Hut to Hut Hike in the Dolomites

I had always dreamed of visiting the Dolomites. Being in their incredible presence and learning about their past that extended millions of years ago fascinated me. Their imposing structures are encyclopedias of history, speaking volumes about continent formations, the coral reefs and volcanic eruptions that lie at the base of their existence, the dinosaurs that left their footprints with them, and eventually, the soldiers that fought for them along man-created borders.

Deciding which route to take

I decided the best way to explore the Dolomites in the 6 days I had was on foot. There were other options that involved driving from village to village or using cable cars. These would have definitely covered a lot more ground in that time frame but I wanted to physically work hard for the incredible views and be rewarded with massive guilt-free plates of pasta. I convinced my boyfriend to embark on his first multi-day hike with me and we were off on the Alta Via 1, one of the most popular treks in the range.

My Tour Du Mont Blanc tour guide told me it’s possible to do the trail self guided. He said that all you need to do is call the Rifugios ahead of time to reserve your spot. After scouring several blogs and adventure company websites for the best Alta Via 1 itinerary, we decided to do the Northern half of the Alta Via 1 ending at Croda Da Lago with the perfect distance covered in 6 days (10-15 km a day) and 5 nights, allowing plenty of time to relax and make friends in the evenings. We met some of the most diverse groups of people on our hike from Australian pharmacologists to local Italian friends taking an annual boy’s trip to American and German geologists.

Saving money in the Dolomites

During my research, I noticed that treks in the Dolomites planned by adventure companies costed at least a thousand dollars. This confused me because the total cost of the rifugios for 5 nights was under $300 per person. Anyone who wants to experience these mountains should not be hindered by exorbitant prices. I’ve put together the day by day itinerary for anyone looking to the hike the Dolomites solo and save money with links to rifugios, prices per night and tidbits from our journey from each hut to the next. The key is just to make the reservations as early as you can and you can save hundreds of dollars by avoiding the middle man. I made Rifugio reservations 6 months in advance (in mid-March for a September hike).

After arriving in Milan the previous morning and taking a nonstop 6.5 hour bus to Cortina D Ampezzo that reached that evening, we were set to start our hike the next day. The map below shows where we stayed each night and the cost per stay (as of 2019).

Day 1:

Overnight: Rifugio Sennes (Spotty service, no WiFi, credit card machine worked the next morning)
Contact: Fill their reservation form here
Summer 2019 Rate: 35 Euro per person including breakfast, while dinner is around 20 Euro per person with a drink, main and dessert

Getting to the starting point

The starting point of the Alta Via 1 is Lago Di Braies which can be accessed by bus from Cortina. There are 2 bus connections and the frequency of both buses is once every 2 hours during the summer. The first bus is 445 and the second is 442 and tickets for both can be bought on board. We took the 8:00 am 445 to Dobiacco Autostazione ( not Dobiacco Toblarch which some people accidentally got off at) and from there took the 442 at 9 am to Lago Di Braies, reaching the lake at 9:30 am.

The lake is stunning from all angles and the trail is officially marked and starts going up the mountain around 75% of the way around the lake when walking around it clockwise. There is also a map of the trail at the entrance of the lake which can be used for reference.

We did not carry a map but were able to find our way because of how well the trail was marked with sign posts every few kilometers indicating the time to reach the next few huts. The locals in the huts also occasionally pointed us in the right direction.

Getting to Rifugio Biella

The trek begins with a gradual ascent up with the lake getting tinier in the background as we went higher. There is some flat ground to admire the mountains on all four sides. The second ascent becomes steeper along the side the of the mountain but there are ropes to hold on to. The views are breathtaking after completing the second ascent and there is one final ascent before the first hut of the trail comes into view: Rifugio Biella/ Seekofel Hut (cash only – credit card machine didn’t work)

It took us around 4 hours to reach this hut. We could’ve continued on to Sennes as it was only one hour from Biella but we decided to stop for lunch here as we were starving. I had the most delicious mushroom Tagliatelle here while my boyfriend savored the spaghetti with ragu (same as spaghetti bolognese but turns out bolognese is the touristy term for it).

After lunch, it was an hour of gradual descent to Sennes where we stayed in a dorm for 4. The hot shower and tiramisu were amazing at this hut.

Day 2:

Overnight: Rifugio Lavarella (Spotty service, Free WiFi, credit card accepted)
Contact: Fill their reservation form here
Summer 2019 Rate: 49 Euro per person including breakfast for a private room, dinner around 20 Euro per person with a drink, main and dessert

We started the day slightly late at 10am because we were still jet lagged. We went on a mostly descending trail towards Pederu. From Pederu, it was a continuous ascent until we were surrounded by stunning 360 degree views of the mountains, valleys and forests.

The trail then went through the forest and it was mostly a flat walk (with a couple of gradual ascents and descents) until we passed Fanes Hut, nestled in front of the lake. It was 15 minutes from there to Lavarella Hut, where the entrance was decorated with lazing cows.

In the rifugio

In the evening, I had the satisfying hikers dinner (massive bowl of macaroni) while my boyfriend tried the deer ragout which he thought was average. We were lucky to get a private room with its own sink and pretty view of the cow pastures. It was only 10 euro more expensive than a shared room.

Day 3:

Overnight: Rifugio Lagazuoi (good service and accepted credit card but WiFi was down)
Contact: Book online directly here
Summer 2019 Rate: 68 Euro per person including dinner and breakfast in dormitory

Journey to Lagazuoi

Day 3 was our hardest. We began our day slightly earlier at 9. After 2 hours of easy walking amidst fields of cows, we met with rain after two days of perfect weather. The rain got heavier as we started ascending and the path foggier but we were still able to see exactly where the trail was marked. After a tough climb, it was a long set of switchbacks down to Lago Di Lagazuoi.

After the climb down, we had our final never ending ascent in the pouring rain where we could see Lagazuoi in the distance. I would highly recommend wearing a fleece or an extra layer inside a waterproof jacket along with a pair of gloves in case signs of rain are noticeable. It would’ve saved me swollen fingers and continuous shivering even while sweating. If it’s not raining on your way up, you can stop to look at the open air World War 1 museums. We finally reached Lagazuoi (took us 6 hours and we didn’t stop for lunch). Lagazuoi was the highest point of our hike (2750m) and the views of the surrounding mountains in the clouds were beautiful once the rain let up.

Experience at Lagazuoi

Dinner was quite elaborate here with first, second and third courses. My boyfriend absolutely loved the beef second course. I wasn’t a fan of the vegetarian version as it was loaded with butter and cheese. Our dorm was shared with 8 bunk beds (but still spacious) and showers were paid for and limited for 3 minutes.

Day 4:

Overnight: Rifugio Averau (Good service and Wifi and accepted credit card)
Contact: Book online directly here
Summer 2019 Rate: 73 Euro per person including dinner and breakfast in dormitory

We woke up to find the clouds had mostly disappeared, leaving behind a beautiful sunrise over the mountain peaks. We took an easy 15 minute path up to a higher point without our bags. Here, we saw stunning panoramic views of all the ranges around us.

Routes to Averau

There are a few options to go to Averau from Lagazuoi –

1. Stay on the main Alta Via 1 and hike for 5-6 hours, passing by Rifugio Dibona
2. Take a cable car down to Falzarego Pass and do a 2 hour climb to Averau
3. Hike down to Falzarego Pass for an hour and a half and do a 2 hour climb to Averau.

We took option C by hiking back down to the intersection we came up through to Route 402. We then continued down on the switchback 402 route to Falzarego. From Falzarego, we took 441 to Averau. 441 started with a gradual ascent and then changed to an exciting rock scramble to the top where we could see vast valleys interspersed with tiny villages. I was prompted to think that Settlers of Catan may have been inspired by this scenery because of all the mountains, pastures, forests and settlements we saw in one frame.

Getting to Averau

From there it was an easy walk along the mountainside to Averau. Averau had delicious food and laundry (slightly expensive at 6 euro each for washer and dryer). The dormitories have balconies so in the afternoon we lazed on the warm wood in the sun and read. In the night we had the view of the mountains turning into different shades of indigo and we could see all the stars and even a hint of the Milky Way.

Day 5:

Overnight: Rifugio Croda Da Lago (Accepted credit card and free Wifi)
Contact: Book online directly here
Summer 2019 Rate: ~35 Euro per person including breakfast in dormitory

We started our journey to the last rifugio by going down towards Scoliatoli Hut. Then, we passed through the magnificent Cinque Torri and saw people scaling its 90 degree surfaces. We could see hundreds of sheep in the distance. (and my Settlers of Catan picture was complete)

The scenery changed when we descended through a forest, abound with mushrooms and the chirping of crickets, birds and lizards. After the manageable descent, we crossed the road to find ourselves climbing along a continuous set of switchbacks for around 2 hours before we reached the Val Negra.

Val Negra has views of the entire city of Cortina D Ampezzo along with views of several of the Dolomite peaks including Tre Cime Lavaredo and Croda Rossa. From Val Negra, it was a short walk to Croda Da Lago that lay next to the emerald Lake Federa. People were sunbathing, reading and relaxing along the lake shore and we were tempted to plop on the grass as well. Our stomachs pushed us to lunch and we enjoyed some excellent spaghetti pomodoro and cheese and spinach dumplings.

In the evening, Lake Federa was even more beautiful and we were lucky enough to see clouds actually appearing and disappearing over the mountains! We slept in a dormitory again that night, this time slightly more cramped than previous rifugios but still comfortable.

Day 6:

We only needed 2 hours on the last day to go back to to Cortina D’Ampezzo. It was an easy path back down the mountain we climbed yesterday but emotionally tough because we were reluctantly leaving the carefree world of ascents, huts, incredible pasta, people and panoramas. Still, the final views of vast fields of purple, yellow and white wildflowers and white, red roofed houses with flowers arranged neatly on their window sills soothed us.