huckepack

Alta Via 1

Alta Via delle Dolomiti n. 1

Length

Stated
About 125 km, the stated length (Provincia di Belluno, Settore Turismo)
Map line
126.4 km, OpenStreetMap along the official track
Used for
The charts on this page, and comparing trails in the search

about125km

Ascent · descent

This trail
7,330 m up, 8,015 m down
Source
The sum of the 12 main stages (Provincia di Belluno, Settore Turismo)

7,330m ↑8,015m ↓

Difficulty

What
How hard the trail is, in three ways: the terrain, the climate in season and the length of the days
Scale
Easy to Hard, with the same thresholds for every trail; each takes its hardest measure
Keep in mind
It describes the trail, not how it will feel to you: that depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather you get
  • Terrain: HardPath grade: ≈ T4
  • Climate: Hard in Jun–SepWet days: 26 days (July)
  • Effort: ModerateLongest day: 6 h (stage 7)

All measures

Terrain: Hard; Climate: Hard in Jun–Sep; Effort: Moderate
Suggested
12days

Per stage

How
The 12 main stages' totals over their number
Source
Provincia di Belluno, Settore Turismo, so the averages come from one source

10.4km· 610 m ↑
Season

Landscape

Source
ESA WorldCover satellite land cover, along the main route
  • Grassland and shrubs: 45%
  • Forest: 35%
  • Bare rock and sand: 12%
  • Moss and lichen: 7%
  • Water, snow and ice: 1%
  • Farmland and villages: 0%

Landscape along the route

Mainly Grassland

Location

Country
Italy
Regions
Trentino-South Tyrol, Veneto
Start
Lago di Braies
Finish
Case Bortòt (Belluno)
Route type
Point to point
Travel hubs
  • Toblach-Dobbiaco16.3 km by road · 18 min
  • Belluno114.3 km by road · 116 min
  • Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE)198.6 km by road · 180 min
Protected areas
Fanes-Sennes-Braies Nature Park; Ampezzo Dolomites Nature Park; Dolomiti Bellunesi National Park
Managed by
Fondazione DMO Dolomiti Bellunesi (the Province of Belluno's destination body)Official website
Waymarking
The red-white-red CAI marks with the path number, and red triangles with a 1
  • Trail
  • Start
  • Stage start
  • Finish
  • Contour lines

Difficulty

Terrain

Rates
How hard is the ground to walk: the path, the climbing, the steep bits, the ground underfoot?
How
Rated over the whole main route.
Level
The hardest measure sets it
Path grade
the trail's SAC grade, stated, converted or estimated
  1. EasyT1
  2. ModerateT2
  3. DemandingT3
  4. HardT4 to T6
Climbing
ascent of the main stages over their length
  1. Easyunder 15 m per km
  2. Moderate15–30 m
  3. Demanding30–50 m
  4. Hard50 m or more
Steep stretches
share of the route steeper than 15 %, up or down (terrain model)
  1. Easyunder 5 %
  2. Moderate5–15 %
  3. Demanding15–30 %
  4. Hard30 % or more
Natural ground
share on footpaths and trails (OpenStreetMap); never Hard on its own
  1. Easyunder a third
  2. Moderatea third to two thirds
  3. Demandingtwo thirds or more

Hard

  • SAC hiking scale

    This trail
    T4 (converted from CAI EEA)
    Basis
    The trail is graded EEA on the Italian CAI scale, which spans SAC T4 to T5; the lower grade is shown.
    Scale
    The Swiss Alpine Club's hiking scale, from T1 (easy) to T6 (very hard)
    Why
    Trails rate difficulty in many local scales, or only in words; we translate each into this one so trails compare
    Keep in mind
    An estimate: how hard a trail feels depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather
    T1 · Hiking
    Well-made paths, mostly flat or gently sloping. No risk of falling; trainers are enough.
    T2 · Mountain hiking
    A continuous path, steep in places, where a fall can't be ruled out. Be sure-footed; wear hiking boots.
    T3 · Demanding mountain hiking
    The path is not always visible; exposed spots may have chains or ropes, and you may need your hands for balance.
    T4 · Alpine hiking
    Often no path. Hands are needed in places, terrain is exposed, and there can be easy snowfields.
    T5 · Demanding alpine hiking
    Mostly pathless, with easy climbing and exposed, demanding terrain. Needs alpine experience.
    T6 · Difficult alpine hiking
    Pathless, very exposed, with climbing and glaciers. For experienced mountaineers only.

    The scale at the Swiss Alpine Club

    estimated T4
  • Climbing59 m per km
  • Steep stretches41 % of the way
  • Natural ground52 %

Climate

Rates
How hot, cold, wet and windy does it get?
How
From 30 years of daily weather (ERA5), rated per month. Without months picked: the trail's best run of at least two season months, each measure at its hardest month. Pick months in the search to rate it for yours.
Level
The hardest measure sets it
Heat
mean daily high at the lowest point
  1. Easyunder 22 °C
  2. Moderate22–27 °C
  3. Demanding27–32 °C
  4. Hard32 °C or more
Cold
mean nightly low at the highest point
  1. Easy8 °C or more
  2. Moderate3–8 °C
  3. Demanding−2 to 3 °C
  4. Hardbelow −2 °C
Wet days
days a month with 1 mm of rain or more, the wetter of both points
  1. Easyunder 10
  2. Moderate10–14
  3. Demanding14–18
  4. Hard18 or more
Snow
days a month with 1 cm of snow or more at the highest point
  1. Easyunder 1 day
  2. Moderate1–3 days
  3. Demanding3–6 days
  4. Hard6 days or more
Wind
mean of the day's strongest wind (hourly mean, 10 m above ground), the windier of both points; over land: a point whose 25 km weather cell is mostly sea takes the nearest mostly-land cell's
  1. Easyunder 15 km/h
  2. Moderate15–20 km/h
  3. Demanding20–25 km/h
  4. Hard25 km/h or more

Hard in Jun–Sep

  • Heat · July23 °C by day
  • Cold · September−2 °C at night
  • Wet days · July26 days
  • Snow · September5 days
  • Wind · June8 km/h

Effort

Rates
How long are the days?
How
Rated by the longest main stage; a time range counts its upper end.
Level
The hardest measure sets it
Longest day
walking time of the longest main stage, stated or by DIN 33466
  1. Easyup to 4 h
  2. Moderate4–6 h
  3. Demanding6–8 h
  4. Hardmore than 8 h

Moderate

  • Longest day · stage 76 h

Climate

Days in season · lowest point
19–23°C
Nights in season · highest point
−2 to 2°C
Wet days a month
14–21
Daylight
12.5–15.8h
SeasonDay high and night low−20 °C−10 °C0 °C10 °C20 °C30 °CWet days, at the highest point510152025Daylight9.0 h10.3 h11.8 h13.5 h15.0 h15.8 h15.4 h14.2 h12.5 h10.8 h9.3 h8.6 hJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Climate by month, 1995–2024 average
MonthLowest point, day high / night low (°C)Highest point, day high / night low (°C)Wet daysSnow daysFrost nights at the highest pointDaylight (h)
January3.5 / -5.3-8.6 / -16.77.66.5319
February5 / -3.6-6.7 / -14.98.56.928.310.3
March8.1 / -0.9-3.8 / -11.99.98.93111.8
April12.2 / 2.4-0.7 / -9.113.712.23013.5
May16.9 / 7.34.3 / -4.622.112.728.915
June20.9 / 11.49.6 / -0.121.34.314.815.8
July22.7 / 13.311.5 / 1.720.71.26.915.4
August22.6 / 13.411.2 / 1.820.31.66.714.2
September18.5 / 9.97.3 / -1.613.74.71912.5
October14.2 / 6.53.4 / -4.710.77.528.310.8
November8.5 / 1.3-3.2 / -10.110.79.7309.3
December4.4 / -3.8-7.8 / -15.58.47.3318.6

Climate by month

Source
ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, averages for 1995–2024
Places
The trail's lowest and highest point, adjusted to their height
Bars
From the mean night low to the mean day high
Wet days
At least 1 mm of rain; snow days at least 1 cm of snow
Daylight
Sunrise to sunset in the middle of the month
Shading
The trail's season

Stages

RouteDistanceAscentDescentElevationTime
1Lago di Braies Rifugio Biella6.0 km900 m ↑60 m ↓1,500 → 2,330 m3 h 30
2Rifugio Biella Rifugio Fanes14.0 km565 m ↑830 m ↓2,320 → 2,060 m4 h 30
3Rifugio Fanes Rifugio Lagazuoi11.0 km1,070 m ↑375 m ↓2,080 → 2,720 m5 h 00
4Rifugio Lagazuoi Rifugio Nuvolau15.0 km635 m ↑810 m ↓2,720 → 2,520 m5 h 30
5Rifugio Nuvolau Rifugio Città di Fiume11.0 km260 m ↑915 m ↓2,550 → 1,910 m4 h 30
6Rifugio Città di Fiume Palafavèra12.0 km580 m ↑990 m ↓1,920 → 1,520 m5 h 30
7Palafavèra Rifugio Vazzoler14.0 km850 m ↑650 m ↓1,720 → 1,730 m6 h 00
8Rifugio Vazzoler Rifugio Carestiato8.0 km550 m ↑430 m ↓1,720 → 1,830 m4 h 00
9Rifugio Carestiato Rifugio Sommariva al Pramperét13.0 km450 m ↑430 m ↓1,840 → 1,910 m5 h 00
10Rifugio Sommariva al Pramperét Rifugio Pian de Fontana6.0 km540 m ↑760 m ↓1,900 → 1,670 m3 h 00
11Rifugio Pian de Fontana Bivacco del Màrmol6.0 km830 m ↑195 m ↓1,640 → 2,210 m4 h 00
12Bivacco del Màrmol Case Bortòt9.0 km100 m ↑1,570 m ↓2,280 → 700 m5 h 00

Totals and averages count the main stages only. ≈ marks our estimates where the source gives no figure: heights from the terrain model (Copernicus DEM, 30 m grid, sampled every 100 m), to the nearest 10 m.

Terrain

Highest · lowest point
2,722m high698m low

Gradient

Steepest climb
59 % (31°), 293 m up over 500 m, stage 6
Steepest descent
−79 % (38°), 394 m down over 500 m, stage 12
Gradient
Height per distance: 20 % is 20 m up per 100 m forward; 100 % is 45°, not 90°
Keep in mind
Averages over 500 m from a 30 m terrain model: steps and ladders within them are steeper
GradientAngleFeels like
10 %6°Noticeable on a road
20 %11°A steep path, slow going
30 %17°Very steep, often steps
100 %45°Scrambling

59% ↑−79% ↓

Steep stretches

This trail
25.8 km up, 24.5 km down: the darkest parts of the profile
Steep
15 % or more (9°, 15 m of height per 100 m), in 200 m stretches
Why it matters
Slow going uphill, hard on the knees downhill

50.3km

Surfaces

  • Natural ground: 52%, 63.4 km. Earth, grass, rock and roots: footpaths and forest trails. Can be muddy after rain.
  • Gravel: 25%, 30.0 km. Gravel, compacted and stony surfaces: mostly forest roads and farm tracks.
  • Paved: 3%, 3.4 km. Asphalt, concrete and cobbles: roads and village streets.
  • Unknown: 21%, 25.4 km. Stretches whose surface OpenStreetMap doesn't record.

52% natural25% gravel3% paved
1,000 m1,400 m1,800 m2,200 m2,600 mTree line 1,900–2,200 m2,722 m1Stage 2Stage 3Stage 4Stage 5Stage 6Stage 7Stage 8Stage 91011120 km122.2 km

Terrain along the route

Heights
Copernicus terrain model, 30 m grid, every 100 m along the main route; in forests it reads the treetops
Colours
Each 200 m by its gradient in walking direction: climbs warm, descents violet, darker when steeper (to ±30 %)
Ground
The strip below, from OpenStreetMap; the 44% without a surface tag is read from the way type (footpaths natural, tracks gravel)
Tree line
1,900–2,200 m, depending on the slope (stol.it): above it, open ground without trees. Pasture and clearing can keep the forest lower

Landscape

Forest35%Grassland and shrubs45%Moss and lichen7%Bare rock and sand12%Water, snow and ice1%Farmland and villages0%1Stage 23Stage 4Stage 56Stage 78Stage 91011120 km122.2 km

Landscape along the route

Source
ESA WorldCover 2021, a 10 m satellite map
Points
Every 100 m along the main route; each takes the most common class within 30 m, so the path itself doesn't count as bare ground
Groups
Its eleven classes, folded into the six shown
Keep in mind
What the landscape looks like, not which plants grow there

Sleeping

Wild camping is prohibited. No tents: in the Ampezzo Dolomites Nature Park camping with tents is not allowed, as there are huts and fixed bivouacs for the night; sleep in the huts along the route.

9.5 km without a bedCamping2Huts49Hostels0Rooms31Stage 23Stage 4Stage 56Stage 78Stage 91011120 km122.2 km

Places to sleep along the route

Ticks
One per place to sleep: 2 campsites, 49 huts, 0 hostels, 3 guest houses
Counted
Within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end (stage towns often lie off the trail); no hotels or day shelters
Shaded
The longest stretch without any, km 47–56.5
Source
OpenStreetMap: it may miss places or list closed ones, so book or check locally

Water & Supply

Clean water

This trail
8.9 km without clean water, km 48–56.9, stage 5
Rating
  1. Frequentup to 10 km
  2. Regularup to 20 km
  3. Scarcebeyond
Counted
Within 500 m: 34 taps, fountains and drinking springs, 29 refills at huts, hostels, guest houses and campsites
Refills
Guests come first and many close out of season: ask, and carry a little extra. Places marked without drinking water are left out
Source
OpenStreetMap; the counts include the approach and variant, the chart shows the main route

8.9kmFrequent

Any water

This trail
8.1 km without any water, km 74.1–82.2
Rating
  1. Frequentup to 10 km
  2. Regularup to 20 km
  3. Scarcebeyond
Counted
Clean water, plus the 26 springs within 500 m
Keep in mind
Spring water's quality is unknown: filter, boil or treat it, and expect some springs to run dry in late summer

8.1kmFrequent

Shops

This trail
67.6 km without a shop, km 0–67.6
Counted
3 supermarkets, convenience and general stores and petrol station shops, within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end
Keep in mind
Small village shops are often missing in OpenStreetMap, and opening hours vary: check before relying on one

67.6km
Water · 8.1 km withoutPublic drinking water · 19.9 km withoutSprings (treat before drinking) · 22.4 km withoutRefills at places to sleep · 12.8 km withoutShops · 67.6 km withoutSupermarkets · 67.6 km withoutConvenience and general stores · 67.6 km without1Stage 2Stage 3Stage 4Stage 5Stage 6Stage 78Stage 91011120 km122.2 km

Water and shops along the route

Ticks
One per place along the main route
Counted
Drinking water and springs within 500 m; refills at huts, hostels, guest houses and campsites within 500 m; shops within 1 km, or 3 km of a stage's end
Shaded
Each lane's longest stretch without. "Water" counts every kind and opens into one lane per kind, each with its own
Source
OpenStreetMap: it may miss places or list ones that have closed or run dry, so check locally

Wildlife

Wildlife

Shows
Animals that can be dangerous to hikers on this trail: large animals, venomous snakes, scorpions and spiders, ticks, and plants that harm on touch
Level
Ours, read from the official source
High
A bite of a species it calls common can be life-threatening within hours
Moderate
It warns of attacks or serious harm, or places the trail in a risk area for tick-borne encephalitis
Low
The harm is mostly minor or treatable, or avoidable by how you behave
What to do
From the official source: Autonome Provinz Bozen – Südtirol (Ressort Landwirtschaft) with the Südtiroler Bauernbund and the tourism associations
Pictures
Silhouettes from PhyloPic, not to scale, each maker named with its advice; the landscape is the trail's own, drawn by us

Cattle on alpine pastures Moderate

Cattle on alpine pastures

Moderate danger

Cows, horses, sheep and goats graze the high pastures in summer. Cows, above all mothers with calves, defend their herd, and a herd that panics can run off uncontrolled; the danger signs are an animal that fixes you and lowers its head.

If you meet one

  • Keep a safe distance from grazing animals and stay on the marked path
  • Walk round animals standing on the path rather than driving them off
  • Keep a dog on a short lead and away from mother cows and calves
  • If the herd grows restless, leave the pasture quickly
  • If animals come towards you, don't turn your back: walk calmly away
  • Always close the pasture gates behind you

Don't

  • Touch, feed or lure the animals
  • Startle them with noise, drones, wild gestures or running
  • Run away from an approaching animal or crouch down

Advice: Autonome Provinz Bozen – Südtirol (Ressort Landwirtschaft) with the Südtiroler Bauernbund and the tourism associations. Level: ours. Silhouette: Katy Lawler (Bos taurus), PhyloPic, public domain.