Alta Via 2 of the Dolomites

You will arrive in Val Gardena, check in at the base camp hotel, and rest up. One of the Ladinian valleys with a clearly distinct identity, Val Gardena is the gateway to the Dolomite Alps. Nestled among magnificent mountains, the valley comes up against the Sella group, guaranteeing breathtaking vistas of the Dolomites already on the day of your arrival. If you have booked a self-guided hike, you will receive a package of materials for the trek, including a map, itinerary and step-by-step hiking schedule, and other relevant paperwork during hotel check-in.

The hike begins with the crossing of the Puez-Odle group. The Seceda peaks are landmarks of Puez-Odle and a magnet for thousands of shutterbugs. You will reach the peaks via a scenic trail that traverses a gentle slope with a sheer drop-off on the north side. This makes the peaks seem visually taller and affords for some picture-perfect views. The only downside of this part of the route are the hordes of tourists arriving by chairlift from the valley. That’s why we have mapped an alternative itinerary for this leg of the hike. It will take you through a less traveled part of Puez-Odle with idyllic views of the main ridge of this mountain group against the backdrop of a dry channel of a mountain stream filled with boulders, its banks overgrown with creeping pines. This trail also offers a beautiful angle on the Sella group that you will be approaching the following day.

Today’s itinerary will take you through the Sella group. It is the most recognizable mountain group in the Dolomite Alps owing to its unique shapes. Ever since it formed in the ocean 250 million years ago, Sella has retained a perfectly correct shape of a coral island. Two itinerary options are available for this leg of Alta Via 2. The classical Alta Via 2 itinerary crosses Sella in the high-altitude region and is suitable for hikers undaunted by a trail snaking through steep rocks with rungs and metal rope support. If you choose this route, on this day you will reach the central region of the Sella group where you will be overnighting at a mountain hut. The alternative itinerary is less complicated as it bypasses the more challenging parts of Alta Via 2, taking you along a trail at the foot of steep cliffs of Sella. This itinerary ascends into the high-altitude region at the eastern tip of the group. You will spend the night at a mountain hut offering a magnificent panoramic view of the neighboring Dolomite ranges.

Starting off in the high-altitude region of the Sella group, today’s itinerary will bring you to the Marmolada group, ending at Fedaia Lake at its foot. The trail across Sella takes you through its rocky area with a moonlike landscape this group is known for. The trek from the Sella group to Fedaia Lake opens up spine-tingling views of the Marmolada group and the glacier on its northern slope. The trail runs along the slope that directly faces Marmolada, giving you a full view of the glacier. Marmolada is the highest mountain group in the Dolomite Alps, and the glacier on its slope is the only one to have survived in the Dolomites. The glacier feeds Fedaia Lake that sits at a mountain pass of the same name, and you will be overnighting on its shore today.

Marmolada lies ahead on your itinerary. Only rock climbers cross Marmolada in a straight line. This involves scaling the glacier and going down a via ferrata. Two itinerary routes are available for trekking in the Marmolada area. The historical Alta Via 2 itinerary bypasses Marmolada on the east. This trail was truly exciting in the 1960s-70s, while nowadays it follows an asphalt-paved road for the most part. That’s why the western hiking route is now considered the primary choice, although either option is possible and you will receive hiking schedules for both. The trail running along the western itinerary offers stunning views of the Sella group from the hollow of Ciampac, which will most definitely whet the photographer’s appetite. The eastern route skirts the kilometer-long southern cliff of Marmolada at its foot.

Today Alta Via 2 takes you through the Monzoni group and crosses its main ridge. It is one of the most seldom-traveled parts of the itinerary. The majority of Monzoni trails are relatively complicated, which is why the local denizens, Alpine ibexes, are seldom disturbed by people and are not fearful of approaching the trails. The Cirelle Pass will be the highest point of today’s trek. As you go up the slope to the mountain pass, the Sassolungo group comes into view. Located to the side of Alta Via 2, it presents itself from a quite opportune angle, resembling an enormous fairy-tail castle. Crossing the Cirelle Pass is almost a walk in the park when the approaches to it are clear of snow, but it will require quite a bit of effort at the start of the season, especially after snowy winters. From the mountain pass the trail charmingly snakes down the talus slope into the Alpine meadow belt and takes you to a mountain hut at the San Pellegrino mountain pass.

From the San Pellegrino Pass, the Alta Via 2 itinerary takes you to Pale di San Martino, or the Pala group, visible from higher elevations already today. This mountain group is so large that it blocks out the entire horizon to the south of the route. Some of the most beautiful and memorable locations on today’s itinerary are the little-known valley Val Venegia and the Passo Rolle pass. Val Venegia is especially stunning in the latter half of the day when the sun shines on the northwestern slopes of Pale di San Martino. The Passo Rolle pass, where today’s trek ends, sits in a vast region of Alpine meadows. There are several elevated points opportunely positioned in front of the chain of Pale di San Martino peaks. They make great vantage points for watching the sundown, camera in hand. Passo Rolle is famous for affording the view of the Cimon della Pala peak – one of the key landmarks of the Dolomite Mountains.

Today’s itinerary will bring you to the Pale di San Martino group, where the trail ascends into the high mountain region and crosses its western part. Pale di San Martino is one of the largest mountain groups in the Dolomites. A unique plateau at the center of the group is a major landmark of Pale. It is an entirely rocky landscape at an elevation of 2,500 - 2,700 meters, entirely devoid of vegetation, with hollows, patches of higher ground, and infrequent lakes. The impressions from walking through this otherworldly landscape are nothing short of spectacular. The plateau is bounded on the north and south by two mountain chains. Several more freestanding peaks stand tall in the middle of the plateau. As soon as you reach the plateau, you will have a chance to scale the Rosetta peak at the western tip of the group, which offers a full view of the plateau below.

After overnighting on the plateau, you will have the option to stray from the “official” Alta Via 2 itinerary and proceed along what we believe to be a more interesting hiking route through the central part of Pale di San Martino. You can still choose the classical route, and you will be able to decide onsite. The hike through the center of the plateau is longer. In addition to crossing the plateau, one of its highlights involves going up Cima Fradusta – the only peak deep inside the plateau. Fradusta is set apart from the other peaks and therefore offers a 360-degree view. In addition to the entire Pale di San Martino, you will also see the nearby Dolomite groups, including Marmolada that you passed three days prior. A small glacier has survived on the northern slope of the Fradusta peak. It feeds a turquoise lake at the foot of the peak. After going down the other side of the mountain, you will again find yourself in the unforgettable lunar landscape of the plateau. On reaching its eastern tip of the group, you will go down to the mountain hut.

A nameless ridge, part of the Pala Group, extends to the east of the Pale di San Martino plateau. The eastern ridge is a lengthy chain of peaks as high as 2,870 m. Scenic trails along the eastern ridge are seldom-traveled and stunningly beautiful. They take you below the crest through the Alpine meadow belt, occasionally rising into high mountain regions. The crest of the ridge gradually descends in the southern direction, and roughly at its southern tip the Alta Via 2 route goes down to the Passo Cereda pass from where you reach the base camp hotel in Fiera.

Breakfast in the hotel and departure. The 11-day Alta Via 2 ends in the village of Fiera del Primero south of Pale di San Martino which is best connected to the Venice airport.

The 8 Day Tour includes 6 days of hiking and takes you from Val Gardena to the Passo Rolle pass, thus covering the mountain groups of Puez-Odle, Sella, Marmolada and Monzoni. It ends in front of Pale di San Martino without entering this group.

On this guided group hike, you will explore the most remote part of the classic Alta Via 2. You will hike along the secured paths of Pale di San Martino and the least walked trails of the Vette Feltrine group. We will provide you with the ferrata gear on this hike. The itinerary starts at Passo Valles, which is a pass northeast of Pale di San Martino. From Passo Valles, you will go straight into the Pale di San Martino group on a secured trail thus bypassing Passo Rolle. Having reached the Pale plateau, the itinerary goes through its lunar landscapes to the southeastern tip of the group and enters the wilderness of Vette Feltrine. Despite it is part of the classic Alta Via 2 route, few people hike in this area, mostly the locals on weekends. In Vette Feltrine, the trail mostly runs on and near the scenic crest with breathtaking views. The trek finishes at Passo Croce d’Aune from where we organize a transfer to the base camp. The base camp locations for this trek are San Martino di Castrozza and Fiera di Primero.

This route starts in Val Gardena and reaches the western edge of the Pale di San Martino group. On the final walking day, you will have enough time to hike up the Pale plateau and make an optional ascent to the Cima Rosetta summit on a normal hiking trail. This summit is one of the best observation points of Pale di San Martino. At the end of the day, you can use the lift to quickly descend to San Martino di Castrozza, which is one of our base camp locations for Alta Via 2 along with Fiera di Primero.

The 10-day tour adds almost the entire Pale di San Martino to the itinerary. This mountain group is one of the major highlights of Alta Via 2. You will cross the central plateau of Pale di San Martino before descending to Fiera del Primero. This route starts in Val Gardena and requires 8 days of hiking.

The 12 Day Tour covers the historical Alta Via 2 route starting near the Plose massif and ending on the Passo Cereda pass. Sadly, Plose lost its charm with the development of a ski resort, but this route option is still available if you prefer to walk along the historical route from the beginning till the end. This route requires 10 days of hiking. The base camp location for it is Brixen.