Alpine Trails

Europe’s largest high-altitude alpine meadow, rolling green under the Sassolungo and Sciliar. Wide, almost flat paths make this the easiest big-view day from Ortisei — perfect for a slow afternoon or a picnic.

High point

Mont Sëuc · 2,005 m

Massif · views

Sassolungo & Sciliar views

Trail markers

Meadow paths

Route

Loop · May – Oct

Getting there

Mont Sëuc cable car from Ortisei

Why it’s popular

Europe’s largest high-altitude pasture, framed by the Sassolungo and Sciliar

One of the most popular ridge traverses in the valley. From the Resciesa plateau the path runs west under the full sawtooth wall of the Odle to the Pana saddle, then drops onto the Seceda alp. Start early — it gets busy by mid-morning.

High point

Forcella Pana · 2,447 m

Massif · views

Odle / Geisler

Trail markers

No. 35 / 1

Route

Traverse · Jun – Oct

Getting there

Resciesa funicular from Ortisei

Sunny, gentle high-level walking on the Raschötz ridge with a 360° sweep over the Puez-Geisler park to the summit cross at 2,281 m, then down past the Heilig-Kreuz chapel. A relaxed family favourite straight off the funicular.

High point

Außerraschötz cross · 2,281 m

Massif · views

Puez-Geisler panorama

Trail markers

No. 31 / 1 / 10

Route

Loop · May – Nov

Getting there

Resciesa funicular from Ortisei

A big point-to-point that links the two Ortisei high plateaus: up onto Resciesa, along the Adolf Munkel base, over the steep Furcela de Mesdi scree, then up to the Seceda ridge. Over 1,000 m of climbing and the most demanding day here.

High point

Seceda ridge · 2,519 m

Massif · views

Odle / Geisler

Trail markers

No. 35 / 29

Route

Traverse · Jul – Sep

Getting there

Resciesa funicular → Seceda cableway

The postcard of the Dolomites: the knife-edge Seceda ridge tilting up to the jagged Odle spires. A short, easy stroll from the top of the cable car to the famous viewpoint, with the Sella and Sassolungo on the horizon.

High point

Seceda · 2,519 m

Massif · views

Odle / Geisler

Trail markers

Ridge loop

Route

Out & back · Jun – Oct

Getting there

Seceda cable car from Ortisei

Why it’s popular

The tilted Odle ridge is one of the most-shared Alpine images; summer crowds of thousands a day led to the 2025 turnstile protest

A near-level balcony walk from the Seceda top station beneath the Fermeda towers to the Pieralongia rock pinnacles and their little hut, then gently down meadow pastures to the Col Raiser gondola. Mostly downhill, family-friendly, with non-stop views of the most iconic ridgeline in the Dolomites.

High point

Seceda · 2,493 m

Massif · views

Odle / Geisler

Trail markers

No. 2b / 1

Route

Traverse · Jun – Oct

Getting there

Seceda cable car from Ortisei up; Col Raiser gondola down

An easy, gradual walk across open alp from the top of the Col Raiser gondola to the Regensburger Hütte (Rifugio Firenze, 2,037 m), tucked right beneath the Fermeda towers. Big-mountain scenery with very little effort.

High point

Rifugio Firenze · 2,090 m

Massif · views

Fermeda / Odle

Trail markers

No. 1

Route

Out & back · Jun – Oct

Getting there

Col Raiser gondola from S. Cristina

The roof of the Odle group at 3,025 m, reached by a cabled via-ferrata line through the heart of the massif. Exposed, steep and serious — for experienced scramblers with a helmet, harness and a head for heights only.

High point

Sass Rigais · 3,025 m

Massif · views

Odle / Geisler

Trail markers

No. 2 / via ferrata

Route

Out & back · Jul – Sep

Getting there

Col Raiser gondola from S. Cristina

The classic view of Val di Funes: a short walk up the Panoramaweg above Santa Maddalena to the viewpoint over its church with the Odle/Geisler spires behind. Carry on down the valley to St. Johann in Ranui, the little baroque chapel standing alone in a meadow beneath the same peaks. Best at sunrise or late afternoon. Use the paid car parks: parking on the narrow lanes is prohibited and drones are banned.

High point

Panoramaweg viewpoint · 1,366 m

Massif · views

Dolomites

Route

Out & back · Year-round

Getting there

Paid car parks in Santa Maddalena; no parking on Magdalenaweg or Panoramaweg

Why it’s popular

The church-and-Geisler-peaks view is the stock image of the Dolomites

A near-level forest-and-meadow circuit along the northern base of the Geisler/Odle group, named after the Dresden alpinist who founded it in 1905. The sawtooth peaks rise straight overhead from the Geisler Alm "cinema" — manageable for most and even doable with kids.

High point

Gschnagenhardt Alm · 2,006 m

Massif · views

Odle / Geisler (Sass Rigais 3025 m)

Trail markers

No. 35 / 36

Route

Loop · May – Oct

Getting there

Zans trailhead, Val di Funes

Why it’s popular

Larch-forest balcony right under the Geisler spires, with hut lunches at Geisleralm

A committing high-alpine day on the lunar Puez plateau: from the Dantercepies gondola over Passo Cir and Passo Crespeina (2,528 m), past the emerald Lago di Crespeina to Rifugio Puez, returning down the long, dramatic Vallunga valley to Selva. No via ferrata — just distance, altitude and weather.

High point

Passo Crespeina · 2,528 m

Massif · views

Puez Group

Trail markers

Alta Via 2 / No. 12A, 2, 16, 14

Route

Loop · Jul – Sep

Getting there

Dantercepies gondola from Selva di Val Gardena

A grand loop right around the base of the Sassolungo/Langkofel massif, weaving between rock towers, scree and high pasture with the Friedrich-August hut along the way. A proper full day of moderate alpine walking.

High point

Rif. Friedrich August · 2,300 m

Massif · views

Sassolungo 3181 m

Trail markers

No. 557 / 4

Route

Loop · Jul – Sep

Getting there

Passo Sella (bus/drive via Selva)

Why it’s popular

The Langkofel group from every side; a staple of Val Gardena hiking lists

A short, rewarding climb from Passo Gardena up trail no. 2 through meadow and scree, finishing on an easy cable-protected via ferrata. From the 2,592 m cross: a sweeping panorama over the Sella, Sassolungo and Puez groups.

High point

Gran Cir (Große Cirspitze) · 2,592 m

Massif · views

Cir Group / Puez

Trail markers

No. 2

Route

Out & back · Jun – Oct

Getting there

Drive SS243 from Selva to Passo Gardena (2,121 m)

From Rifugio Gardeccia the trail climbs past the Vajolet and Preuss huts, then up a steep rocky gully with fixed cables to Rifugio Re Alberto I (Gartlhütte) at 2,621 m, tucked at the foot of the three Vajolet Towers deep inside the Rosengarten. Gardeccia is about 45 minutes on foot from the Ciampedìe cable car above Vigo di Fassa, or reached by the chairlifts from Pera. The hut opens roughly late June to late September.

High point

Rifugio Re Alberto I · 2,621 m

Massif · views

Dolomites

Route

Out & back · Jun – Sep

Getting there

Vigo cable car to Ciampedìe, then 45 min on foot to Gardeccia (or chairlifts from Pera)

Why it’s popular

Alpenglow on the Vajolet spires is a classic Dolomites image

A short, nearly flat path circles the Karersee, a small spring-fed lake famous for its shifting green-blue colours and the reflection of the Latemar spires. It is a 30-minute stop on the Great Dolomites Road: park at the paid P1/P2 car parks and walk through the short underpass to the shore. The lakeshore is fenced to protect it; swimming and drones are banned.

High point

Lago di Carezza · 1,520 m

Massif · views

Dolomites

Route

Loop · May – Oct

Getting there

Paid car parks P1/P2 with a short tunnel to the lake; bus 180

Why it’s popular

The “rainbow lake” mirroring the Latemar, a fixed stop on the Great Dolomites Road

Trail 441 across alpine meadows, then right onto the rocky path with one brief 2 m rock step before the airy summit ridge. On top, the sheer Tofane wall fills the horizon with the Cinque Torri towers in the valley below.

High point

Croda Negra · 2,518 m

Massif · views

Nuvolau / Averau

Trail markers

No. 441 / 442

Route

Out & back · Jun – Oct

Getting there

Drive to Passo Falzarego (2,105 m); park at the Lagazuoi lift

Ride the Lagazuoi cable car from Passo Falzarego to the hut terrace at 2,752 m, one of the great Dolomites viewpoints, then walk back down inside the mountain through the Galleria del Lagazuoi, a WWI mine tunnel dug by the Italian army under the Austrian positions. The tunnels are steep, wet and pitch-dark in places: headlamp, helmet, gloves and a via-ferrata kit are required. The exposed Cengia Martini ledge is an optional exit.

High point

Rifugio Lagazuoi · 2,752 m

Massif · views

Dolomites

Route

Traverse · Jun – Oct

Getting there

Lagazuoi cable car up from Passo Falzarego, then walk down through the tunnels

Why it’s popular

Headlamp descent through restored Austro-Italian war tunnels, from the famous Lagazuoi hut terrace

A gentle lift-assisted circuit around the five Dolomite towers — Torre Grande tops out at 2,361 m, climbers only — threading the restored WWI trenches and gun posts of the open-air Great War museum, with the Tofane and Croda da Lago all around.

High point

Rifugio Scoiattoli · 2,255 m

Massif · views

Nuvolau / Averau

Trail markers

No. 439 / 440 / 425

Route

Loop · Jun – Oct

Getting there

5 Torri chairlift from Bai de Dones (1,889 m), or walk up ~1 h

Why it’s popular

Open-air WWI museum among five rock towers; big views for little effort

From Passo Giau the path climbs round the Ra Gusela to Rifugio Nuvolau, a hut perched on the 2,575 m summit since 1883 and one of the oldest in the Dolomites. The 360° view takes in the Civetta, Pelmo, Tofane, Marmolada and the Cinque Torri right below. The last pull to the hut is steep but not technical; the loop back to the pass makes a full half-day.

High point

Rifugio Nuvolau · 2,575 m

Massif · views

Dolomites

Route

Loop · Jun – Oct

Getting there

Car to Passo Giau (2,236 m)

Why it’s popular

The oldest hut in the Dolomites on a 360° summit; a favourite sunset spot

A green, panoramic traverse above Passo Giau on trail 436 — left fork to Forcella Giau, right to the Cernera — then two short, easy cable-protected pitches onto the broad summit plateau at 2,664 m, facing the Tofane.

High point

Monte Cernera · 2,664 m

Massif · views

Cernera / Ampezzo Dolomites

Trail markers

No. 436

Route

Out & back · Jul – Sep

Getting there

Drive to Passo Giau (2,236 m) on the SP638

An easy, near-flat loop around the emerald Pragser Wildsee — the "pearl of the Dolomite lakes" — beneath the Croda del Becco. Wide gravel and boardwalk on the west shore, a few rocky steps on the far side, and the famous wooden boathouse at the start.

High point

Lago di Braies · 1,496 m

Massif · views

Croda del Becco / Seekofel

Trail markers

No. 1

Route

Loop · Apr – Nov

Getting there

Summer 9–16h car closure: pre-book parking or shuttle bus

Why it’s popular

Emerald lake and wooden boathouse under the Seekofel; one of the most photographed lakes in the Alps

The best-known hut-to-hut trek in the Dolomites: about 120 km from Lago di Braies to Belluno in 8–12 days. It crosses the Fanes plateau, climbs to Rifugio Lagazuoi (2,752 m, the high point), passes the Cinque Torri and Nuvolau, then the Pelmo and the Civetta walls before dropping through the wild Schiara group. No glacier crossings, a few exposed cabled passages and an optional via ferrata near the end. Book the huts months ahead for July and August.

High point

Rifugio Lagazuoi · 2,752 m

Massif · views

Dolomites

Route

Multi-day · 8–12 days · Jul – Sep

Getting there

Bus or shuttle to Lago di Braies; bus home from Belluno

Why it’s popular

The most popular multi-day trek in the Dolomites

An easy forest-road walk to Rifugio Città di Fiume, then a short, steep grassy ridge to a panoramic top right beneath the soaring north walls of Monte Pelmo, with views to Civetta, Antelao and the Marmolada.

High point

Col de la Puina · 2,254 m

Massif · views

Pelmo

Trail markers

CAI 467 + ridge

Route

Out & back · Jun – Oct

Getting there

Drive via Passo Staulanza; park at the hairpin (~1,663 m)

A wide gravel road from Palafavera past Malga Pioda to Rifugio Sonino al Coldai, then up to the saddle above the turquoise Lago Coldai; a faint path opposite the lake gains the 2,403 m summit, set straight against the immense north-west wall of the Civetta.

High point

Cima Coldai · 2,403 m

Massif · views

Civetta

Trail markers

No. 564 / 556

Route

Out & back · Jun – Oct

Getting there

Drive to Palafavera, Val di Zoldo (1,507 m); free parking