Rifugio Cornisello: this road is not for timid drivers
Rifugio Cornisello is a high mountain refuge at an elevation of 2.160m (7,086ft) above the sea level located in Trentino, in northeast Italy. It’s one of the most challenging drives in the country.
Nestled in the northern Italian Alps at the foot of Monte Giner, the winding and curvy road to the hut is mostly paved but very narrow. The final section is unpaved and challenging with some rough sections. The road to the summit is and can be very busy. Unexperienced drivers make this track so dangerous. It’s usually impassable from October to June. The views are really worth it. At the summit there’s a parking lot. The surface of the road is fair but water and holes can appear anytime. At the middle of the climb there’s an unlit one lane tunnel, extremely scary.
The road to the hut running through Val Nambrone was built in the 1950's for the purpose of creating a dam near the Cornisello lakes. It’s the highest paved road in the area. Only the most dangerous turns are protected by guardrails. There are many mountain refuges along the road.
Located within the Parco Naturale Adamello Brenta, the drive offers stunning views of the Brenta Group. The road to the summit is really steep. Starting from the SS239 road on Sant'Antonio di Mavignola, at 1.077m above the sea level, the road is 12.3km long. Over this distance the elevation gain is 1.109m. Over this distance the average gradient is 9,01%.
Pic: Maurizio Campi