Kreuzstein & Ice Holes

From Rathausplatz St. Michael, you follow the road towards Berg | Eppan and Perdonig | Eppan until you reach the Kreuzstein guesthouse. On the right side of the house, a small road leads to the first destination of the route: the Kreuzstein. From this rocky hill, despite the low altitude of 600 m above sea level, a spectacular panorama opens up: the Bolzano basin with the Schlern in the background, St. Pauls, Girlan, and the Montiggler forest. The route continues a few meters further along the road to the intersection, where you follow path 8/B to the Steinegger guesthouse. From here, path 8/B leads directly to the ice holes. Once you reach the biotope, you can explore the natural phenomenon on foot. At this location at 500 m above sea level, in a bright forest scattered with boulders, plants grow that normally only grow at 1,200 m above sea level. This natural phenomenon is explained by the physical principle of air circulation: The area around the ice holes is dominated by porphyry rocks, between which a system of underground passages has developed, creating a constant airflow. Warm air flows in from above through the cracks and cools as it flows downward, then escapes at a temperature between 0 and 9° C. Thanks to this natural phenomenon, this enormous temperature difference can be clearly felt even during the summer period. During the summer months, you can even encounter ice stalactites here.
Afterwards, you return by bike towards Stroblhof. Once you reach the road, you descend a few hundred meters to the left onto path No. 540, which leads back to St. Michael via Pigeno.