffee and cake at Rifugio Solena! Then ride along the two lakes, climb over Passo di Valle Alpisella, and descend into Livigno for a pizza lunch. Depending on how much time this takes, you’ll have a chance at riding up Forcola di Livigno Pass, where you may cross into Switzerland following the hiking trail from the road. A little bit of hike-a-biking later, you’ll find yourself overlooking a magnificent spectacle of mountains marking the Italian-Swiss border, and can pitch your tent above 2,400 meters for a chilly night under the stars. If you’re planning for accommodation, your best bet is to continue the hike-a-bike around Piz Lagalb, take a left when reaching the road, and climb up to Hotel Bernina Hospiz.

location Piz Lagalb – Ristoro Alpe Campo

Day 5 (23 mi +3,662 ft)

Hike-a-biking your way over the trail around Piz Lagalb, you’ll find the famous Bernina Express rail alongside a selection of trails leading you to the southside of Lago Bianco, followed by a fantastic descend that goes by Belvedere (Alp Grüm) rifugio (a pricy but lovely lunch spot) and down to San Carlo. Here starts the last rough climb, about 1,350 meters, up to the border with Italy at Passo Val Viola. From Sfazù, you can reserve a local van with your bike on the Swiss PostBus service to Val Camp and skip this 330-meter climb, but I found it way easier than expected and would encourage you to ride it. You could sleep at Ristoro Alpe Campo, or continue to Lagh da Val Viola to find a quiet pitch.

location Ristoro Alpe Campo – Tirano

Day 6 (31 mi +2,707 ft)

A tough hike-a-bike up to Passo Val Viola awaits, and will likely take you a few hours. But the top promises a sweet descent before climbing over Passo di Verva as your last ascent on the route. From here on out, you’ll be descending a total of about 1,850 meters back down to Tirano, comprising flowing forest doubletrack, smooth roads, fun bits of trail, town labyrinths, and an excellent final bike lane into town. Treat yourself to another pizza if you’re in time for lunch, or hop on the next train back to civilization!

Route alternatives

If you can’t squeeze the entire loop into your planning, you could use the road between Bormio and Arnoga as a shortcut to stay within Italy and shorten the route by a few days, never seeing Livigno. When coming from Switzerland, you could start and end at the Bernina Pass at Lago Bianco and use the same Arnoga-Bormio shortcut, staying on the northern side of the route that passes through Livigno instead.