Val Maira, Alps of Italy - Outdoor Sports Heaven

The unspoilt Dolomites in the Western Alps!

The Maira valley, called Val Màira in Piedmontese local language, is a small valley in the southern Alps of Piedmont, between France and Po valley, bounded by two massive mountain ranges and crossed by the Maira river. Unspoiled and wild environment, rich local fauna (such as mountain goats, marmot and buzzards) and endless, off-beaten trails: Val Maira is a true jewel to be discovered.

Thanks to its isolated geographical position and frequent exchanges with nearby France, this valley developed a native culture characterized by its own language, which is still used nowadays: the Occitan. Visiting Val Maira means going through 4.000 years of history to discover a population that has seen the passage of armies, wars, commercial exchange and economic wealth.

This land can offer to visitors not only a stunning scenario and breathtaking views, but it has the perfect qualities to practice a lot of activities and outdoor sports.

The most practiced activity in Val Maira is certainly trekking, as it offers a wide range of hiking paths: you can go from the easy thematic walks for families, to excursions to many Alpine lakes and daily trekking tours to the many peaks that touch and exceed 3000 mt.

Well known is the Occitan Trail hiking tour, a hiking trail composed of 12 stages, which combine the beauty of the valley to the discovery of the Occitan cultural and artistic heritage.
Maira Valley is also perfect for skyrunning and trailrunning: every year many alpine runners attend the Valle Maira Sky Marathon race!

If you prefer to go on two wheels, exploring the valley on your mountain bike will be a thrilling experience, exploring the amazing network of dirt roads, forest tracks and military roads at high altitude with different level of difficulty.
The Gardetta plateau is the perfect spot to enjoy a nice ride in a beautiful plateau surrounded by sharp rocky peaks.

This valley is also the ideal place for rock climbing enthusiasts, here you will find historic itineraries, modern routes and many other itineraries who still need to be opened. The most famous places to climb in Val Maira are the Rocca Provenzale and Rocca Castello peaks.

A less challenging but still thrilling adventure is the Via Ferrata di Camoglieres (link in Italian, use google translate), with big cliff and suspension bridge over the void.
If you are planning a rock-climbing tour of Val Maira, feel free to contact us and we'll tailor the one that suits you the most!

Val Maira is also the perfect spot for winter sports: cross country skiing, ski touring and splitboarding, snowshoeing, ice skating and snow tubing.
Hundreds of ski touring itineraries await you in the middle and upper valleys, with amazing landscapes over the Alps of Piedmont and off-beaten ski slopes. There are a lot of cross country ski tracks, one of which is 50km long and starts from Ponte Marmora and ends in the village of Chiappera.

There are also lot of itineraries for hiking with snowshoes (locally called ciaspole): discover the paths that link one village with another, go through the snowy woods or up to panoramic passes with beautiful views over the Alps of Piedmont.

If you'd like to visit the Dolomites but you are looking for a less-traveled destination, Maira Valley is the perfect place for your next outdoor adventure!