Carnic and Gailtal Alps
The Carnic and Gailtal Alps is a geographic grouping of mountain ranges belonging to the Southern Limestone Alps. They are located in Austria and Italy.
Geography
The range is bound by the Drau River in the north, separating it from the Western Tauern section of the Central Eastern Alps. The northern, entirely Austrian range is called the Gailtal Alps or Drauzug, bordered by the Gail River in the south. The Gail Valley is on the Periadriatic Seam, so that from a tectonic perspective the Gailtal Alps belong to the Central Eastern Alps. The Gailtal Alps are divided by the very deep Gailbergsattel into a higher western section called the Lienzer Dolomites and a lower eastern section, to which the name Gailtal Alps is sometimes restricted. Passes in the eastern section include the Kreuzbergsattel and Windische Höhe.The main ridge of the Carnic Alps forms the Austrian-Italian border and stretches from prominent Mt. Helm near Sexten at the tripoint of East Tyrol, South Tyrol and Veneto to the Canal Valley at Tarvisio in the east. It includes several peaks reaching nearly as well as the Plöcken and Naßfeld passes.
In the south the Carnic Prealps stretch between the Piave and Tagliamento rivers down to the Padan Plain.
Administratively the range is divided between the Italian Region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and the Austrian states Tyrol and Carinthia.
SOIUSA classification
According to SOIUSA the Carnic and Gailtal Alps are an Alpine section, classified in the following way:- main part = Eastern Alps
- major sector = Southern Limestone Alps
- section = Carnic and Gailtal Alps
- code = II/C-33
Subdivision
- Carnic Alps - SOIUSA code:II/C-33.I;
- Gailtal Alps - SOIUSA code:II/C-33.II;
- Carnic Prealps - SOIUSA code:II/C-33.III.
Notable summits
Name | metres | subsection |
Coglians / Hohe Warte | 2,782 | Carnic Alps |
Kellerspitzen / Creta delle Chianevate | 2,774 | Carnic Alps |
Große Sandspitze | 2,770 | Lienzer Dolomites |
Spitzkofel | 2,717 | Lienzer Dolomites |
Cima dei Preti | 2,703 | Carnic Prealps |
Monte Peralba | 2,694 | Carnic Alps |
Monte Cavallino / Große Kinigat | 2,689 | Carnic Alps |
Hochstadel | 2,681 | Lienzer Dolomites |
Monte Duranno | 2,668 | Carnic Prealps |
Rosskopf | 2,603 | Carnic Alps |
Zwölferspitz | 2,592 | Carnic Alps |
Eggenkofel | 2,591 | Lienzer Dolomites |
Monte Terza Grande | 2,586 | Carnic Alps |
Monte Cridola | 2,581 | Carnic Prealps |
Hochspitz | 2,581 | Carnic Alps |
Torrione dei Longerin | 2,571 | Carnic Alps |
Wolayer Seekopf | 2,551 | Carnic Alps |
Monte Brentoni | 2,548 | Carnic Alps |
Cima Monfalcon di Montanaia | 2,548 | Carnic Prealps |
Gamskofel | 2,526 | Carnic Alps |
Steinwand | 2,520 | Carnic Alps |
Monte Chiadenis | 2,459 | Carnic Prealps |
Gamswiesenspitze | 2,486 | Lienzer Dolomites |
Helm | 2,434 | Carnic Alps |
Reißkofel | 2,371 | Gailtal Alps |
Lumkofel | 2,287 | Gailtal Alps |
Trogkofel / Creta di Aip | 2,195 | Carnic Alps |
Jauken | 2,276 | Gailtal Alps |
Gartnerkofel | 2,195 | Carnic Alps |
Dobratsch | 2,166 | Gailtal Alps |