Official Path Network

- Park Path
- Freedom Path
- Spirit Path
- Paths for Everybody
- Bicycle and Mountain Bike

Majella National Park is provided with a thick Path Network (around 500 km): it is able to satisfy the needs of experienced day-trippers or tourist searching of short natural promenades as well. All these paths use the ancient mountain itineraries: for this reason the departure points are the piedmont dwellings. In order to set up this network and to support the visitor, each path is marked by the same letter that points at the departure point.
The system of signs has been carried out in different ways, according to its environment. In the wider areas, where the entrance is easier, there are stakes with the path number and a coloured stripe: red for the “Park Path" and yellow for the other ones. Their sizes and shapes change according to the protection degree of the related area: bigger and squared in anthropized territories, small and rounded in the natural ones. In wooded and impervious zones, these signs are coloured with ski-blue and white paint.
The Path Network allows to visit every remarkable spot with high environmental, historical and cultural values. The itineraries highlight the bents of every zones, so the visitor can choose the path according to the features he is searching for. In the Southern side of the Park, for example, the paths pass through wonderful forests, especially beechwoods, or bloomed clearings in which is possible to sight large-sized mammals such as Bears, Deers, Wolves and Roes.
Eastern Majella is provided with several routes allowing to sight deep gorges and real canyons among rocky faces. The paths in Northern side are fitted with people who like discovering, in addition to the natural beauties, the historical and archaeological evidences of our territory: retreats, cloisters, fortifications and shepherds huts. The mountain lovers will enjoy the high-altitudes itineraries in the central zones of Majella and along the ridge of Mount Morrone. These paths allow very hard hikes but counterbalanced by the beauty of nature and landscapes. From the peaks it can be sight all the Central Apennines, from Marche to Gargano. It can be found, during these hikes, some rare floristic species. This Path Network also includes three bigger routes divided into legs: they are the Park Path, the Freedom Path and the Spirit one.
It deals with three long itineraries divided into several stages: the visitor can choose to pass through just one or more legs. At the moment this Network is under revision.

1 The Park Path
This path is surely the most complete and demanding one. Despite of it is not an “Alpine” route, is suitable just for people experienced of mountain environment and in good health. It deals with a route crossing the Park along its longitudinal axis (around 40 Km) from Pescocostanzo to Popoli and reaching the major peaks of Majella: Mount Amaro (m. 2793) and Morrone. This path passes through a wild landscape, just one dwelling (Caramanico) and few other equipped rest-stops. It offers a complete sight of Park area and the opportunity of discovering woods, pasturelands and real treasures of animal and plant life.

2 The Freedom Path
This path crosses one of the less-known sectors of the Park. This route was used, during the Second World War, by the people who wanted to escape from the territories occupied by the Germans. From Sulmona, it passes through Cansano, Campo di Giove, Palena, Gamberale and Pietransieri, with easy muletracks or country roads. This itinerary allows to know places of a remarkable natural value such as Piano Cerreto. Here, the fields are grown according to traditional techincs and rhythms and some animal species live here because of its wonderful beechwoods.


3 The Spirit Path
PThis path is designed for people who like discovering the historical relations between the Man and these mountains. The morphologial and hydrographical features of Majella allowed the Man to live here and to be protected at the same time: so, every corner of majella is full of worship places.

This route reaches the most important and extraodinary ones: from the Benedectine Abbeys to the retreats and small rocky worship places built on ruins of previous pagan spots. Among which there are: the Abbey of San Liberatore a Majella (Serramonacesca), thought as one of the best example of Benedectine architecture in Abruzzo; Sant’Angelo in Lettomanoppello, placed inside a real canyon among imposing rocky faces; S. Bartolomeo di Legio, the best preserved retreat. Finally the Celestine retreats of Santo Spirito, San Giovanni all’Orfento and Sant’Onofrio al Morrone. This path is very long and it has to be divided into stages.

Here is a list of useful information. The Majella Massif is very difficult to cross: there are easy paths for all the family, but also other ones with remarkable slopes (from Fara San Martino to Mount Amaro, for example, 2400 meters). So it is important to choose with care and listen to the advices of a local field guide. It is wise to have a good paths map, drawn to a scale 1: 25.000, especially for widest itineraries. Concerning to the equipment, you have to consider some fundamental aspects: except of few places, the spring of drinking water inside the Park are very few so, especially in summer, don’t forget to bring water. The high-altitude paths pass through very sunny areas but their climate is unsteady: not only protective creams and hats are required, but also waterproof clothes in case of sudden storms. The shoes are very important: we advice the trekking ones.
The Majella National Park offers paths fitted with every season: in winter the choice has to be made among the lower altitudes. During spring and summer you can admire the explosion of flowers colours and scents while the autumn often provides clear days for hikes full of golden shadings and extraordinary landscapes.


4 Paths for Everybody
Sant’Eufemia a Majella, the localities of Lama Bianca, Fonte della Fratta and Grotta Zappano; Pescocostanzo in the locality of Bosco di S. Antonio. All of which are equipped with paths designed for disabled people.


5 Bicycle e mountain bike
Majella National Park features a wide range of routes fitted with “cycle tourists” and mountain-bikers at every training level. There are also very hard itineraries. The National Road 263 joins Bocca di Valle to Fara San Martino (23 km) and marks the Eastern border of Park: there are not difficult slope. The Forchetta Pass (1270 m) is another traditional destination: it joins Chieti to Pescocostanzo, Rivisondoli and Roccaraso Compound. For the well-trained people, the BlokHaus slope (2050 m) is the most interesting one: you can reach it both from Pescara or Chieti. Moreover, there are many other slopes such as Passo Lanciano (1310 m) and San Leonardo Pass (1280 m).

Many other routes can be discovered on bicycle passing through byroads and surprising landscapes. The agritourisms can be regarded as useful rest-stops for hikes and promenades. Concerning to the mountain bike lovers they only need to follow the main trekking itineraries: many of them pass through dirt roads or well-preserved muletracks.