huckepack

Path of Sacred Forests

Sentiero delle Foreste Sacre

Length

About 100 km: the stated length (The Wom Travel).

Our map line follows only 94 % of the official track on its weakest stage, so it isn't used as a length; the search sorts this trail by the figure above.

about100km

Ascent · descent

5,487 m up and 4,911 m down: the sum of the 7 main stages (Parco Nazionale Foreste Casentinesi).

5,487m ↑4,911m ↓

Difficulty

How hard a trail is, in three ways: the terrain, the climate in season and the length of the days. Each is rated from Easy to Hard with the same thresholds for every trail, and takes its hardest measure. It describes the trail, not how it will feel to you: that depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather you get.

  • Terrain: HardClimbing: 58 m per km
  • Climate: Moderate in Sep–OctHeat: 22 °C by day (September)
  • Effort: DemandingLongest day: 8 h (stage 3)

All measures

Terrain: Hard; Climate: Moderate in Sep–Oct; Effort: Demanding
Suggested
7days

Per stage

The 7 main stages' totals over their number (Parco Nazionale Foreste Casentinesi), so the averages come from one source.

13.6km· 780 m ↑
Season

Landscape

Land cover along the main route, from ESA WorldCover satellite data:

  • Forest: 95%
  • Farmland and villages: 3%
  • Grassland and shrubs: 2%

Landscape along the route

Mostly Forest

Location

Country
Italy
Regions
Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany
Start
Lago di Ponte, Tredozio
Finish
Santuario della Verna
Route type
Point to point
Travel hubs
  • Firenze Santa Maria Novella80.5 km by road · 89 min
  • Florence Airport (FLR)86.5 km by road · 100 min
  • Bologna Airport (BLQ)101.1 km by road · 93 min
Protected areas
Parco Nazionale delle Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona e Campigna
Managed by
Parco Nazionale delle Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona e CampignaOfficial website
Waymarking
Standard CAI waymarks
  • Trail
  • Approach or variant
  • Start
  • Stage start
  • Finish
  • Contour lines

Difficulty

Terrain

How hard is the ground to walk: the path, the climbing, the steep bits, the ground underfoot? Rated over the whole main route. The rating takes its hardest measure.

Path grade: the trail's SAC grade, stated, converted or estimated.

  1. EasyT1
  2. ModerateT2
  3. DemandingT3
  4. HardT4 to T6

Climbing: ascent of the main stages over their length.

  1. Easyunder 15 m per km
  2. Moderate15–30 m
  3. Demanding30–50 m
  4. Hard50 m or more

Steep stretches: share of the route steeper than 15 %, up or down (terrain model).

  1. Easyunder 5 %
  2. Moderate5–15 %
  3. Demanding15–30 %
  4. Hard30 % or more

Natural ground: share on footpaths and trails (OpenStreetMap); never Hard on its own.

  1. Easyunder a third
  2. Moderatea third to two thirds
  3. Demandingtwo thirds or more

Hard

  • SAC hiking scale

    Trails rate their difficulty in many local scales, or only describe it in words. We translate each rating into the Swiss Alpine Club's hiking scale, from T1 (easy) to T6 (very hard), so trails can be compared. It stays an estimate: how hard a trail feels depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather.

    This trail: T2 (converted from CAI E). The trail is graded E on the Italian CAI scale, which spans SAC T2 to T3; the lower grade is shown.

    1. T1 · HikingWell-made paths, mostly flat or gently sloping. No risk of falling; trainers are enough.
    2. T2 · Mountain hikingA continuous path, steep in places, where a fall can't be ruled out. Be sure-footed; wear hiking boots.
    3. T3 · Demanding mountain hikingThe path is not always visible; exposed spots may have chains or ropes, and you may need your hands for balance.
    4. T4 · Alpine hikingOften no path. Hands are needed in places, terrain is exposed, and there can be easy snowfields.
    5. T5 · Demanding alpine hikingMostly pathless, with easy climbing and exposed, demanding terrain. Needs alpine experience.
    6. T6 · Difficult alpine hikingPathless, very exposed, with climbing and glaciers. For experienced mountaineers only.

    The scale at the Swiss Alpine Club

    estimated T2
  • Climbing58 m per km
  • Steep stretches23 % of the way
  • Natural ground72 %

Climate

How hot, cold, wet and windy does it get? Rated for each month from 30 years of weather (ERA5). Without months picked (the search's When filter), the rating is for the trail's best run of at least two months in its season, and each measure shows its hardest month of that run; a pick re-rates it for your months. The rating takes its hardest measure.

Heat: mean daily high at the lowest point.

  1. Easyunder 22 °C
  2. Moderate22–27 °C
  3. Demanding27–32 °C
  4. Hard32 °C or more

Cold: mean nightly low at the highest point.

  1. Easy8 °C or more
  2. Moderate3–8 °C
  3. Demanding−2 to 3 °C
  4. Hardbelow −2 °C

Wet days: days a month with 1 mm of rain or more, the wetter of both points.

  1. Easyunder 10
  2. Moderate10–14
  3. Demanding14–18
  4. Hard18 or more

Snow: days a month with 1 cm of snow or more at the highest point.

  1. Easyunder 1 day
  2. Moderate1–3 days
  3. Demanding3–6 days
  4. Hard6 days or more

Wind: mean of the day's strongest wind (hourly mean, 10 m above ground), the windier of both points.

  1. Easyunder 15 km/h
  2. Moderate15–20 km/h
  3. Demanding20–25 km/h
  4. Hard25 km/h or more

Moderate in Sep–Oct

  • Heat · September22 °C by day
  • Cold · October3 °C at night
  • Wet days · October10 days
  • Snow · October1 day
  • Wind · September12 km/h

Effort

How long are the days? Rated by the longest main stage; a time range counts its upper end. The rating takes its hardest measure.

Longest day: walking time of the longest main stage, stated or by DIN 33466.

  1. Easyup to 4 h
  2. Moderate4–6 h
  3. Demanding6–8 h
  4. Hardmore than 8 h

Demanding

  • Longest day · stage 38 h

Climate

Days in season · lowest point
12–22°C
Nights in season · highest point
−4 to 6°C
Wet days a month
10–13
Daylight
9.6–14.7h
SeasonSeasonDay high and night low−10 °C0 °C10 °C20 °C30 °CWet days, at the highest point51015Daylight9.2 h10.4 h11.8 h13.4 h14.7 h15.5 h15.2 h14.0 h12.4 h10.9 h9.6 h8.9 hJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Climate by month, 1995–2024 average
MonthLowest point, day high / night low (°C)Highest point, day high / night low (°C)Wet daysSnow daysFrost nights at the highest pointDaylight (h)
January7.8 / 1.60.3 / -69.37.529.99.2
February9.2 / 1.71.7 / -5.89.27.22710.4
March12.4 / 3.94.8 / -3.710.46.526.811.8
April15.9 / 6.98.4 / -0.712.83.416.913.4
May20.1 / 1112.6 / 3.512.10.32.114.7
June24.9 / 15.217.4 / 7.68.80015.5
July27.9 / 17.720.4 / 10.17.90015.2
August27.7 / 1820.1 / 10.49.10014
September22.4 / 1414.9 / 6.410.100.312.4
October18.2 / 10.810.6 / 3.210.30.94.310.9
November12.5 / 6.35 / -1.311.6517.89.6
December8.7 / 2.71.2 / -4.9117.928.18.9

Climate by month

Averages for 1995–2024 from ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, at the trail's lowest and highest point, adjusted to each point's elevation. Bars span the mean night low to the mean day high; wet days have at least 1 mm of rain, snow days at least 1 cm of snow. Daylight runs from sunrise to sunset in the middle of the month. The shaded months are the trail's season.

Stages

RouteDistanceAscentDescentElevationTime
1Lago di Ponte San Benedetto in Alpe8.3 km440 m ↑570 m ↓665 → 525 m3 h 30
2San Benedetto in Alpe Castagno d'Andrea19.7 km1,130 m ↑900 m ↓567 → 730 m7 h 00
3Castagno d'Andrea Campigna13.5 km1,080 m ↑740 m ↓675 → 1,464 m8 h 00
4Campigna Camaldoli14.0 km640 m ↑890 m ↓1,464 → 849 m5 h 30
5Camaldoli Badia Prataglia13.4 km920 m ↑770 m ↓847 → 1,055 m5 h 00
6Badia Prataglia Rimbocchi18.5 km650 m ↑700 m ↓1,004 → 552 m5 h 00
7Rimbocchi La Verna7.9 km627 m ↑341 m ↓552 → 1,138 m4 h 00
Approaches and variants
0Marradi Lago di Ponte15.9 km980 m ↑680 m ↓330 → 666 m6 h 15
6Badia Prataglia (shorter route) Rimbocchi10.5 km489 m ↑782 m ↓842 → 549 m3 h 15

Totals and averages count the main stages only.

Terrain

Highest · lowest point
1,656m high498m low

Gradient

The steepest 500 m of the trail in walking direction, uphill and downhill. On this trail the steepest climb is 24 % (13°, 118 m up over 500 m) on stage 3, the steepest descent −27 % (15°, 133 m down) on stage 4.

A gradient is height per distance: 20 % means 20 m up for every 100 m forward. Percent and degrees don't grow alike: 100 % is 45°, not 90°.

GradientAngleFeels like
10 %6°Noticeable on a road
20 %11°A steep path, slow going
30 %17°Very steep, often steps
100 %45°Scrambling

Averages over 500 m from a 30 m terrain model: short pitches within them, such as steps and ladders, are steeper.

24% ↑−27% ↓

Steep stretches

How many kilometres of the main route climb or descend at 15 % or more (9°, 15 m of height per 100 m), measured in 200 m stretches: on this trail 12 km up and 9.5 km down, the darkest parts of the profile. Such stretches are slow going uphill and hard on the knees downhill.

21.5km

Surfaces

  • Natural ground: 72%, 68.9 km. Earth, grass, rock and roots: footpaths and forest trails. Can be muddy after rain.
  • Gravel: 18%, 17.0 km. Gravel, compacted and stony surfaces: mostly forest roads and farm tracks.
  • Paved: 10%, 9.3 km. Asphalt, concrete and cobbles: roads and village streets.

72% natural18% gravel10% paved
800 m1,200 m1,600 m1,656 mStage 1Stage 2Stage 3Stage 4Stage 5Stage 6Stage 70 km95.1 km

Terrain along the route

Heights from the Copernicus terrain model (30 m grid, every 100 m along the main route); it measures the treetops in forests, so heights may differ from signposts by some metres.

The profile colours each 200 m by its gradient in walking direction: the steeper, the darker, climbs warm and descents violet, from level ground to ±30 % and beyond.

The strip under the profile shows the ground underfoot, from OpenStreetMap; for the 17% of the route without a surface tag, the type of way decides (footpaths natural, tracks gravel).

Landscape

Forest95%Grassland and shrubs2%Farmland and villages3%1Stage 2Stage 3Stage 4Stage 5Stage 670 km95.1 km

Landscape along the route

Land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (10 m satellite map), every 100 m along the main route; each point takes the most common class within 30 m, so the path itself doesn't count as bare ground. Its eleven classes are folded into the six groups shown. It says what the landscape looks like, not which plants grow there.

Sleeping

Wild camping is restricted. Inside the national park, tents are allowed only at authorised campsites and farms. Next to huts, bivouacs and other hikers' facilities you may pitch a tent only while they are open and full: one night, from an hour after sunset to sunrise, at most two tents. Outside the park, ask the individual facilities.

18.6 km without a bedCamping4Huts22Hostels6Rooms171Stage 2Stage 3Stage 4Stage 5Stage 670 km95.1 km

Places to sleep along the route

One tick per place to sleep along the main route, from OpenStreetMap: 4 campsites, 22 huts, 6 hostels, 17 guest houses within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end (stage towns often lie off the trail). Hotels and day shelters are left out. The shaded column is the longest stretch without any, from km 8.9 to 27.5. The map may miss places or list ones that have closed, so book or check locally.

Water & Supply

Clean water

70 fountains, taps and springs marked as drinkable in OpenStreetMap within 500 m of the trail, and 3 places to sleep OpenStreetMap marks as having drinking water. Clean water also counts the 23 huts, hostels, guest houses and campsites within 500 m where hikers usually fill a bottle: guests come first, and many close out of season, so ask, and carry a little more than the gaps need. Places OpenStreetMap marks as without drinking water are left out. The counts include the approach and variant; the chart shows the main route.

Rated by the longest stretch of the main route without clean water: frequent up to 10 km, regular up to 20 km, scarce beyond. Here: from km 87.5 to 94.6, stage 7.

7.1kmFrequent

Any water

Clean water, and the 15 springs within 500 m of the trail whose water is of unknown quality: filter, boil or treat it, and expect some springs to run dry in late summer. Here the longest stretch without any water runs from km 87.5 to 94.6. Rated like clean water: frequent up to 10 km, regular up to 20 km, scarce beyond.

7.1kmFrequent

Shops

11 supermarkets, convenience and general stores and petrol stations with a shop in OpenStreetMap, within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end (stage towns often lie off the trail). Small village shops are often missing, and opening hours vary: check before relying on one. Here the longest stretch without runs from km 57.3 to 94.5.

37.2km
Water · 7.1 km withoutPublic drinking water · 7.7 km withoutSprings (treat before drinking) · 31.6 km withoutRefills at places to sleep · 19.2 km withoutShops · 37.2 km withoutStage 1Stage 2Stage 3Stage 4Stage 5Stage 6Stage 70 km95.1 km

Water and shops along the route

One tick per place along the main route, from OpenStreetMap: drinking water and springs within 500 m, refills at huts, hostels, guest houses and campsites within 500 m, shops within 1 km or 3 km of a stage's end. The shaded band in each lane is its longest stretch without; "Water" counts every kind, and opens into one lane per kind, each with its own. The map may miss places or list ones that have closed or run dry, so check locally.