Sonnensteig Trail from Mals to Burgeis (Sentiero del Sole 17)

Since rain was forecast again during the day today and thick clouds hung in the mountains early in the morning, we decided to do a Waalwege tour. Since I wasn't familiar with the Schludernser Bergwaal (mountain irrigation canal), among other things, we took the Vinschgerbahn (Vinschger Railway) to Laas/Lasa/Schluderns. From Laas, there's a rail replacement service, as the Bolzano-Malles line will be fully electrified by 2026. (In Germany, that's not even possible for a main line like Chemnitz-Leipzig!!!) 🥺😥 The mountain irrigation canal is beautiful - lots of fast-flowing water! The Leitenwaal (watercourse) and the Sentiero del Sole (sun trail) were also very beautiful in good weather, apart from a brief shower. We left the rain behind in the lower Vinschgau... 😉 The paths repeatedly offer beautiful valley views of the Vinschgau and the Münstertal valley.

The Mals Waalweg (Waal Trail) was the start of today's tour, again accompanied by magnificent views. The dry slopes, known locally as "Leiten" (leads), were also impressive and boast a great diversity of species. We made a detour to the Ganglegg archaeological site, where we discovered a magnificent green lizard alongside the foundations of Bronze/Iron Age and Roman buildings. Then we continued along the magnificent Leitenwaal (high-flowing watercourse) to the Berkwaal (with stunning bridges and structures). We descended via the Edelweißsteig trail to Schluderns. This was another very beautiful and eventful tour.

From Mals directly climbed up to the Sonnenweg. From here the path was always gently descending along the Waal. Above Tartsch we switched to the Leitenwaal. Along this the path led us slightly uphill to the source, the Saldiurbach. It is very impressive how the whales are carved into the mountain. At the back of the ditch, the stream can be crossed using a bridge. Here the Burgwaal is now taken and sometimes leads quite steeply downhill. This area is the most impressive along the way. A little further down, above the apple orchards, the water disappears into pipes for irrigation. From here the path goes steeply down, past Chuur Castle to Schluderns train station. We took the train back up to Mals.

Stage 2️⃣ of our long-distance hiking trail with Eurohike Wanderreisen takes us from Malles to Schluderns. We hike at 37 degrees on the expected sunny Sonnensteig 🌞 high above the valley to Ganglegg. This hilltop settlement is an archaeological excavation site with settlement remains from the Bronze to Roman times. We continue on a narrow and fortunately shady Waalweg along the Leitenwaal 🌊. This leads through rustic larch forests to the rushing gorge at the end of the valley. It goes back on the opposite side of the valley via the Bergwaal. Absolutely stunning! Via the Edelweiß-Steig we hike in steep serpentines back down into the valley to the Saldurbach and follow it to Schluderns.

Hello everyone, Today is the second day in Vinschgau. What can I say, sometimes I have no words. The Waalwege from Mals to Schluderns are really breathtaking. Lovingly cared for and integrated into the landscape. The constant splashing of the water accompanies us almost on the entire tour. You can't describe it, the pictures give you a little insight, but only when you've seen it can you grasp the beauty of this area. Make sure to do it once 👍👍👍👍

Today it was over 30 degrees 🥵 from Burgeis via the Sonnensteig 🌞 to Schluderns. Thankfully, much of the trail was in shady lark forests. Particularly worth mentioning is the detour via the Leitenwaal and the Berkwaal at the end with a sometimes very adventurous water course. If you love irrigation channels like we do, you will get your money's worth here. Unfortunately, there was no more accommodation for us because there were knight games in Schluderns at the moment. That's why we went straight on with the rail replacement service (which, oddly enough, drove on the rails) to the next stage destination, Schluderns

Shortly before 9:00 a.m., I left the Hotel Hirschen for Schluderns after a breakfast with lots of fresh fruit. I had plenty of time today and arrived at the Hotel Saldur in Schluderns at 2:30 a.m. What really annoys me is that I could have continued yesterday's irrigation canal path from Mals. I realized it too late, my stupidity. The route recommended by Eurohike in that area is boring. The dry grassland slopes are beautiful. I initially found the Leiten irrigation canal path boring—no wonder after the beauty of yesterday's irrigation canal path. But as I continued, and especially on the Berg irrigation canal path, my experience grew ever stronger. Hence, far too many photos 🫣 Up on the irrigation canal path, I could hear that the cattle were being driven down from the mountain pastures in Schluderns. An incredible noise drifted up. When I reached the valley, there were 🐄 and cattle, some of them adorned with enormous bells. And right next to it is a water treading pool with ice-cold water. But I went in three times. A good end to today's hike.

Beautiful path, back with the bus to the parking lot near Mals