Stelvio National Park Park

Address: Stelvio National Park (Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio), Trentino‑Alto Adige/Südtirol, Italy

Hours: Open year‑round

Admission: Free (park access)

Stelvio National Park is a large protected area in the Italian Alps centered on the Stelvio Pass region and surrounding mountain ranges. The park conserves high mountain ecosystems, glaciers, valleys, and alpine meadows across provincial boundaries.

Hiking trails, mountain passes and alpine refuges provide routes through glaciated valleys and past high peaks, with opportunities for wildlife observation, alpine botany, and mountaineering. Visitors commonly use the park for day hikes, multi-day treks and summer mountain activities.

The park was established to protect the distinctive high-Alpine environments and has been managed to balance conservation with sustainable recreation, including maintenance of trails and mountain huts. Over time it has been a focal area for regional conservation efforts.

Stelvio National Park straddles northern Italy around the Stelvio Pass area in and near the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol region and parts of Lombardy, bordering Switzerland in places and encompassing a range of high-elevation terrain.

• Wildlife: The park protects high-Alpine landscapes and is a stronghold for species such as Alpine ibex and chamois, seen on higher slopes and rocky ridges.

What to See#

• Stelvio Pass: A high mountain road crossing the park at 2,757 metres that provides popular access for drivers, cyclists, and hikers into the core of the park.

• Plan your visit between late spring and early autumn when high alpine roads and many trails are reliably open; many of the famous passes (including the Stelvio road) are closed in winter and early spring.
• If you want to avoid the heavy traffic at Stelvio Pass, use valley access points such as Bormio or lesser-known valleys (Val Zebrù and side valleys) as bases for hikes and alpine huts rather than driving the main pass itself.
• Book overnight stays or guided hut-to-hut hikes in advance and start popular drives or hikes early in the day or midweek to reduce encounters with the large crowds, especially motorcyclists on the pass.