There are no refuges in this system.
Bearing in mind the enormous geological importance of the Bletterbach system, the Municipality of Aldino/Aldein created the Bletterbach Geoparc, a geological park within a natural monument.
The Bletterbach system, covering just 271 hectares within the Province of Bolzano/Bozen, is the smallest of the UNESCO Dolomite systems. This natural monument is a narrow gorge running through the territory of the Municipalityof Aldino/Aldein, Monte Pausabella/Schönrast and Passo degli Oclini/Jochgrimm. Geographically separated from the other Dolomite chains, it is dominated by the summit of Corno Bianco/Weisshorn (2,317m). The enchanting landscape of the Bletterbach system is also a geological treasure-trove.
The gorge was formed by the Bletterbach mountain stream eroding the rock formations of volcanic origin found in this area. The canyon narrows from a width of 200-300 meters at the top to 20-30 meters at its bottom and it is over 400 meters deep. The riverbed is punctuated in at least four places by spectacular waterfalls of dozens of meters in height. The upper part of the gorge opens up into a basin, 600-700m in diameter, over which the Corno Bianco/Weisshorn looms in all the immaculate glory of its white Dolomite rock.
The 900m gradient between the Corno Bianco/Weisshorn peak and the bottom of the Bletterbach gorge is a journey in time, through the history of our planet. No other place in the Alps or Dolomites has such perfectly preserved rock strata visible to the naked eye, demonstrating in minute detail how the Dolomites were transformed in the time between the Early Permian Era and the extinction event of the Late Permian/Triassic Era.
For more information, visit www.dolomitiunesco.info
