Meeting at 8:00 a.m. at the Barrea Tourist Office. Meet the guide and make a short transfer using your own cars to the trailhead. The route climbs through a narrow valley characterized by an extensive beech forest; as you ascend, you reach the tree line where the scenery changes.
We find ourselves in the karst basin of Lago Vivo, which takes its name from the changing water level depending on the season. In front of us opens a spectacular view of Monte Petroso, the highest peak in the Park. The trail continues through a beautiful beech forest, where ancient trees can be admired, until reaching Valle Lunga at 1,830 m, a vast plateau where transhumant shepherds once grazed their flocks. Even today, their stone shelters can still be seen—temporary refuges where they lived during the summer months.
There is one last climb before reaching the pass. As you walk along the slope, the glacial cirque slowly reveals itself in all its majesty. Only chamois dare to live here, with their agility, calmly grazing on these sheer rock faces.
Upon reaching the pass at 2,120 m, all the effort is rewarded. The panorama is endless, with sweeping views over the main peaks and massifs of the central Apennines—an ideal spot for a lunch break. Depending on the timing, the return may follow the same route or an alternative one. Arrival back at the cars is around 4:00 p.m.