The Garda Mountains ( it, Prealpi Gardesane, german: Gardaseeberge), occasionally also the Garda Hills, are an extensive mountain range of the

Southern Limestone Alps The Southern Limestone Alps ( it, Alpi Sud-orientali, german: Südliche Kalkalpen), also called the Southern Calcareous Alps, are the ranges of the Eastern Alps south of the Central Eastern Alps mainly located in northern Italy and the adjacent l ...

in northern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

Boundaries and countryside

The Garda Mountains are bounded in the south by the

Po Valley The Po Valley, Po Plain, Plain of the Po, or Padan Plain ( it, Pianura Padana , or ''Val Padana'') is a major geographical feature of Northern Italy. It extends approximately in an east-west direction, with an area of including its Venetic ex ...

and in the north by the Brenta Dolomites, in the east by the

Adige Valley The Adige (; german: Etsch ; vec, Àdexe ; rm, Adisch ; lld, Adesc; la, Athesis; grc, Ἄθεσις, Áthesis, or , ''Átagis'') is the second-longest river in Italy, after the Po. It rises near the Reschen Pass in the Vinschgau in the pro ...

and in the west by the

Valli Giudicarie 200px, Territory of Giudicarie (green) in Trentino province (gray) Giudicarie (also ''Val Giudicarie'' and ''Valli Giudicarie'', german: Judikarien) is an area of Western Trentino, northern Italy, which includes the upper courses of the rivers ...

. Their precise boundary, according to the Alpine Club classification of the Eastern Alps, is as follows:

Lake Iseo Lake Iseo or Iseo lake ( ; it, Lago d'Iseo ; lmo, Lach d'Izé, label=Eastern Lombard), also known as Sebino (; la, Sebinus), is the fourth largest lake in Lombardy, Italy, fed by the Oglio River. It is in the north of the country in the Val C ...

– Col di San Zeno –

Val Trompia The Val Trompia (also: ''Valle Trompia'') is a slightly more than 50 km long valley in the Province of Brescia, northern Italy. It consists of the valleys of the river Mella and its tributaries, north of the city of Brescia. It is situated bet ...

– Passo di Manivia –

Bagolino Bagolino ( Brescian: ) is a ''comune'' in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy, Italy, in the valley of the river Caffaro, on the right side of Valle Sabbia. Bagolino is known for the cheese named Bagòss and the carnival. Similar to grana pada ...

– Storo – Tione – Vezzano –

Trento Trento ( or ; Ladin and lmo, Trent; german: Trient ; cim, Tria; , ), also anglicized as Trent, is a city on the Adige River in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol in Italy. It is the capital of the autonomous province of Trento. In the 16th centu ...

– Val d'Adige/Etschtal –

Verona Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Northern Italy, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and the ...

–

Brescia Brescia (, locally ; lmo, link=no, label= Lombard, Brèsa ; lat, Brixia; vec, Bressa) is a city and ''comune'' in the region of Lombardy, Northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Garda and Iseo. ...

– Lake Iseo. Their highest summit is the

Monte Cadria Monte Cadria is a mountain in the Alps located in Italy. It is the highest peak of the Brescia and Garda Prealps. Geography Administratively the mountain belongs to the Italian region of Trentino Alto Adige/Südtirol and to the province of T ...

, at . The climate of the Garda Mountains is very mild as a result of its southerly location and the influence of the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

. Snow rarely falls in the

Sarca The Sarca is a river springing from the Adamello-Presanella mountains in the Italian Alps and flowing into Lake Garda at Torbole. As an emissary of the lake it becomes known as the Mincio river, forming a single river system long (''Sarca-Minci ...

valley and on the shores of Lake Garda, and, in spring and autumn, temperatures of between 15-20 °C are often experienced. The Garda Mountains have very few glaciers and ski resorts. The Alpinist centre of the range is the town of

Arco ARCO ( ) is a brand of gasoline stations currently owned by Marathon Petroleum after BP sold its rights. BP commercializes the brand in Northern California, Oregon and Washington, while Marathon has rights for the rest of the United States an ...

. In the vicinity of Arco there are countless sport climbing areas.

Lake Garda Lake Garda ( it, Lago di Garda or ; lmo, label=Eastern Lombard, Lach de Garda; vec, Ƚago de Garda; la, Benacus; grc, Βήνακος) is the largest lake in Italy. It is a popular holiday location in northern Italy, about halfway between ...

and its surrounding mountains are a popular destination for water sportsmen,

mountain bike A mountain bike (MTB) or mountain bicycle is a bicycle designed for off-road cycling. Mountain bikes share some similarities with other bicycles, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain, which ...

rs,

hiker Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

s and climbers. On the western shore of Lake Garda is the

Parco Alto Garda Bresciano Parco can refer to: * Parco, Tibet, a town in China * Parco (retailer), a chain of department stores primarily in Japan * Parco Historic District (also known as Sinclair Historic District), Sinclair, Wyoming, United States * Parco P.I., a realit ...

nature park.

Lakes

(''Lago di Garda'') *

Lago di Ledro Lago di Ledro is a lake in Trentino, northern Italy. The lake is at an elevation of , and its surface area is . Lake Ledro is reputed to be one of the cleanest lakes in Trentino, and during the summer it reaches a temperature of , attracting touri ...

* Lago di Valvestino *

Lago di Cei Lago di Cei (''Lach de Zéi'' in local dialect), is a lake in the ''comune'' of Villa Lagarina, not far from Rovereto in Trentino, northern Italy. The whole basin in which the lake lies was once occupied by a single, larger lake. After the latte ...

* Lago di Tenno * Lago pra de la Stua * Lagetto d'Ampola * Lago di Cavedine * Lago di Toblino

Valleys

* Valle d'Ampolla * Val Cavedine * Val di Cei * Valle di Concei * Valle dei Laghi ( Sarca Valley) * Val di Ledro * Valle Toscolano * Valle di Vesta

Significant peaks

, 2,254 m *

Cima Valdritta Cima Valdritta is the highest summit of the Monte Baldo mountain range and thereby part of the Garda Mountains in northern Italy. Morphology The Cima Valdritta summit is the highest peak of the Monte Baldo range,Kompass topographical map 102 ...

, 2,218 m * Punta Telegrafo, 2,200 m *

Monte Bondone Monte Bondone is a mountain of Trentino, northern Italy, located west of the provincial capital of Trento. It has an elevation of and includes a ski resort on one side. It is the highest mountain of the Garda Mountains, Garda Prealps and with a ...

, 2,180 m *

Monte Altissimo di Nago Monte Altissimo di Nago is one of the highest summits of the Monte Baldo mountain range and thereby part of the Garda Mountains in northern Italy. Morphology The Altissimo is the highest peak in the northern part of the Monte-Baldo range, wh ...

, 2,079 m * Monte Caplone, 1,976 m * Monte Tremalzo, 1,974 m *

Monte Casale Monte Casale is a mountainous elevation on Sicily in Italy, reaching 910m above sea level, which (with the neighbouring Monte Lauro) formed part of the oldest volcanic formation of the Hyblaean Mountains. Their peaks form the boundary between t ...

, 1,632 m *

Monte Pizzocolo Monte Pizzocolo is a mountain of Lombardy, Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory ...

, 1,581 m

Vie ferrate

Vie ferrate include: * Sentiero attrezzato del Colodri (Cima Colodri) * Sentiero attrezzato Fausto Susatti (Cima Capi) * Via dell'Amicizia ( Cima SAT) * Che Guevara (Monte Casale, 1632 m) * Via ferrata Rino Pisetta (Dain Picol, 971 m) * Sentiero attrezzato Gerardo Sega (Malga Cola) * Monte Albano (Mori)

Literature

* Kompass Karte (1:50,000 scale), ''Alpi di Ledro, Valli Giudicarie'', Innsbruck, 2003, * Eugen E. Hülser, ''Hülsers Klettersteigführer Gardasee'', Bruckmann, Munich,

External links

{{Authority control Mountain ranges of the Alps Mountain ranges of Trentino Southern Limestone Alps Province of Brescia Province of Verona Landforms of Veneto