This sunny walk connects the top station of the small Vilpian-Mölten cable car (1,025 m) with the mountain village of Mölten (1,140 m) on the Tschögglberg, a picturesque low mountain range with extensive forests and mountain meadows. The leisurely route follows a small tarmac village road and offers magnificent views of the middle Adige Valley, the neighbouring South Tyrolean Überetsch and the scattered hamlets of the mountain village of Mölten (walking time there and back approx. 2 hours).

Reachability

From Bolzano, take the MeBo expressway towards Merano until you reach Vilpian, where we park in the large visitor car park at the valley station of the Vilpian-Mölten cable car. We take the small cable car (accessible with assistance) to the mountain station at 1,025 metres above sea level, the starting point of our hike.

Description

Starting from the top station of the Vilpian-Mölten cable car, we follow the small tarmac village road towards the village of Mölten (trail marker no. 0). At first, the route winds its way almost flat through a sparse woodland to a slightly exposed spot on a gentle bend, from where you can enjoy a magnificent view of the entire middle Adige Valley: The panoramic view stretches from the broad low-mountain ridge of the Tschögglberg, over the South Tyrolean Überetsch and the Mendel Ridge visible in the distance, right down to the vast apple orchards in the Adige Valley below. From here on, the gradient of the path increases gradually but steadily (10–12%). Passing lush mountain meadows and pastures, scattered farmsteads and farm driveways, we continue our walk towards Mölten. Along the way, wayside crosses and a few benches invite us to stop and rest, and we come across a bus stop on the Tschögglberg route (Falzeben–Hafling–Vöran–Mölten–Jenesien). Our walk then continues at a leisurely pace for a while, before the gradient increases significantly once again just before Mölten (10–12%). Finally, we reach the small village centre of Mölten. We return to our starting point via the same route. Those interested can visit the 260-million-year-old fossils and minerals from the quarry at Möltner Joch at the town hall in Mölten (free admission – accessibility is very limited due to the steep incline in the village centre).