Official GR20 stage · 7/16
Stage 7: Manganu → Petra Piana
One of the GR20's signature passages: from Manganu, the trail climbs to the Capitello breach before dropping to the glacial lakes of Capitello and Melu, on the way to Petra Piana.
Essentials
The essentials
Key facts
- Distance · 8.5 km
- Elevation gain · +811 m
- Elevation loss · -536 m
- Max altitude · 2,211 m
- Difficulty · Sustained (3/5)
- Estimated walking time · 3h15 – 5h10
- On the trail · Stage 7 / 16
Download this stage's GPX
Official OpenStreetMap track, snapped to the PNRC refuges.
On the ground
On the ground
Crossing the Capitello breach (Bocca alle Porte, around 2,225 m) is part of the 'northern ridges and breaches,' rated moderate to strong exposure with a few airy steps, never long ones. On the other side, the Melu and Capitello lakes — two glacial lakes set in a bare rock cirque, with Capitello often staying frozen late into the season — rank among the most beautiful spots on the route. One thing to watch: this stage is flagged as dry, with no spring or stream on the high section, so you need to carry a full water supply. Petra Piana, at the end, is one of the very first two refuges built by the Park in 1971, at the origins of the GR20 itself.
Manganu to Petra Piana is listed among the GR20's dry stages: fill your bottles fully before setting off from the refuge.
Water & resupply. Dry stage: the stretch between Manganu and Petra Piana has no spring or stream on the high-altitude section — fill up completely before leaving the refuge, don't count on finding water along the way. At the Petra Piana refuge, breakfast, half board and a small shop are available on site.
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