Odle and Adolf Munkel Trail - Loop from Zannes in Val di Funes

• The Goal: To climb from Zannes up to the Adolf Munkel Trail, follow it west to the Gschnagenhardt and Geisleralm huts, then descend back to Zannes via the Glatsch Alm, with no lift.
• The Route Data:
  • Start/End: Zannes car park, at the head of Val di Funes (loop)
  • How to get to the start: By car or by bus (see below).
  • Sequence: Zannes car park -> Zanser Schwaige -> climb up to the Adolf Munkel Trail -> Adolf Munkel Trail heading west -> Gschnagenhardt Alm (Malga Casnago), around the high point at 2,012 m6,601 ft -> Geisleralm (Rifugio delle Odle) -> descent via the Glatsch Alm (Malga Glatsch) -> back to Zannes.
  • Distance: 9.6 km6 mi, measured on this page's track
  • Elevation: +451 m1,480 ft ascent / -448 m1,470 ft descent.
  • Duration: allow about 3.5 hours of walking, not counting breaks.
• The Reality: Most of the climbing comes at the start: from Zannes, you gain about 200 m656 ft to reach the Adolf Munkel Trail. On the trail itself, you gain only a hundred metres or so over a few kilometres, beneath the spires: this is where you will spend the most time stopping. The Gschnagenhardt Alm and the Geisleralm, at the high point of the loop, are the natural lunch stop; the Glatsch Alm comes next, on the descent. Check that they are open before counting on them.

The loop covers only part of the Adolf Munkel Trail and does not go above 2,012 m6,601 ft. If you already know Seceda, this is the other face of the Odle: you look at them from below, instead of walking along their crest.

No bikes: the Puez-Odle Nature Park regulations (art. 7), published by the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, ban cycling on the Adolf Munkel Trail.

No camping: the same regulations ban camping in a tent or caravan in the park, except for alpine bivouacking. The loop, for its part, is done in a day.

The official Adolf Munkel Trail runs from the Brogles hut (Brogleshütte) to Rifugio Genova (Schlüterhütte). The loop on this page follows only part of it. Walking it in full means doing a traverse: arrange your return to your starting point before you set off.

With young children, do an out-and-back rather than the loop: climb from Zannes up to the Adolf Munkel Trail, follow it for as long as you feel like it, then return the same way. The climb at the start is the steepest part; after that, the trail barely rises.

The Zannes car park is paid. Some of the spaces can be booked online; the rest are allocated on site, first come, first served. A booking is final: it is not refunded if you do not turn up. Booking: Val di Funes tourist office.

In 2026, a traffic light at Ranui shows whether you can still drive up:

• Green: drive up to Zannes and pay for your ticket on site.
• Red: the car park is full, car access is only possible with a booking.

Red light, no booking: park in Santa Maddalena (Ranui, Putzen or Filler car parks), then walk up or take bus 330, which runs up to Zannes every hour in 2026. In a van or motorhome, no booking is possible: the ticket is bought on site, at a separate rate, subject to the spaces remaining.

Bus 330 serves Zannes from Val di Funes. Check the day's timetable on Südtirol Mobil: it changes with the season. Going by bus spares you the question of the traffic light and the car park.

If you are staying in Val Gardena, Val di Funes is the neighbouring valley: our Ortisei hiking guide explains why it is worth a whole day, Santa Maddalena church included.

Aim for summer and early autumn. Outside that period, ask the Val di Funes tourist office about snow before you set off. In high summer, start early or book your space: when the Zannes car park is full, the Ranui light turns red.

The loop climbs above 2,000 m6,562 ft. Look at the day's forecast before you set off and turn back if storms are forecast.