Via ferrata with kids near Arco: the Rio Sallagoni gorge and an evening climb up Monte Colodri

Arco on Lake Garda is one of the best places in Europe to try via ferratas with kids. In summer 2025, during our campervan holiday, we did the via ferrata in the Rio Sallagoni gorge below the castle in Drena, and twice we climbed Monte Colodri in the evening, right above our campsite. A year earlier the kids had practised on via ferratas in France, so they already knew how to clip onto the cable.

Rio Sallagoni: a via ferrata in a gorge

On 4 August dad cycled to Drena with Agata, Justyna, Iwona and our friends' son, where a medieval castle stands above the Rio Sallagoni gorge. The via ferrata runs along the bottom and the walls of a narrow gorge, carved by water into smooth, washed rock. You walk on steel rungs and steps, and in a few places you cross the water on rope bridges.

The walls of the gorge are covered in green plants, and in many places the rock is so smooth that it looks polished.

An evening climb on Monte Colodri

The rock face of Monte Colodri rises above the Arco Prabi campsite. An easy via ferrata leads up it, and in summer it is best to do it in the evening, when the heat has eased. Dad already knew it, because he had climbed it with friends in September 2023.

The first time we climbed it was on 3 August. Only dad went, with Agata and Justyna, and mum stayed with the younger kids at the campsite playground. We set off at half past seven, straight from our tents. At the top we walked on big limestone slabs with a view of the whole of Arco, Monte Brione and Lake Garda. On the trail we met chamois. They did not run away, but walked along with us all the way to the top.

Three days later, on 6 August, dad, mum, Krzys, Iwona and our friends' son went up. This time Agata and Justyna stayed at the campsite with Helena. We kept in touch the whole time with a walkie-talkie. We had head torches on our helmets, because we knew we would reach the top after dark. From the rock ledges we could see the whole Sarca valley.

At the top there is a big cross that lights up in the evening. We reached it at a quarter past nine, already in the dark, and walked down to the campsite by the light of our head torches.

Practical info

We checked this in November 2026.

Rio Sallagoni via ferrata

• The via ferrata starts at the castle in Drena, a few kilometres from Arco.
• The whole loop is about 2.5-3 km long and takes about two hours. The via ferrata itself is about 120-150 m long.
• The route is easy to moderate. It has two rope bridges and one short overhanging section.
• Guides recommend it for children who are at least about 140 cm tall. With a guide, children can do it from the age of 8.

Colodri via ferrata

• It is an easy via ferrata that starts by the campsites in Prabi.
• The loop is about 4 km long with about 280 m of climbing. It takes about two and a half hours, and the via ferrata itself takes roughly an hour.
• In summer the rock face gets very hot, so it is better to start after three in the afternoon or, like us, in the evening with head torches.

Equipment

On both via ferratas you need full equipment: a helmet, a harness and a via ferrata set with two carabiners and an energy absorber.