Day Hikes in the Dolomites: Treasures of South Tyrol, Italy

The Trip

The Dolomites are famous for their surreal beauty, with rugged white, gray, and pink peaks rising abruptly from rolling green valleys and meadows. Geologically they have strong contrasts, being composed of both dolomitic limestone and volcanic formations. The cultural heritage of the area also has contrasts; with Italian, Ladin, and Tyrolean influences. In fact, most villages and towns have three names, in Italian, German, and Ladin. The Ladins were in the region before Roman time and were never totally absorbed by Roman culture. Thousands of years of human occupation have altered the land, diminishing the forest cover but creating expansive upland meadows used as summer pastures. We will be hiking beneath the peaks in two of the principal valleys of the Dolomites: the Val Gardena, heavily Tyrolean; and Val Badia, a primarily Ladin area. 

Carrying only our day packs, we’ll be free to hike and enjoy the scenery, wildflowers, and villages of this captivating and historical area. Our experiences here will be made extra special by the welcoming and friendly nature of the people of this relatively remote and beautiful region of Italy.

This trip is designed as a comfortable hotel-based introduction to hiking in the Dolomites. We will be staying in three- or four-star hotels and taking moderate day hikes. When we move to a different hotel, a taxi will take our luggage for us.

Day 1: Meet this afternoon at our hotel in downtown Bolzano (Bozen), the capital city of South Tyrol, a province of northern Italy. Bolzano's arcaded, pedestrian main street dates from 1180. Arrive early and you can visit the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology (not included) and see its fascinating exhibit on Ötzi, the Iceman, whose 5,300-year-old frozen body was discovered not far from here in 1991. After meeting and a brief orientation, we’ll walk to a nearby restaurant for a traditional Tyrolean dinner. 

Day 2: Leaving right after breakfast, we'll board an inter-city bus for the 1.5-hour ride to the outskirts of Selva-Wolkenstein in Val Gardena. Here we take a lift up onto the flanks of Cirspitzen, one of the taller peaks in the Puez-Odle Natural Park. Then we take a short walk to a mountain hut (rifugio in Italian), where we eat lunch. Along the way, enjoy the views down into the Gardena Valley. Then it's a downhill walk into the village and to our hotel. We should arrive in time to enjoy the spa! ~6 miles; up 400 feet, down 1,800 feet. 

Day 3: Taking a lift from the center of town, we go up onto the northern shoulder of Sasso Lungo (Long Rock). With the huge mass of the mountain towering on our left and the wooded hillside sloping down on the right, our trail stays mostly along the border of forest and rock as we contour around the mountain. Along the way we'll either have a picnic lunch or, if time permits, stop at a rifugio. On our return we’ll descend steadily toward town, hopefully finding an open lift along the way. ~8 miles; up 1,200 feet, down 2,600 feet. 

Day 4: Today we walk from the hotel, heading up the Val Lunga (Long Valley). At the lower elevation of our trail the valley is forested. Rising above the trees, we can admire the flanks of the bare rock mountain as the valley penetrates into the heart of Cirspitzen. The trail goes up the valley at a steady, but not steep, incline. We go only as far up the valley as we wish, then return by the same route. If we go all the way to where the trail turns rocky and steep, it's ~8 miles, 1,400 feet up and down.

Day 5: We’ll begin today with a short walk up the hill in town to the Dantercepies Lift. Meanwhile a taxi will bring our luggage to our new hotel in Corvara. On board the gondola, we're whisked 2,100 feet up and almost two miles closer to our destination for the day. From the top of the lift we begin hiking, mostly level for a while and then descending. Through gaps in the trees we'll have views of Piz Boé, 10,250 feet, across the valley below. ~7 miles; up 600 feet, down 2,900 feet. (There is a lift at the end that could save 500 feet of descent, but it doesn't always run.)

Day 6: Today's hike will be very different; instead of going into the rocky limestone mountains, we'll stay on a rolling, high-altitude meadow, the Pralongia Alp. Most people think "alp" is a mountain, but actually it means a high meadow in the mountains. After all, the dairy farmers were much more interested in the meadows than the peaks. Rifugi are dotted across the alp and connected by trails and limited-use dirt roads as we have a more relaxed pace for our final day of hiking. Weather permitting, we’ll have a view of famed Marmolada Glacier as we enjoy lunch at a high-altitude rifugio. ~7 miles; up 1,000 feet, down 2,400 feet. Again, we may be able to find a lift to reduce the downhill part.

Day 7: After breakfast, transfer by inter-city bus back to Bolzano where the trip ends.

Getting There

The trip starts and ends in Bolzano, in northeastern Italy. Bolzano is on the main train route north to Germany. If you arrive at either Milan or Venice airports, you can take the train to Verona (a great place to visit for a day or two) and change for Bolzano. There is also train service from Munich, another fine place to spend a few days getting over jet lag before the trip starts. Allow about 4 hours for the journey from either the Milan or Venice airports and add an extra 30 minutes if you arrive in Munich.

Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader.

Accommodations and Food

We will be staying at three- or four-star hotels with double-occupancy rooms. Solo travelers will be assigned a roommate of the same gender. Single supplements are usually available at additional cost; check with the leader. A word about Italian hotel beds: typically, a double room features two twin mattresses on adjoining bed frames. Each mattress is made up individually, but they are side by side. We will ask for separate beds for those who desire them, but cannot guarantee they will be available, though usually it's possible to push the frames apart, at least some. All rooms have en-suite toilets and a shower and/or bath. Most of our hotels have saunas and/or fitness centers.

We’ll eat breakfasts and most dinners at our lodgings. In Bolzano, the hotel does not serve dinner, so we’ll eat at a nearby restaurant. The group eats dinners together as a whole. Breakfasts vary from simple continental buffets of breads and coffee, to hearty German selections featuring cheese, cold meats, yogurt, and fruit. At the upper level hotels we'll be in, eggs also are usually available, though not always.

On some days we will stop at huts along the way for lunch. The huts serve sandwiches, soups, pastas, and stews. On other days, we will carry our lunches and have a group picnic, ideally on the top of a mountain ridge, in a grassy meadow, or some other scenic spot. The picnic lunches will require either shopping at the local grocery or ordering a box lunch from our hotel. 

For our dinners at restaurants we will be ordering a la carte from the standard menu. The hotels will have a more limited selection, usually a three- or four-course meal with three options for each course. Local specialties abound, including many pasta or polenta dishes, meats (typically veal, pork, fish, or chicken), and tasty desserts such as tiramisu. While vegetarian meals are not the norm in this area, our hosts are willing to make a special effort to accommodate guests. Usually, omelets, cheese dishes, vegetable soup, risotto with mushrooms, or pasta with tomato sauce are available. 

Trip Difficulty

This is a moderate hiking adventure. It is intended for the experienced hiker who is able to walk five or six hours every day. We have not planned any rest days during the trip, though as a hotel-based trip one could opt to stay in on most days. Our maximum daily hiking distance will be 8 miles, with never more than 1,400 feet of elevation gain or 2,900 feet of loss. Our terrain includes pastoral rolling hills, broad meadows, some steep ascents, and rocky paths, where we might encounter patches of snow even in mid-summer. Note that we will have a significant amount of downhill walking in total on the trip. Valley elevations are 4,000-5,000 feet and hikes will normally take us no higher than 8,000 feet. Everyone should plan on carrying day packs with water, rain gear (tops and bottoms), a warm layer, personal items, and room for lunch. The expected daily distances and elevation gains that are listed in the itinerary above may have to be changed depending on group abilities, weather, lift closures, etc. The distances in the itinerary include, where applicable, the occasional use of cable cars to avoid the steeper and less interesting sections of trail. 

We recommend you prepare for this outing by taking regular day hikes at altitudes similar to the ones we will encounter, with your day pack and two liters of water. We will be hiking at a moderate pace (around 2 miles per hour on level terrain and slightly slower going uphill) and taking short water breaks, but seldom long rest periods, except at the top of steep passes and while waiting for lifts. At a minimum, you should be hiking 4-5 miles or so 3 times per week in your boots with a weighted pack. Increase one of the days up to 8 miles with elevation gain/loss of 1,000 feet in order to be ready for our longer hikes. You should include hill- or stair-climbing with a pack in your regular exercise routine. The trip leader also advises adding resistance training (weights or machines) for your legs and back. 

Equipment and Clothing

No special equipment is required. You will need the gear you normally use on day hikes. Medium-weight broken-in boots are the most important item. Besides that, bring a day-pack with your hiking essentials, including water, rain gear, and something to keep you warm should the weather turn unexpectedly. The leader will provide a more detailed list later. Be sure you have enough extra room for your share of the picnic lunches. 

It is important to have good-quality equipment in good condition, including boots, rain gear (tops and bottoms), day packs with rain covers, non-cotton clothing, and hats, and the willingness to hike with them every day. Remember, there is no such thing as bad weather, just wrong clothing. If one person doesn’t bring adequate protective clothing, it can significantly impact the whole group and the hiking plan for the day. Well-broken-in yet sound boots are an absolute necessity. Hiking poles are highly recommended.

Because we use taxi services for some of our moves, you are limited to one bag of 40 pounds or less. Soft-sided luggage, such as a duffel, is strongly preferred: it’s easier to fit into the taxis -- and European vehicles are smaller than those in U.S. Everyone should also be prepared to carry his or her own luggage up steep and possibly narrow stairs.

References

Maps:

• Kompass Map no. 616; available in Bolzano upon arrival or online from: http://www.stanfords.co.uk/kompass

Books:

• Price, Gillian, Walking in the Dolomites.
• The Lonely Planet Guide to Walking in Italy.
• Goldsmith, James and Anne, The Dolomites Of Italy, A Travel Guide. (Out of print, but worth the effort if you can find a used copy.)

Websites:

• http://www.sudtirol.com/
• http://www.valgardena.it/
• http://www.altabadia.org/
• http://www.dolomiti.org/

Conservation

The Sierra Club is an environmentally focused entity. We are concerned about conservation and sustainability of resources, both locally and globally. Our work is accomplished by volunteers and aided by a salaried staff, encouraging grassroots involvement. Our outings seek to empower participants toward understanding environmentally parallel concerns at home and abroad.

This mountainous region has been a center of human activity for thousands of years, since the days when hunters established seasonal camps in the valleys. Petroglyphs that are 20,000 years old are to be found nearby. Ötzi the Iceman, a 5,300-year-old man frozen in a glacier, was found near here along the Austrian border. As long ago as the Middle Ages, early land managers instituted programs to protect grazing and woodcutting rights. Today, more and more tourists are attracted to this beautiful area, both in summer and especially during the ski season, and the Italian government is working to preserve the area and develop tourism. The impact of tourism is readily visible and the local concept of wilderness is very different than our own. We hope to have a local naturalist accompany us on one day, but cannot guarantee it because few of the available naturalists speak English.

Evacuation and Travel Insurance

The Sierra Club provides evacuation insurance to all participants on international trips. Since this coverage does not include any trip cancellation or interruption insurance, we suggest you purchase another policy separately to provide coverage for your trip and other travel costs. This policy also does not cover pre-trip and post-trip travel. Please note the evacuation insurance provided does not cover claims resulting from any pre-existing condition that occurs within 60 days of the trip departure. If you have specific questions about this exclusion, please review the insurance brochure. For information on purchasing a separate policy, please see our travel insurance page.