Sentiero Schiena dell'Asino - Monti Calcarazzi
Etna Park, Sicily (Italy) 2024
Sunrise hikes have never been a thing for us: lions, tigers, and bears (oh my!) But in all honesty, we are not morning people. We already board the struggle bus to make it to the trailhead by 7am, plus the sunrises at like 4am in the summer in Washington (gross).
Spoiler: today we crushed our first ever sunrise hike on the island we have called home for the past 6 months, and it was amazing! I'm not saying I'm hooked, but I can see myself doing another one in the near future 😉
TRAIL DEETS
Length: 5.04 miles
Elevation Gain: 1,690 feet Max Elevation: 7,333 feet
Route Type: Loop
AllTrails Difficulty: Hard
DARCY WANDERS' ROUTE
I downloaded the navigation for Sentiero Schiena dell'Asino - Monti Calcarazzi from AllTrails. The trail from the parking lot to the Valle del Bove viewpoint is well maintained and trafficked - wide and easy to follow. From the Valle del Bove viewpoint to Monti Calcarazzi is a crapshoot. There is a clear trail that starts at the viewpoint and follows the ridge towards Mt Etna, but it is quickly lost. We were able to follow other footpaths in a few places, but several of them left me vocalizing my desire to turn around and find higher, wider ground (we did not have scrambling on the bingo card for August). Shockingly, we met back up with the "trail" that we had downloaded, which left us wondering exactly where the trail came up the side of the ridge (and what mountain goat uploaded this course to AllTrails).
We continued to follow the downloaded trail and began our decent from the ridge down to Monti Calcarazzi. We made an on-trail decision to skip Monti Calcarazzi and followed a lava rock vein down to SP92, hitting the road less than a quarter mile from our car.
Shortened Loop Stats
Length: 3.73 miles
Elevation Gain: 1,715 feet
Max Elevation: 7,478 feet
GETTING THERE
The easiest way to get to the Sentiero Schiena Dell'Asino - Monti Calcarazzi trailhead is to use the navigation system of your choice with your destination set as Parcheggio Schiena d'asino. Parking is free 🥳
WARNING: Etna Volcano is active and continuously erupting. It is advisable to check the weather and geological forecasts and the condition of the trails before hiking in this area.
TO WANDER, OR NOT TO WANDER
Sitting 6,500 feet above sea level and with an unobstructed view, it's easy to see why the Schiena dell'Asino is a popular sunrise spot! Boasting views of Mt Etna, Valle del Bove and the Ionian Sea, you will not be disappointed with your early wake-up call.
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