Hikes in Stilfs

The layout of Stilfs is that of a typical Romanesque cluster village, which makes it unique in its overall appearance and most comparable to the villages of central Italy. The houses, which are built close together, are separated from each other by small narrow alleyways. If you want to climb uphill, you can start directly in the village.

The village of Stilfs lies in the Suldental valley, from which the Trafoital valley branches off to the southwest, while the Suldental valley runs to the southeast, creating an impressive fork. Then, in the far south, both valleys are bordered by the mighty main ridge of the Ortler Alps, where some of the highest peaks in the Eastern Alps tower. These include, for example, the Ortler at 3905 meters, the Königsspitze at 3851 meters and the Zebrù at 3735 meters. The border with Switzerland to the west of the municipality runs along the Chavalatsch ridge, whose highest peak is the Rötlspitze at 3026 meters.

Mountain enthusiasts and alpinists will be interested to know that one of six Messner Mountain Museums is also located in the Suldental valley. The MMM Ortles, which is located underground, focuses primarily on ice. Among other things, ice tools from two centuries and the world's largest collection of Ortles pictures can be found here. The Stilfserjoch National Park is particularly interesting for extended hiking tours, because amidst mountain forests, alpine pastures, rocks and glaciers, you can gather plenty of impressions. Whether you are a hiker or an experienced alpinist, everyone will find the right experience on hikes in the national park. Around the Ortles alone there are numerous high pastures and forests, whose hiking trails are well marked and allow hikers to immerse themselves in an impressive world with fantastic views. On a multi-day hike, the Ortler can also be circumnavigated, very good physical condition is a prerequisite here. A highlight is the alpine route to the Cevedale, but this part of the route can also be skipped.

A popular hiking trail leads from Solda over the alpine pastures to Prad am Stilfserjoch. Always along the slope, the trail leads north for a good 15 km, 540 meters up and then 1475 meters down. At the starting point, the route can be combined with a visit to the museum before continuing to Prad through alpine pastures, coniferous forests and with a good view of the highest peaks. The tour ends with an excellent view over the Vinschgau Valley. Another beautiful round tour with a rustic hut stop leads on the other side of the valley from Stilfs over southern and eastern slopes up to the picturesquely situated Stilfser Alm.

Those who want to walk in the footsteps of history can take old sections of the historic Alpine traverse route under their boots on the Archaikweg circular hike. The trail starts in Prad and leads from there to the Suldenbach bridge and along signposted hiking trails to Stilfs. The tour has a length of 14 km and is classified as medium in terms of difficulty. After all, 800 meters of altitude have to be overcome both upwards and downwards. Experienced hikers are on the way here for just under 5 hours.