E-bike tour to the Stoanerne Mandln

You can only get up here on foot or by bike, so absolute peace is guaranteed. The name "Stoanerne Mandln" (stone men) comes from the many stone towers, stacked with great love and patience around the cross on the highest point. The towers, some as tall as a person, create a mystical atmosphere that leaves plenty of room for legends and tales of witches' dances and devil's feasts in the Middle Ages.

This demanding tour starts at Brunnenplatz in Maia Alta (Obermais), where there is also a paid car park if you need one. Thanks to the Merano 2000 cable car only about 950 metres of climbing remain, so the tour can be ridden with maximum assistance if your bike has a capacity of 600+ Wh. From Brunnenplatz the tour leads through the romantic lanes of Maia Alta, past Rametz Castle and Labers Castle. From Labers Castle a wonderfully shady forest road passes the Hotel Prinz Rudolf to the cable car's valley station. It runs every 15 minutes and takes you and your bike effortlessly up to the Piffing (1930 m above sea level); especially in the warm season you will enjoy the cool temperatures.

From here you continue on forest roads through the whole Merano 2000 area to the Meraner Hütte. This is the last stop for refreshments before you pass below the "Spieler" and then head south along the treeless ridge towards the Stoanerne Mandln. From the Spieler on it gets more technical: the forest road gives way to a hiking trail that keeps throwing steeper sections, stones, rocks and roots at you all the way to the day's goal. If the first 500 metres are already giving you trouble, it is best to return below the Spieler, from where a scenically delightful forest road leads to the Öttenbacher Alm as an alternative destination. If you are a fine technician, though, you will enjoy what follows: via the Auener Joch and the Kreuzjoch the trail continues south over red earth in a lively up and down (hence the climbing), almost always right on top of the ridge with an open all-round view – whenever the technical passages are not demanding your full concentration, and there are quite a few of them!

After one last, rather stiff climb you reach the Stoanerne Mandln for a well-earned rest and the obligatory selfie. You can return along the ascent route to Merano 2000 and then on the Hafling–Merano road. The demanding tour described here instead takes steep forest trails, wide pastures and easy forest roads to the Leadner Alm and on to just below the Knottnkino at Vöran. If there is still enough juice in battery and legs, the short climb up there is worth it. The way back continues along a short stretch of tarmac south past the Restaurant Alpenrose until trail 12B to Merano branches off to the right. It is fairly steep and stony and demands some technical skill, but it is very little used and therefore great to ride, even if your backside spends a lot of time behind the saddle. The trail ends at the Hecherhof; from there a tarmac road takes you back to Maia Alta via Katzenstein Castle, past the Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle and the Sissi path.