Visiting the Dolomites and doing a hut-to-hut hike has been on my bucket list for years. I am pleased to report that it lived up to, and exceeded, my very high expectations.
We ended up exploring a less popular area / route because I booked everything pretty last minute (best to do it 6+ months in advance since the huts on the Alta Via 1 fill up quickly). I was worried that I would be a bit underwhelmed by our area since it was less well known but WOW, was I wrong. You know normally when you hike, there are a few hours where you are just trudging through before you get to a cool view? There was not one single moment where you couldn't see incredible jagged limestone peaks and emerald green valleys. It was almost overwhelming.
We booked our trip through Mont Trekking. I would highly recommend. They planned the routes, provided maps and local recommendations, booked the accommodations, and offered transfers before and after the trek. Definitely more expensive than booking it all by yourself, but I was short on time / energy to plan it so for me, very worth it.
Day 1: Venice to Campitello di Fassa
We flew into Venice the day before the trek and spent the night. The next morning we caught a 7am Brusutti bus into the Dolomites. The bus ride was 5 hours long, but absolutely gorgeous.
We arrived in Campitello di Fassa in the afternoon and spent the day wandering around the cute mountain town, breathing in the fresh air, walking up into the hills, stocking up for our trek at the Co-op, carb loading dinner, then an evening in the hotel's spa and sauna.
Day 2: Val San Nicolò
If I had to summarize my experience on this day, it would simply be: "THIS IS THE MOST AMAZING PLACE I HAVE EVER BEEN." The mountains are enormous and full of ridges of dramatic brown, gray, and black-streaked peaks. Every turn and twist opened up a panoramic view that actually took my breath away. Have you ever felt that? Does your heart hurt from wonder like mine does when I behold the majesty of this earth?
We hiked. We ate hot dogs in a hut on a mountain ridge. We listened to cowbells echoing softly around a valley. We got caught in the rain. We saw marmots and hawks and ibex. We had a three course Italian dinner. We tucked into a cozy bunk bed in Refugio Contrin at night. In short, we lived the perfect day.
Day 3: Monzoni Group
The section of the hike was absolutely epic and a bit freaky. We summitted at Pas da le Cirele then had to hike down the front of the peak at a 33 degree grade (imagine a little less than vertical) on a loose rock field. It was horrifying! While we were hobbling along fearing for our lives, we were surrounded by 70+ year old germans running down the cliff face like it was nothing. It was my nightmare climb, but we did it and I felt very proud of myself. After the scree descent we came down into a heavenly valley covered in bright green grass, dotted with purple crocuses, and filled with the gentle sound of cowbells. We ate a gorgeous lunch at Refugio Fuchiade then hiked down into Passo San Pellegrino where we stayed the night.
Day 4: Pale di San Martino
On this day we hiked from the San Pellegrino valley up and down three peaks to the Pale di San Martino. It was a long, hot day, but full of constantly changing scenery that kept us excited. The highlight of the day was hiking through the valley at the foot of the Pale di San Martino. It was huge and green and even after hours of staring, I still couldn't grasp the grandeur of the peaks. We stayed the night at the Refugio Capanna Cervino which looks right at the Cimon della Pala which is known as the Matterhorn of the Dolomites.
Day 5: Colbricon Lakes and San Martino di Castrozza
Our last day of hiking was on the Cavallazza with amazing views across multiple valleys and dramatic peaks. This area was really interesting because it had lots of well-preserved remnants of WWI including caves in the mountain tops and trenches. Many of the trails in the Dolomites were created / used heavily during WWI so this is a big part of the history of this area. We ended the day and trek in San Martino di Castrozza which is a charming town. We were surprised by how similiar these Dolomites towns felt to towns we had been to in the Swiss Alps. Our final activity of the day was watching the sunset from an outdoor hot tub. Pretty much perfect.
