August 2024
Hiking the Tre Cime di Lavaredo Circuit Trail – Dolomites, Italy
Tre Cime di Lavaredo is one of the most iconic hikes in the Dolomites and one that everyone visiting this region has on their list to complete. Tre Cime (three chiminys) features the three famous peaks of the Dolomites – Cima Piccola (little peak), Cima Grande (big peak) and Cima Ovest (western peak). You will see them on advertisements, merchandise, and more as they are synonymous with the Dolomites and the symbol of the Dolomites as Unesco World Heritage Site.
There are many ways to enjoy Tre Cime in the summer time. Hiking is the most obvious way but there are also via ferratas and rock climbing opportunities. While day hiking is popular, you can also complete a three day hut-to-hut hike that is certainly an unforgettable experience. The toll road is only open from end of May/early June until the end of October/early November so be careful planning this trip during shoulder season as the date of opening and closure largely depends on snow conditions.
How to Get There
It is a bit of a journey to get to the Tre Cime parking lot. From Cortina d’Ampezzo, it is a 40 minute ride. Having a car is definitely an advantage to getting here easily but there are buses that make it to the trailhead as well. The road up the mountain is a bit tricky with switchbacks and tight turns, and significant elevation gain (be mindful of the brakes when going down!) so it is important to be a vigilant driver. There is a toll booth along the road to the trailhead that as of the writing of this post is 30 euro per car.
Once you arrive to the parking lot, there are workers that are guiding the flow of traffic. There are 700 parking spots which is quite generous but do not be fooled – it does fill up. At the advice of our hotel, we left at 530AM – an hour before I had planned on leaving to ensure we did not miss out on parking and there were plenty of spots at our 6:15 arrival. Once that lot fills up, you have to wait until someone leaves in order to park here. That is where taking the bus from Cortina d’Ampezzo may provide a benefit.
Also, the parking lot is right near the trail head at Rifugio Auronzo which is a great stop to start or end your day of hiking. And I have to say, the view from the parking lot alone is quite stunning.
When planning your day, remember that one of the highlights of this trail is visiting all the huts or rifugios along the way. There are several you will pass and you are going to want to stop in for a beverage, snack or even a full meal. So there is a balance of starting the trail early enough to get a parking spot and beating the crowd but also wanting to arriving at the rifiguios when they are open to enjoy (which seems to be around 8AM). One benefit is you do not need to worry about packing a lunch as the rifugios have you covered – just make sure to pack cash/euros as the huts do not accept credit cards – there is no signal up this high in the mountain tops!
Circuit Trail
For our visit, we kept it to a classic hiking option which was to complete the circuit around Tre Cime. We used Moon and Honey’s guide to help with the planning – their content is fantastic for anyone planning a trip to the Dolomites.
The Circuit Trail is 9.7 km / 6.3 miles to complete and without stopping should take about four hours to complete. For us, we stopped at three of the four rifugios so our hiking total time was six hours. Definitely make sure to budget more than four hours as part of the beauty of this hike is enjoying the stunning views and relaxing at the rifugios. The full AllTrails description can be found here. Note that you are starting at an elevation of 2320 meters / over 7600 feet so you may need some time to acclimate to the high altitude.
| Trail Section | Est Time | Elevation Gain | Difficulty |
| Rifugio Auronzo to Rifugio Langalm | 45 minutes | 120 ft | Easy |
| Rifugio Langalm to Rifugio Locatelli | 1 hour 10 minutes | 650 ft | Moderate |
| Rifugio Locatelli to Rifugio Lavaredo | 1 hour | 200 ft | Moderate |
| Rifugio Lavaredo to Rifugio Auronzo | 30 minutes | 80 ft | Easy |
Trailhead Rifugio Auronzo
We arrived at the Rifugio Auronzo parking lot at 6:15AM with no issues finding a parking spot. We enjoyed our to-go hotel breakfast while taking in the spectacular views before walking up to the start of the trail at Rifugio Auronzo.
We following Moon and Honey’s advice for this trail. While most of the crowd completes the circuit counterclockwise, their advice was to do the opposite. It came with many advantages including a more scenic route, less crowded for a large portion of the trail, and having one of the rifugios all to ourselves. This required starting on Trail 105 instead of Trail 101 so do not follow the crowd on this one. And spoiler, this is definitely the right way to complete the circuit.
Trailhead 105 to Rifugio Langalm
The flow of traffic for starting the trail went behind Rifugio Auronzo and to the right where Trail 101 was marked but our plan was to go against traffic by starting clockwise on Trail 105. After a quick consultation of the Moon and Honey guide, we found Trail 105. From Rifugio Auronzo, Trail 105 is found by heading down away from Rifugio Auronzo towards the back of the parking lot. There you will find a fence with a gate and a trail marker for Trail 105.
The trail was completed empty and as we began to walk along the path, we started to hear cow bells. Suddenly, hundreds of cows appeared in the pasture below creating a cacophony of cow bell sounds. We were immediately enamored – the scenery could not be more stunning and we were here for it.
This part of the trail was easy as we walked to our first trail marker as we continued on Trail 105 as we made it to the Forcella del Col de Mezzo saddle. We noted the sun peeking up above the mountain tops, we got our first view of the stunning Tre Cime. Translating the three chimneys, these three peaks are synonymous with the Dolomites and are truly iconic. The three are names Cima Piccola (little peak), Cima Grande (big peak) and Cima Ovest (western peak). We were amazed to find ourselves staring at a sunrise over the Tre Cime peaks – what an unplanned and unexpected surprise.
After a short walk through rocky terrain and stunning views of the Tre Cime, we arrived at our first hut – Rifugio Langalm. It was just before 8AM and it appeared they just opened for service. We learned that the staff here sleep at this rifugio and have breakfast and lunch service. The cows eventually made their way through the area grazing and ringing their bells as they moved, and there are chickens in the back of the rifugio. For breakfast, they offered several cakes to which we ordered one of each – buckwheat and berries, plum, and cheese – along with coffees. We were amazed by these cakes and what they are able to create high above the clouds. We had the entire Rifugio Langalm to ourselves and we spent just under a half hour enjoying this refuge. What a fantastic start to the trail!
This first part of the trail was magical! We barely saw any people and our views were completely unobstructed. Having the sunrise with this view of Tre Cime was unbeatable. And having a peaceful breakfast at the rifugio was another unexpected delight. This part of the trail was easy in difficulty so it was a lovely way to start the hike. Time from the start of trail 105 to Rifugio Langalm took us 50 minutes.
Rifugio Langalm to Rifugio Locatelli
After bidding a fond farewell to Rifugio Langalm, we continued our journey through the rocky terrain and continued along Trail 105 towards Rifugio Lucatelli / Drei Zinnen Hutte. The trail remained about the same with a brief incline before sending us down deeper in the valley. We started to hear loud chirps. At first, we assumed it was a bird of some kind until we spotted a marmot in the distance – this spot was full of them. As we continued to descend, our view of the Tre Cime shifted as it disappeared behind the hills.
We had spotted the next rifugio – Rifugio Locatelli – in the distance at a much higher altitude than we were currently at so we knew we would have an uphill battle ahead. When we approached the switchbacks, the rifugio had disappeared from sight. This climb was no joke and I started to question if going clockwise was indeed the best way to tackle this trail. But we were not in a rush so frequent breaks and taking the switchbacks in pieces meant we got to the top at our speed. And wow the view from up here was amazing – certainly made the ascend much better to continue to enjoy these spectacular views.
The final push to the rifugio was tough no matter which direction you tackle this trail. It is a steep journey up to relaxation. And unlike the rest of the trail so far, it was very crowded once we made it to the Rifugio Lucatelli. We were able to snag a table to enjoy beverages and snacks. This spot offered sausages, pretzels, sandwiches, and some sweet treats as well as having beer on tap and a variety of other beverages. We spent a little under an hour here enjoying the break. We were only a little disappointed they did not sell hunks of Lucatelli cheese here.
The area is clearly a launching point for many other hiking trails and we even saw some with via ferrata and rock climbing gear so definitely investigate if you are looking for more to do in this area. But for us, we got ourselves together and continued on the circuit to Trail 101.
The second leg of the trail was still not crowded with people but that changed when we reached Rifugio Lucatelli. Most of the trail continued to be easy until the climb up to the Rifugio Lucatelli which made it challenging but not impossible, especially since the views continued to amaze us. While it is less fun cardiovascularly to go up, it is preferred but us to climb inclines that are this steep rather than descend. All in, it took us an hour and twenty minutes from rifugio to rifugio.
Rifugio Locatelli to Rifugio Lavaredo
The trail up and out of the valley was daunting – it was vertical without switchbacks and we were in full sun exposure. Plus, this part of the trail was very crowded with people hiking towards the Rifugio Lucatelli so while the trail was wide, it was congested. The flat part towards the incline was short lived and the grind up the trail. The Tre Cime continued to change shape with many photo opportunities along the way until they eventually morphed into one rock. Once you reach the top at Forcella Lavaredo saddle, there is a great photo spot with a trail marker and the view below is quite spectacular.
After reaching the saddle, we knew the rest of the way would be much easier. First we started down a wide corkscrew that wrapped down to the other side of the Tre Cime. They do not look nearly as scenic from this side so I must say, our view from Trail 105 was a far better way to be introduced than going counterclockwise. It was certainly a relief to see people having to climb on this side so at least both directions end up having two climbs on their trail.
We briefly stopped at Rifugio Lavaredo but decided to keep going to complete the circuit. This rifugio was bopping as well. They offered a wide variety of options and it could be because it was later in the day but you could get everything we have seen already at other rifugios plus full hot entree dishes of pastas, meats, and more.
This stretch of trail took us a little over an hour to complete. The climb during this part of the trail was definitely the hardest one but even then, it was short lived and we were rewarded with a nickel ong downhill portion. I think I can safely say this part of the trail was the most crowded and we felt a bit like salmon going upstream. As we looked down into the valley, the trail that was empty for us was now getting more crowded.
Rifugio Lavaredo to Rifugio Auronzo
The final stretch! And probably the shortest stretch and luckily flat and easy. The mountains opened and revealed a river with a town at the bottom though I am not sure what it was, though it was quite lovely. We passed a small chapel before visualizing Rifugio Auronzo once again. The views we saw several hours earlier from the parking lot began to emerge spectacularly. Cadini di Misurina was looking particularly lovely now that the clouds from this morning dissipated. This easy part of the trail only took 30 minutes to complete.
Once at Rifugio Auronzo, we enjoyed a hot lunch and celebratory beverages. We were impressed by the options here and while outdoor seating was crowded, indoor seating was plentiful and we were able to get a table right next to the window to continue enjoying the views.
What an incredible hike! We absolutely loved the Tre Cime di Lavaredo Circuit Trail and it was so special to have this as our first hike in the Dolomites. Going clockwise around the circuit was absolutely a better option in terms of crowd control, revealing of the view points, and offerings at each of the rifugios at various times. This is 100% a must do hike when visiting the Dolomites – you will be happy you arrived early both for parking and getting started but once you are there, you can really take your time and enjoy the trail.
Continue reading about our week in Dolomites here!
Read all blog posts for the Dolomites here!
Packing in a carry on? Read the full packing list here!
See our complete itinerary here!
Planning your trip? Check out the Perfect One Week Itinerary to the Dolomites here!
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