by Brittany Haas and the Alpenventures team with photo contributions by Charlotte Mulligan
The Dolomites, nestled in the northeastern corners of Italy, are incredible. If you’re a hiker, you’ve probably heard of the Alta Via 1, seen photos of the Dolomites and may even know somebody who has hiked there. They are rapidly growing in popularity, gaining a top spot on an increasing number of bucket lists each year. But it’s time to get real about these stunning and wild mountains, so I’m going to tell you what the influencers aren’t saying.
After returning from my most recent trip to the Dolomites, I am more determined than ever to clear up some of the romanticized information circulating about visiting the Dolomites. Since moving to Germany from Colorado in the U.S. 12 years ago, I have been fortunate to enjoy frequent trips to the Dolomites and now have expert-level knowledge on many corners of the Dolomites through planning self-guided hiking and biking tours to them. This experience has given me the chance to get to know them through the eyes of others, and in particular, through the eyes of less experienced or less adventurous hikers.
I’ve had so many conversations with hikers I’ve met on the trail, shared dinner with at mountain huts, and with our own customers, and one fact is glaringly clear…
Many multi-day hikers in the Dolomites are overwhelmed and unprepared for the terrain
My mission today is to make sure that the readers of this are not surprised and are well-prepared for the incredible adventure that awaits.
Let’s start by taking a look at some pictures of classic Dolomites highlights. Now compare the character of these mountains to photos of your local mountains, or mountains in areas where you have hiked before. Do you notice a difference? Of course you do, because nowhere else is exactly like the Dolomites. In almost every case, the Dolomites will be steeper, more rugged, more extreme and more covered in steep scree fields than your local mountains.
In my experience, most hikers who come from overseas to experience the Dolomites envision themselves hiking on trails like what they hike at home with views of the Dolomites surrounding them. Unfortunately, that’s just not how it works. More extreme terrain means more extreme trails. Some people might argue that below these massive cliffs, are green alpine meadows that should not be so extreme. While that logic may work for day hikers, if you want to do a point-to-point, multi-day hike in the Dolomites, you’ll need to hike over passes and through that challenging terrain.
The good news is that there are some multi-day routes in the Dolomites that are mellow enough (relatively speaking) for almost all reasonably-fit hikers. The bad news is that this extreme terrain is particularly prone to rockslides, which can change a trail from mellow to spicy in a matter of seconds. Every year, various spots on various trails are affected, and while some areas are more likely to slide than others, other spots slide without warning and are unpredictable. I want to mention that as these slides usually happen during extreme weather events, it’s not common for hikers to be caught on the trail during the slide (although it’s possible). The statistically significant issue here is the condition of the trail after the slide. This means that anybody who wants to hike in the Dolomites needs to be mentally prepared for some uncomfortable sections. On a multi-day hike, even on the most mellow of routes, it’s almost guaranteed you’ll have some of these moments.
…anybody who wants to hike in the Dolomites needs to be mentally prepared for some uncomfortable sections.
Before we get into the details about which routes to choose, when to go and other details, let’s just do a quick summary of the Good, the Bad and The Ugly about hiking in the Dolomites. Don’t skip this, because here is where we clear up some major misconceptions.
The Good
- Many people claim the Dolomites are the most beautiful mountains in the world, and they truly do live up to their reputation
- An extensive network of mountain huts, called rifugios, make multi-day hiking more comfortable and accessible. It’s important to mention though that while these rifugios are more comfortable than a tent, they are rustic and hikers need to be prepared to share rooms and bathrooms with others. There is a small number of rifugios that have a limited number of private rooms, and these book out quickly.
- Heaps and heaps of delicious Italian food are served daily to hungry hikers in these rifugios! Need I say more?
- While the system isn’t perfect, the Dolomites are reasonably accessible via public transportation within a couple of hours from a major international airport
- Most of the hiking trails are very well signed out and marked
- A small part of the multi-day track follows easy dirt roads
The Bad
- The hotspots in the Dolomites are getting more and more popular every day, and they are crowded. It takes extra effort to ditch the crowds and discover the lonelier corners of the Dolomites. Going in the off-season to avoid crowds carries a long list of disadvantages with it (see more below on seasons), which in most cases, means that’s not a smart option either
- While getting in and out of the Dolomites with public transportation may be convenient (at least during the peak seasons) getting from place to place in the Dolomites with public transportation is not. The Dolomites, and their highlights, are fairly spread out, meaning you either need to choose a corner and stick with it if you want to use public transportation, or you need to rent a car. Navigating the kaleidoscope of bus operators and timetables is an adventure that is sometimes spicier than the trail itself
- The seasons are extremely short
- Summer thunderstorms are common in the Dolomites. They often only last 30 minutes to 1 hour and are preceded and followed by beautiful sunny weather. This can be overwhelming for hikers who do not have knowledge or experience of hiking in such weather conditions. This issue is magnified for slow hikers, who have less control over which terrain they are in at certain points of the day. Adding to the stress is the fact that the weather forecast for the Dolomites almost always looks worse than it is
- The trails are steep. There are no standards for setting the grade of a trail in the Dolomites like there are in other parts of the world (I’m talking to you, my American friends!). Yes, there are steep trails in other parts of the world. But there are very few places in the world where pretty much every trail is unrelentingly steep
The Ugly
- The terrain is extreme and is highly vulnerable to slides. There are a few multi-day routes where it is possible to stay in fairly mellow terrain, but there will be some spicy points along the way and these often are not predictable
- Due to this extreme terrain, it’s necessary to research and choose your route carefully, so you can avoid putting yourself into a dangerous situation
- Scree, scree and more scree. If you know, you know
Multi-day Hiking Routes in the Dolomites
There is a long list of multi-day hiking trails available in the Dolomites, and almost all of them (but not all) travel through extreme terrain, requiring via ferrata gear and tolerance for heights in extreme terrain.
Here are the routes we recommend for hikers:
Alta Via 1: This is the most famous hiking route in the Dolomites, and for good reason! The terrain is as mellow as you are going to get for a multi-day hike in the Dolomites, and all via ferratas can be avoided. It will still feel challenging for hikers who are not experienced with such alpine environments, and there will be some spots along the way that feel spicy, but it’s more than doable for most reasonably fit hikers. Due to the route´s popularity, the huts fill up quickly, but as long as you can be a bit flexible about your date range, daily distance, and/or using off-trail accommodation, we are able to book Alta Via 1 itineraries late into the hiking season. Check out our Alta Via 1 itineraries here
Best of the Dolomites Trek: This is a continuous trek that travels from West to East in the Dolomites and connects some of the top highlights along the way, such as Seceda, Passo Falzarego, Lago di Sorapis and Tre Cime di Lavaredo. It’s a patchwork of the Alta Via 1, 2, 3, 4 and 9 routes and avoids all via ferratas. There are a few spicy sections that are short but uncomfortable, albeit doable, for many hikers, and not appropriate for hikers with an extreme fear of heights. This route is offered exclusively by Alpenventures, and our customers who have hiked both the Alta Via 1 and the Best of the Dolomites Trek, say they prefer this one. Check out our Best of the Dolomites Trek itineraries here
Alta Via 2: There’s a lot of bad advice out there on the internet these days! One of those pieces is that the Alta Via 2 is a suitable alternative to the Alta Via 1. While the Alta Via 2 is beautiful and wild, it’s not a hiking route. This route has via ferratas on it and travels through some very spicy alpine terrain for sustained stretches. The Alta Via 2 should only be done by those who have extensive alpine experience and who enjoy exposure and challenging terrain. I was on the Alta Via 2 this summer, and almost all of the hikers on the route had chosen the route as an alternative to the Alta Via 1 (thanks to poor advice they found on the internet), and most of them were terrified all day and miserable. They couldn’t wait for it to end. With that said, we are currently working on a hiker’s itinerary that roughly follows the Alta Via 2, but bypasses most, but not all, sketchy sections. We hope this will be released in early 2025.
When to go to the Dolomites
The hiking season in the Dolomites is very short, and it’s best from mid-July to the end of August. During this time, all buses and lifts should be running. The season can be extended from mid-June to mid-September, but then there is a high risk of unfavorable conditions, and many buses and lifts may not run during this time.
Read more about Understanding the hut-to-hut-hiking season in the Alps
Other information
- Venice or Milan are the best airports to reach the Dolomites from. Innsbruck is also an option. Exactly where you fly to will depend on exactly where you want to go in the Dolomites.
- Due to the topography of the Dolomites, there are few areas that are accessible by train, but you can get almost anywhere you need to go via bus. This works well if you go to one central location, like Cortina d’Ampezzo or Val Gardena, and use the bus system based out of those locations, or if you are multi-day hiking and only need to get to one starting point and from one ending point. But, if you are trying to move around and see as much of the different areas of the Dolomites as possible, then you’ll likely need a rental car. Movement from one point in the Dolomites to another via public transportation is very inconvenient. You can get a general idea of what your options look like via Google Maps or Rome 2 Rio, but never trust anything other than the timetable published by the operators for exact departure times.
- The Dolomites are massively popular. They will be crowded, and if there are specific places you want to stay, then you need to make reservations almost a year in advance. Of course, last-minute trips can be planned if you are flexible, but that will be more challenging and time-consuming to pull together, unless you let us do that for you
- Almost every community has a tourist information office that will be able to provide useful information about hiking trails and other activities in the region. If you are planning to stay in a hotel and doing day tours, there’s no need to do intense research about your day activities in advance
With all that said, the Dolomites are special and incredible and are 100% worth a visit. How you visit them should be driven by what you are comfortable with, so you can make the best possible experience for yourself. In my opinion, even if the terrain does sound like it will be uncomfortable for you, the experience of a multi-day hike on the Alta Via 1 or the Best of the Dolomites Trek will be more than worth a few short moments of discomfort. Being mentally prepared for this can make all the difference. But that is for you to decide, and now you have the information you need to make the decision that is right for you.
Check out our Alta Via 1 and Best of the Dolomites Trek hiking itineraries.
The Dolomites are also famous for their via ferratas. Learn more about Via Ferratas and check out our Via Ferrata itineraries.
Here are some more photos of the rugged terrain waiting in the Dolomites
