Cycling Dolomiti Friulane: Giro del Cansiglio MTB

Started bright and early from La Crosetta and after a couple hundred meters turned right on to the gravel road to Monte Candaglia. Beautiful forest road, mostly level along the side of the ridge. After riding up to Monte Candaglia I continued climbing to the eastern boundary of il Cansiglio, marked with a surveyors stone marker centuries ago.

Back down a bit I turned right on the forest road descending to Val Bona. The road is rougher with larger stones, covered with leaves so you can't avoid them. At Val Bona I continued on Sentiero Alpago Natura to Pian Rosada, where I rejoined the paved road toward Canaie. I tried a couple of side roads I thought might reach Casera Palantina. The first climbs up through Val Seraie to around 1400 meters. From there you'd continue hiking on CAI 984 to Val Friz.

After descending to Canaie I tried another road, climbing up Val de Piera. This ended around 1300 meters, with the possibility of hiking CAI 922 to Casera Palantina. I will have to return and hike it some day.

Now I headed back through Pian Rosada to Campon, where I turned right immediately for Palughetto and on toward Rifugio Mezzomiglio. Very steep climb but paved mostly so no problem on MTB.

My plan was to try the trail from Mezzomiglio to Monte Pizzoc, but things went awry. I crossed the grassy ridge above Mezzomiglio and found the trail I needed, H3. Immediately it became a muddy mire, churned by livestock hooves into an impassable mess. I tried continuing a ways but it just got worse. The H3 trail has no pathway, gravel, etc: just markers showing you the way through the mud. I will come back in the dry season and hike this: there is another parallel trail closer to the cliff edge which crosses Monte Millifret.

Instead, I retraced my steps to another unrideble muddy trail crossing the ridge and descending to Strada Taffarel. I carried my road bike over this short trail a few years ago after climbing to Mezzomiglio and it was less muddy that time of year.

Finally reaching Taffarel I tried to make up time, with only 4 or 5 mud bogs on the road to contend with. Then down the Monte Pizzoc road and up to La Crosetta. Now I'm stanco di morte.