Sass de Putia Loop - Circuit via the Passo delle Erbe

• The Goal: To walk all the way around the Sass de Putia, crossing the Forcella de Putia, then return through the pastures and huts on the east side and the Passo delle Erbe.
• The Route Data:
  • Start/End: Gunggan car park and bus stop, on the pass road (SP29), at 1,810 m5,938 ft, about 2 km1.2 mi as the crow flies before the Passo delle Erbe (loop)
  • How to get to the start: By car or by bus (see below).
  • Sequence: Gunggan -> climb to the Forcella de Putia, the high point of the loop at around 2,340 m7,677 ft -> descent on the east side -> Ütia Vaciara -> Ütia de Göma -> Munt de Fornella -> Passo delle Erbe (Würzjoch) -> descent to Gunggan.
  • Distance: 14.6 km9.1 mi, measured on this page's track
  • Elevation: +681 m2,234 ft gain / -683 m2,241 ft loss.
  • Duration: allow about 5 hours 20 minutes of walking, not counting breaks.
• The Reality: All the effort comes at the start: from Gunggan, the loop climbs in one go, about 530 m1,739 ft over 2.5 km1.6 mi, up to the Forcella de Putia, through the scree. Allow about 1 hour 40 minutes for this climb. After that, the loop stays around 2,000 m6,562 ft and barely climbs again: this is the part to savour, from one hut to the next. From the pass, the loop heads back down to Gunggan in nearly 3 km1.9 mi of walking.

The three huts on the east side follow one another over the second half of the loop: this is where you stop for lunch. Their opening depends on the season: check with each hut before counting on a hot meal.

No camping: the Puez-Odle Nature Park regulations, published by the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, forbid tent camping in the park, except for alpine bivouacking. The loop is done in a day.

Skip the Forcella: drive or take the bus up to the Passo delle Erbe, then follow the loop in reverse towards Munt de Fornella and the Ütia de Göma, as far as you like, and come back the same way. This section stays around 2,000 m6,562 ft, without any big climb: you keep the best of the pastures and huts, without the effort of the Forcella.

The climb to the summit is not part of the loop. It is for experienced hikers only: ask locally before attempting it.

If you are looking for another loop in the same park, shorter and without a steep climb, the Adolf Munkel trail runs along the foot of the Odle, from the Val di Funes.

Park at the Gunggan car park, on the pass road (SP29), about 2 km1.2 mi as the crow flies before the Passo delle Erbe: this is the start of the loop.

For the short version, drive up to the pass. Parking there is limited and IDM Südtirol points out that parking on the roadside is fined. In summer, arrive early or take the bus.

For the full loop, get off at the Gunggan stop, on the pass road; check that your bus stops there. The pass itself is served from both sides:

• From Bressanone and the Val di Funes: line 339, via St. Peter.
• From the Val Badia: in summer, line 464 links Antermoia with the pass, from the Pikolein cable car.

Coming from the Val Badia, start the loop at the pass: it goes through there, and you walk it in the same direction down to Gunggan and then up to the Forcella.

Timetables change with the season: check the day's times on Südtirol Mobil, especially the time of the last bus, before setting off on a loop of more than five hours.

If you are staying in the Val Badia, our Alta Badia hiking guide covers other hikes around Corvara.

Aim for summer and early autumn. The bus calendar is a good guide: in 2026, the pass is served from the Val Badia by line 464 from mid-June to early October (from early September, change at Antermoia to line 339), and from the Val di Funes by line 339 from May to November. Outside these dates, plan on driving.

The loop goes above 2,300 m7,546 ft at the Forcella. The day before, check the snow line in the Province of Bolzano mountain weather: if it drops towards the Forcella early or late in the season, give up on the full loop and do the short version.