The Trail of the Big Trees winds through a breathtaking landscape: the quiet and gentle Montagnole Plateau at the foot of the rugged Tre Croci mountain range. It offers wide pastures, small mountain lakes and alpine pools, ancient mountain huts, views of the Piccole Dolomiti... and of course, as the name suggests, a plethora of majestic, ancient trees: beech, ash, lime, and many other species. Information panels describe the most impressive trees encountered and other points of interest related to ancient mountain life.
The complete and official trail, which passes all the numbered panels, begins at the disused Chalet di Recoaro Mille and ends at the Rifugio Battisti. The first section, however, offers little, is expendable and forgotten. It can be significantly shortened, both in length and elevation gain, by choosing various starting points (the figures are approximate and refer to the total round trip): • from Recoaro Mille (full route), 22km 710m elevation gain; • from Pizzegora (large parking lot), 17km 580m elevation gain; • from the Malga Sebe curve (small parking lot), 14km 510m elevation gain; • from Trattoria La Gabiola or Casare Asnicar 12km 440m elevation gain. The latter is the shortest and most popular option, ideal for families: it's the segment indicated in the highlight.
The route is not very well indicated: the map on the panel is very stylized, and a couple of forks in the road can confuse hikers. In particular, at Malga Morando, you can choose whether to continue on the forest road to the right or to ascend the path on the left that passes near the 'giàsara'. Further on, at Malga Rove Alta, you can choose the lower route to the right, easier and suitable for mountain bikes, which follows a wide dirt forest road with ups and downs and finally climbs onto a paved road. Alternatively, you can choose the higher route to the left, which immediately climbs to altitude and then continues flat at the foot of Mount Zevola, crossing a couple of gravel ruts caused by landslides. Ultimately, all roads lead to the Battisti Refuge: we recommend diversifying your outward and return routes to explore all the alternatives.
This is a popular weekend hike throughout the year due to its easy accessibility, from spring blossoms to winter snowshoe hikes. It's especially a must for autumn foliage lovers, due to the variety and spectacular nature of the trees.
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