Hut to Hut Hiking in the Dolomites

I’ve said it before - but hiking in Europe completely ruins hiking in the Unite States.

Can you find equally stunning views? Absolutely. The US is full of an incredible variety of landscapes and many incredible hiking trails.

But at the end of many hikes in Europe is a local hut or refugio perched on the mountside serving cold drinks and sweet snacks. Not only can you enjoy a snack break, but you can spend the night in these huts. It is truly a different way to hike and as a family we completely love it. The Dolomites of Italy are some of the best mountains to explore in Europe and try out hut to hut hiking.

You can see all the logistics on the hike below over on the Chasing ADVNTR Website.

The amazing Croda da Lago hike offers everything: breathtaking mountain vistas, the stunning Lago Federa, and the chance to stay overnight at Rifugio Croda da Lago (also known as Rifugio Palmieri). This hike is one of our top picks in the Dolomites of Italy, and we thoroughly enjoyed our night in an Italian mountain hut. Located just a short drive from Cortina d’Ampezzo, the trail circles the jagged Croda da Lago ridge, descending on the eastern side to the picturesque Lago Federa and Rifugio Croda da Lago.

We set off on our overnight hut trip to Croda de Lago with another family making us a large group of 9 people. Since we we had reservation for the night in the hut, we enjoyed the hike at a leisurely pace.

The first 1.8 miles of the hike are along a pretty trail that passes through a forest. While there is some gentle elevation gain, the trail is easy with a few bridges. While you don’t have many views for the first section of this hike, this forest is very pretty and we enjoyed the start to the hike.

After 1.8 miles you will reach the trail break for the Croda da Lago loop. We chose to hike the trail in a counterclockwise direction. If you want to go directly to Lago Federa and Rifugio Croda da Lago, take the left trail.

After turning right, the trail ascends more steeply although you are still partly in the forest, you begin to get views of the Croda da Lago Mountains. The trail winds its way up the valley and the trail becomes increasingly difficult up through the rock slide. We were hiking this trail with our twins who are 14 years old and 10 year old and while we took our time, none of our kids had any difficulty with this trail.

As you approach Forcella del Formin, the path levels out, leading you to the highest point of the hike. From here, you get stunning 360-degree views, including a glimpse of the saddle where we enjoyed our picnic lunch. The scenery is truly magnificent, with smaller trails around the saddle offering different perspectives.

After leaving Forcella del Formin, the trail descends steeply. You’ll notice several trails branching off to the left towards Forcelle Rosse. Although these paths appear easier due to minimal elevation change, they eventually lead down a steep scree field. We initially took this route and found it to be an unpleasant and somewhat dangerous experience. The trail continues downhill until it merges with a larger path running along the base of the scree field to Lago Federa.

The better path to take is the one that goes downhill and then ascends up to Forcella Ambrizola. This trail is longer but much easier footing and much more enjoyable. The views from Forcella Ambrizola are also worth it.

From this saddle, the trail turns to the left and heads gently downhill towards the Rifugio transversing the side of the slope. You will see Rifugio Croda da Lago and Lago Federa in the distance.

What to Expect at Rifugio Croda da Lago

Rifugio Croda da Lago sits at the base of the impressive Croda da Lago mountain along the edge of Federa Lake. This stunning lake and the backdrop of mountains make an beautiful place to spend the night. The hut is especially beautiful to visit in the fall when the larch trees put on a colorful display.

Like many of the mountain huts in the Dolomites, Rifugio Croda da Lago offers food service for overnight guests and day hikers and bunkrooms for spending the night. These huts are comfortable and allow you to hike into the backcountry for the night without packing a tent or even a sleeping bag. Leave the large pack at home and pack like you would for a day hike with a few additional items.

Note that is also possible to bike to the Rifugio and there is an ebike charging station. There is also a sauna at the hut.

Of course you can find many other huts across Europe - I also wrote up our trip to a hut in Slovenia if you want to check it out.

Have fun out there,

Gretchen

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Gretchen is the owner of Chasing ADVNTR travel, a full travel planning service curating adventure travel experiences around the world.. You can find articles to plan your own adventure or let us help you book your perfect adventure. Learn more about our travel planning services.