San Marco Mountain Tips – Pala Alta
Pala Alta is an impressive rock wall, which towers over the surrounding Pre-Alps in the Dolomiti Bellunesi National Park. The most easily accessible side is facing south and allows you to undertake a hike among mountain pine forests, steep slopes and a few drops. At the top you may be lucky enough to meet some chamois.
The hike starts from Pian de Fraina in the hamlet of Bart, 11Km far from Belluno. After parking your car, we will set out together with Elena De Faveri (@elena_peacock_) along the well-marked 590 trail towards Forcella San Giorgio. After reaching the pass we will continue to climb, overcoming a short passage with the help of an iron cable, and a stony gully, following a track that becomes always more slender. That is how we will reach a small wind gap, which serves as a nice stopping place with a beautiful view over the Serva and Terne mountains. Moving towards left we will get to a distinctive rock called “bareta del prete”, named after the square-shaped cap once worn by priests.
Going around the left side of this rock formation we will reach the foresummit, from which you can already see the summit of Burel.
After passing a small slot, we will reach a large peak that allows you to enjoy the view in all its glory: the impressive vertical wall of the Burel and the stunning overhang over Valle de Piero.
We used San Marco Civetta hiking boots for this hike. The Vibram sole ensures an optimal grip and the shock-absorbing technology allows you to easily tackle different soil types, including passageways between small rocks and gullies. The heel features a design developed to ensure effective and safe braking, even when going down steep slopes.
This hike is quite strenuous, yet fairly easy with the exception of some sections equipped with cables, which can be a bit challenging in icy conditions. The distance is 6,5Km and the destination can be reached in 3 hours from the starting point.