Alta Via 2 hiking guide: route map, stages & where to stay

The Alta Via 2 (Alta Via delle Dolomiti n. 2, in German Dolomiten-Höhenweg 2) crosses the Dolomites from north to south, from Bressanone (Brixen) in South Tyrol to Feltre in the Veneto. It passes through three provinces (Bolzano, Trento and Belluno) and eight mountain groups, from the Plose and the Odle (Geisler) to the Sella, the Marmolada, the Pale di San Martino and the Vette Feltrine. It is also called the "Via delle Leggende", the route of legends, after the old stories of the Ladin valleys. The official route is about 180 km long in 13 stages, and hikers sleep in mountain refuges (rifugi). It is waymarked with a blue triangle with the number 2.

The route

The trail starts at the Plose cable-car station in St. Andrä, above Bressanone, and climbs to the Plose. It then follows the north side of the Puez-Odle Nature Park, past the Sass de Putia (Peitlerkofel), to Rifugio Genova and over the high, stony Puez plateau. From Passo Gardena it climbs through the Val Setus to Rifugio Pisciadù and crosses the Sella plateau near Piz Boè, then follows the Viel dal Pan path, with wide views of the Marmolada glacier, to Passo Fedaia. The official route then goes down to Malga Ciapela and over Forca Rossa to the meadows of Fuciade and Passo San Pellegrino. In the Pale di San Martino it crosses a high, almost lunar limestone plateau, with the highest point of the route at Passo delle Farangole (2,932 m). The last days, through the Vette Feltrine in the Dolomiti Bellunesi National Park, are wild and quiet, and the trail ends with the descent from Passo Croce d'Aune to Pedavena, next to Feltre.

This guide follows the main route as mapped on OpenStreetMap and splits it into 13 refuge-to-refuge stages, about 12.3 km each. Between Passo Fedaia and Fuciade it uses the official route via Malga Ciapela, not the harder variant over Forcella Marmolada. The official figures are about 11,300 m of climbing and 11,200 m of descent, and about 80 hours of walking.

Highlights

• The Odle (Geisler) and Puez: sharp rock towers and a wide stony plateau in the Puez-Odle Nature Park
• The Sella and Piz Boè: a high limestone plateau at almost 3,000 m; the summit of Piz Boè (3,152 m) is a short climb off the route
• The Viel dal Pan: an easy, old path facing the Marmolada, the highest mountain in the Dolomites (3,343 m)
• Fuciade: wide, flowery high meadows above Passo San Pellegrino
• The Pale di San Martino: Passo delle Farangole (2,932 m), the huge high plateau around Rifugio Rosetta, and the steep walls above Rifugio Pradidali
• The Vette Feltrine: quiet, high limestone basins rich in alpine flowers, in the Dolomiti Bellunesi National Park

When to walk the Alta Via 2

The rifugi are open from June to September; most open around 20 June and close in the second half of September. The usual season is late June to mid-September. In June and early July snow can still lie on high passes, gullies and north-facing slopes, so ask the hut keepers before you cross them. July and August are the busiest months, and afternoon thunderstorms are common, so start early. In September the trail is quieter, but check that each rifugio you need is still open.

How many days do you need?

The 13 stages in this guide follow the official plan. Most hikers take 12 to 15 days, often with a rest day. Some stages can be split or joined: Rifugio Pradidali, between Rosetta and Treviso, is a common extra night. Roads cross the route at Passo Gardena, Passo Pordoi, Passo Fedaia, Passo San Pellegrino, Passo Valles, Passo Cereda and Passo Croce d'Aune, so it is easy to walk only part of the trail, for example the northern half to Passo San Pellegrino.

Getting there and logistics

Bressanone (Brixen) is on the Brenner railway line between Verona, Bolzano and Innsbruck. From the town, a local bus takes you up to the Plose cable car in St. Andrä, where the trail starts; the cable car to Valcroce saves most of the first climb. At the end, Pedavena is about 3 km from Feltre, which has a railway station with trains towards Belluno and Padua. Venice, Treviso, Verona and Innsbruck are the nearest airports.

Most rifugi offer half board: dinner, a bed in a dorm or small room, and breakfast. Book ahead, especially for July and August. Some CAI huts (for example Rifugio Boz and Rifugio Dal Piaz) are booked on the CAI PrenotaRifugi website; others by phone or email. Bring cash, a sleeping-bag liner and a little food, as shops are rare on the route. Wild camping is forbidden in the parks the trail crosses and in the region in general, so plan to sleep in rifugi.

Difficulty

The Alta Via 2 is clearly harder than the Alta Via 1. The official description recommends it for fit, experienced hikers who are not afraid of heights, with a good sense of direction and basic alpine skills. Days are long, with many climbs of 700 to 1,500 m. Several sections have fixed cables. The official description asks for via ferrata gear (helmet, harness and a via ferrata set) on the Sentiero delle Farangole in the Pale di San Martino, on parts of the way from Rosetta to Treviso, and on several sections in the Vette Feltrine between Passo Cereda, Rifugio Boz and Rifugio Dal Piaz. Shorter cable-protected passages, for example in the Val Setus below Rifugio Pisciadù and on the Sella near Piz Boè, need a steady head and dry rock. There are walking alternatives in the Pale di San Martino (via Passo Rolle, and via Malga Canali), but not in the Vette Feltrine. The variant over Forcella Marmolada is harder than the official route via Malga Ciapela. In 2022 part of the Marmolada glacier collapsed and killed 11 people; the area near the summit is still watched and can be closed in long heat waves, so check before you go.

History

The Alta Via 1, opened in 1966, was the first of the Dolomites' numbered high routes; the Alta Via 2 and the others followed it. During the First World War the front line between Italy and Austria-Hungary ran across these mountains; on the Marmolada, Austro-Hungarian soldiers lived in tunnels dug into the glacier. In 2009 the Dolomites, including the Puez-Odle, the Marmolada, the Pale di San Martino and the Vette Feltrine, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.