Karerpass
aka pso di Costalunga
Karerpass is the main traffic route between the Bozen
(Bolzano) area and the val di Fassa in the dolomites. It can
have quite a bit of traffic, including buses and trucks. The
route is heavily commercialized. At the beginning of the
western approach are two long tunnels, that are open to
bicycles or can be portaged and cycled around. Taking this
old, partially abandoned road around the tunnels just may be
the most interesting part of Karerpass.
 |
1.(00.0km,265m)
START-END EAST: Bozen: bike path west of downtown
2.(04.0km,297m) Route turns up Eggental in Karneid
(Comedo Al I'sarco)
3.(15.9km,890m)Birchabruck
4.(29.7km,1712m) Nigerstrasse to Nigerpass diverts
to north
5.(30.5km,1752m)TOP: Passo Costalunga
6.(39.8km,1359m)START-END WEST: jct SS241 - Via
Dolmiti in San Giovanni |
Approaches
From West. Finding the entrance to the Eggental from
the luxurious biketrail from Bozen is not exactly easy the first
time around. There are signs, but a few more at critical
junctions would help. Leaving Bozen you can can take the bike
trail running along the river to Sterzing(Vipeteno)
(direction Brenner Pass), or more easily follow the road out of
town and pick up the bike trail when the road crosses the river.
In the town of Karneid, the bike route seems to go by the
Rathaus (city hall), easily recognizable by the bluish mural of
the "knight of Karneid", pic3 below. The old road up
the Eggental is currently closed because of a rockslide
(June/09). But with a mountain bike it's an easy short 1 minute
portage over it. The route goes up the valley to the right of
the Rathaus. The old road snakes through a canyon below a
majestic castle (pic 5), which is much more attractive than the
hole in the mountain the new road goes through, unless perhaps
it's raining cats and dogs.

If instead you want to take the first 1500m tunnel
(preferable with a loaded touring bike), you have to turn around
at the knight of Karneid mural and take the bicycle/ pedestrian
bridge onto the other side of the river. If you pass the object
in pic 2 you have also gone in the wrong direction. The bike
path snakes itself around under the highway over another bridge
back to the east side of the river. The tunnel is now to the
right. Once you pass a red fish on the bike trail (pic1), which
is part of an art gallery next to the bike path, you again went
too far. At this point it's easiest to hoist the bike over the
barricade onto the highway exit, heading back towards Bozen and
bingo, there's the big rondell with a sign pointing into the
tunnel: "Karerpass". The well lit tunnel, about 1150m
long tunnel joins back with the old road at the other tunnel
end, only to dive into the next 1500m tunnel within 10 meters.
The second tunnel is more easily circumnavigated. The old
road continues on the other side, at this tiny opening between
tunnels, crossing over a barricade that operates like a train
crossing barricade. The old highway here hangs by the side of a
canyon, that is worth just a look even if you have to turn
around and go back (pics 4 and 6). But that should not be
necessary as a bicycle is easily hoisted across the barricade on
the other end, meeting the new road where tunnel number two
emerges from the mountain. That old highway with its hanging
rock nets, waterfalls and roughly hewn, small tunnel of its own
may well be the best part of Karerpass.

Now again in heavy traffic the road makes its way up to
Birchabruck, where the first needle like dolomite peak is seen,
direction pso. di Lavace (pic 7). Below Welschnoven, the
Rosengarten group peaks ahead start making regular appearances
in the sky. Pic 8 is taken near Welschnoven. Reality is not
quite as romantic as the picture makes it appear, as there is a
big parking lot and a very commercial restaurant just outside
the frame. Above Welschnoven the switchbacks get serious, the
grade picks up as the road enters a thick forest. The last few
km below Karerpass are heavily commercialized, not just with a
luxury hotel, bars, beergardens, but also an equestrian school
and a clothing outlet. No need to worry of dying from exposure
during bad weather. The bars are happy to have another customer.

From East. (described downwards). The top of this pass
also marks with mind numbing exactness the end of the German
speaking territory and the beginning of Italian-only speaking
territory. After such a monumental climb, the descend on this
side is surprisingly easy on the brakepads of a loaded touring
bike. The Rosengarten peaks are now behind, and the really
jagged peaks of the Sella group are partially obscured by lower
mountains. Turning left at the first of the dolomite tourist
towns, heading towards the Sella group, the road leads uphill
again. Turing right to Moena the downhill continues.

a day on a tour:
(< Penser Joch| Pso
di San Pelegrino>)
Karerpass: Andrian (a few km north of Bozen) > Bozen
> Karerpass > Fontanac (just a few km short of Canazei):
41 miles with 5600ft of climbing in 5:0 hours (VDO MC1.0:
m3:9.6.3)
Notes: ncludes a fast room search.
A Dayride from the end point of this Extended Tour,
Fontanac is on page: Sella
Joch
Karerpass
aka pso di Costalunga
Highest Point: 1752m
|
Western Approach: |
|
|
from Bozen (265m) |
1487m |
30.5km |
from Karneid, start of Eggental
(297m) |
1455m |
26.5km |
Eastern Approach: |
|
|
from San Giovanni (1359m) |
393m |
9.3km |
back to Cycling
Passes in Europe
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