Overview
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About the hike
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General information
Geisler Alm or Rifugio Odle is a Rifugio located in Val di Funes, South Tyrol. It is one of the most picturesque Rifugio’s in the Dolomites and it is run by the Runggatscher family. Besides taking beautiful pictures here, you can also enjoy a drink or some delicious food while enjoy a magnificent view. It is a famous area to enjoy numerous of hikes. The best way to reach Geisler Alm, is by hiking Adolf Munkel Weg. This trail was created in 1905 and named after Adolf Munkel, a notable German mountaineer. There are a few variations of the Adolf Munkel Weg and you can choose between a regular, shorter route of 9km and an extended route of 16km. Most people hike the Adolf Munkel Weg clockwise, but you can hike the loop in both directions. So, if you want to avoid the crowds, you can choose to do the hike counter-clockwise. In this blog post, we tell you everything you need to know to reach Geisler Alm along the shorter and easier route, starting from the Zannes Car Park going clockwise.
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The Adolf Munkel Weg to Geisler Alm
The Adolf Munkel Weg starts at the Zannes Car Park in Val di Funes. From here, you take trail #6 to Geisler Alm/Rifugion delle Odle. This is a gravel path that turns into a wooden boardwalk and passes through some small gates. Keep following this path until you reach a bridge.
Here, you turn right and start ascending a gravel path in the woods for around 1,8km until you reach a trail junction. You cross the stone bridge and turn left to following the Adolf Munkel Weg, trail #35. From this point, you keep following the arrows indicating Trail #35. The path becomes a bit more challenging and uneven, with larger stones and tree roots on the way. Don’t forget to look around and enjoy the impressive views on the mountains and Val di Funes.
After a while, you come across another junction in the trail. Here, you can choose between going left (#35 and #36) and take the trail that also passes Gschnagenhardt Alm (and the posibility to continue to Brogles Alm) or you can go right (#36A), which is a more direct route to Geisler Alm. Because we were a bit under time pressure, we took the right path. Although, we have heard that the left path has more beautiful views and brings you to Geisler Alm too. After approximately 5,3 kilometers and 1,5hrs of hiking from the car park, you arrive at Geisler Alm.
To complete the loop and get back to the parking lot, you can continue your hike following trail #36 to Ranui and Zannes until you arrive back at the Zannes Car Park after around 1hr. This part of the path goes down quite steeply. So be careful and take your time to enjoy the path.
Note
The shortest route to Geisler Alm is to start counter-clockwise on trail #36 from the car park. After 3,7 km you arrive at Geisler Alm and you can then go the same way back. This means it is only a total of 7.2 kilometers of hiking. However, we thought the Adolf Munkel Road was a really beautiful hike, so we definitely recommend that you do the entire loop hike.
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Best time to visit Geisler Alm
You can hike the Adolf Munkel trail from early June until mid/late October, depending on the snow conditions. During the peak summer months, it can get crowded in the Dolomites, so you can expect more people on the trail and at Geisler Alm. Therefore, we recommend you to go at the beginning or the end of hiking season. Depending on the weather, the first half of October might be the best time to hike the trail.
Geisler Alm is most magical during sunrise and sunset, when the mountain peaks are illuminated by a beautiful golden glow. If you start hiking 3 hours before sunrise or sunset, you will definitely arrive in time to experience this beautiful spectacle and you will probably meet fewer people along the way.
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How to get there
You can park your car at Zannes/Zans Car park. This is also where you start the hike. You have to pay the parking fee at the entrance of the parking lot upon arrival.
The daily rate is €10 for cars and €25 for Campervans.
This pin is the starting point on Google Maps.
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Tips & Safety considerations
Important hiking tips!
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