Fassa to Pale di San Martino Hiking Traverse

You arrive in the splendid Val di Fassa Valley on your own. Val di Fassa will greet you with charming views and a great mountaineering atmosphere. From the central part of the valley where you will stay overnight, you can see the peaks of the Monzoni group rising above the forest. You will explore Monzoni on the first two days of your hike, but for now the first evening in Val di Fassa will let you acclimate, enjoy splendid mountain views, taste the local cuisine and rest before the multi-day trek.

Your hiking adventure begins with a short transfer to Vidòr, the gateway to the picturesque Val San Nicolò, where your trek begins. This small peaceful valley is renowned for its natural beauty, crystal-clear streams, dense coniferous forests, and colorful wildflowers. As you enter the valley, the trail ascends to the high-altitude Passo San Nicolò (2,340m), an ideal spot for a well-deserved rest. The pass is known for an impressive panorama with Marmolada, Sella Group, Rosengarten, Pordoi, and Monzoni. Your today’s route ends at a cozy mountain shelter located at the foot of Marmolada, where, as night falls, you can witness your first Enrosadira – the magical moment when the Dolomite Mountains glow in hues of pink and orange.

Today you will take a more challenging trail and reach the highest pass of the entire route, Pas de la Cirele, at 2,683 m. Leaving behind the vertical south face of Marmolada, you’ll head towards the Monzoni Group. While less known than the other mountains around Val di Fassa, this mountain group is no less stunning. Much of the Monzoni is virtually impassable, so far fewer hikers venture into the Monzoni, making this mountain group the quietest in the Fassa Dolomites. Only in Monzoni in recent years can one still encounter ibexes. This mountain group is especially appreciated by geologists for its fascinating variety of rock formations. As you ascend along the trail and go deeper into Monzoni, the terrain gradually becomes typical high mountain. At the start of the day, you will be able to enjoy the warmth of green meadows changing into forests, while at the Passo Cirele pass only rocks will surround you. Beyond the pass you will descend along a scree slope, where, however, there is a solid and well-trodden path. By the end of the day, you will reach the meadows of the Passo San Pellegrino pass, where you will stay overnight.

Leaving Passo San Pellegrino, your day will begin with a hike to Passo Valles. This mountain pass historically marks the boundary between the regions of Trentino and Veneto. Now a road runs through the pass, but the surrounding area remains surprisingly quiet and picturesque. Along the route, the vegetation gradually changes: from wide alpine meadows to forests of larches and conifers, creating a fascinating contrast between the intense green and the mountain rocks. Passo Valles is the point where you can stop for a short break at a nearby mountain hut and admire the surrounding landscapes. Beyond Passo Valles you will enter a trail that leads to the Passo Rolle pass through landscapes of exceptional beauty. For an hour and a half, you will hike south through a mostly open area, with sparse forest in front of you, against the backdrop of a thousand-meter-high western wall of Pale di San Martino, which rises into the sky with numerous peaks. You will reach Passo Rolle near Baita Segantini, a traditional alpine cottage located at 2,170 meters in a vast grassy expanse beside a small lake, which beautifully mirrors the stunning Pale di San Martino. This is one of the most popular places among local photographers. From here, you can catch a glimpse of Cimon della Pala, also known as the "Matterhorn of the Dolomites." As the sun sets, the Enrosadira effect will set the Pale alight with hues of red, offering a mesmerizing and unforgettable sight – more captivating than any postcard.

Even though your trek is slowly coming to an end, there is still much to see. The final hiking day will reward you with views and landscapes that you could not see before in the Fassa Dolomites. From Passo Rolle you will head into the eastern Lagorai, a mountain group that is very different from those you have explored so far on this trek. Lagorai differs from the Dolomites in age and the rocks it is composed of. These are granite mountains. Lagorai is rich with water and vegetation. Your destination in Lagorai is the Colbricon Lakes. Your route to the lakes passes through the historically interesting place of Cavallazza. This area offers a wide panoramic view of the Pale di San Martino, the summits of the eastern Lagorai, and, to the north, as far as the south wall of the Marmolada. In addition, Passo Rolle as well as the Val Cismon valley are perfectly visible from here. During the First World War, such a dominant yet relatively easily accessible place attracted the opposing sides. The soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian army built fortifications here, traces of which have survived to this day. The hike to Cavallazza is both enjoyable and adventurous, not only because of the extraordinary views on a clear day but also because of the opportunity to see traces of recent history. One can still see WWI trenches and artillery positions at Cavallazza. The positions at this location allowed first the Austro-Hungarian and then the Italian armies to control the Passo Rolle pass and a significant part of the Val Cismon valley. From Cavallazza you will relatively quickly descend along the ridge to the Colbricon Lakes, which are especially beautiful when they come into view from above. Colbricon are two tiny lakes lying in a small depression, protected from the winds by a spruce forest and surrounding ridges. There is a mountain hut on the shore of one of them. Colbricon is a charming and serene place where we recommend planning a stop for lunch at the hut or a picnic before the final stage of the hike, which will take you to the town of San Martino di Castrozza.

Your trek finished in San Martino di Castrozza, one of the first alpine resorts, which became famous back in the times when only aristocrats could afford holidays, especially in remote mountains. At that time, San Martino was also visited by people of art. San Martino inspired Richard Strauss and Arthur Schnitzler. Luckily for us, San Martino escaped the fate of many Alpine resorts of the time. It did not grow into a large village or become a mass tourist destination. San Martino remains charming, and its atmosphere is filled with the spirit of history, tradition and mountaineering. If you have time before you leave, you can spend a day relaxing in San Martino or take the lift up to Pale di San Martino to see the largest lunar plateau in the Dolomites.

This route variant allows you to explore the Pale di San Martino plateau famous for its lunar landscape. It is the largest high-altitude plateau of the Dolomites, many times larger than all the others. To reach it, you can choose to stay an additional night in a hotel in San Martino or in a good mountain hut up on the plateau. You will in any case need to use a cable lift to reach the plateau and have a full day to explore it. Our main itinerary on the plateau leads to the Cima Fradusta summit towering on its southern edge and offering an expansive 360-degree panorama of the plateau and the adjacent Dolomite mountain groups.

We designed the 8-day itinerary to make the Fassa-Pale trek more comfortable for hikers that prefer an easier hiking schedule with slightly shorter daytime treks. In addition, this route deviates into Val de Ombretta along a trail that runs at the base of the impressive south face of the Marmolada, over 1,000 meters high. You will spend two nights at the foot of the Marmolada, which will allow you not only to enjoy stunning views, but also to bypass the Passo Cirele pass by going around Monzoni instead of crossing it.