Tre Cime in the Dolomites

The Tre Cime trail is a 6-point-something mile trail that takes you from the mountain hut Rifugio Auronzo, on a loop around the Dolomites’ iconic three peaks; Tre Cime di Lavaredo.

This past June, I rented a car and drove myself 5 hours from Milan to Rifugio Auronzo. My plan was to spend the night in a dorm room in Rifugio Auronzo, so that I could start off my Dolomites trip by hiking this trail in the morning. My drive from Milan was brutally hot, in an underpowered Fiat with no air conditioning. Climbing the mountains to Rifugio Auronzo, which sits at 7,677 feet elevation, was a breath of fresh, frigid air. In the rest of Italy is was summer, but up in the Dolomites mountains it still felt like winter. When I checked into the rifugio, and the receptionist informed me that the trail was not yet open for the season, because it was impassable due to deep snow on the trail. He said that I would be able to walk only about 30 minutes to a small chapel, at which point I would have to turn back. I had been really looking forward to this solo hike, and I was super bummed to not be able to do it. I tried not to let it get me down, and went on a walk outside to watch the sunset, and immerse myself in this amazing 360-degree mountainscape that I could not believe I was actually in!

I woke up in the freezing morning to go outside to watch the sunrise, and then climbed back under the covers to enjoy a few more hours of sleep. With so little distance to walk today, I could sleep in. After having breakfast at the rifugio, I started what I thought would be a short, paved walk to the chapel and back. I always hike prepared, even if it’s only a short walk (I wore layers, and packed a sandwich, snacks, and a liter of water). I also brought along my micro-spikes, so that I would be able to safely hike around in whatever snow I encountered.

I climbed out of my bunk bed to capture the sun rising, and thawing the freezing morning air. — I climbed out of my bunk bed to capture the rising sun

When I reached the chapel, I saw where a snowy path continued up to the side of the mountain peaks. The snow was not too steep or deep, and there were quite a few people continuing along the trail. I strapped on my microspikes and kept hiking, hoping to get at least far enough on the trail to where I could catch a decent glimpse of Tre Cime before turning back. At the top of the hill, a whole valley appeared, surrounded by more mountains. A mile or two across the valley I could see another rifugio, and a small trail through the snow that people were hiking to get there.

As it turned out, the entire 6-7 mile loop was hikeable, but the trek was slow-going because of the snow. I stopped several times throughout the day to fly my drone, and take photos of this beautiful place and the Tre Cime peaks. Over the course of the day the weather completely changed from dense, low cloud cover, to partly cloudy, to full sun. It’s a good thing that I came prepared with layers, sunblock, snacks and water… but I had an “oh shit” moment when I realized that I was at the furthest point from the trailhead, and had already drank all of my water. The rifugios and other structures on the trail were not yet open for the season, so there was nowhere to refill my water. Thinking that I was only going to walk for an hour or so today, I hadn’t brought a full day’s amount of water or a filter. When traveling or in the outdoors I meticulously pack to prepare myself, and when I find myself in a situation where I am inadequately prepared, I feel vulnerable and anxious. I periodically filled my water bottle with clean snow, and hoped that it would be enough to keep me hydrated for the rest of the trek.

The remainder of the trail turned out to be the most difficult terrain— following the actual trail was impossible because of the snow, and with footprints leading every which way, I relied heavily on the AllTrails app to know which way to go (I strongly recommend always hiking with some sort of map, and the AllTrails offline maps are a lifesaver when you’re in the backcountry, especially early in the season when there is snow on trails). The scenery for the remainder of the trail was absolutely gorgeous, especially under the sun and blue sky. As challenging as it was to hike in the snow, I was very happy to have been able to see this place during this small window of the season when there was still a blanket of snow on the ground, and it was perhaps more beautiful than it would be in the summer when the trail is clear… although it would have been nice had the rifugios and I had the opportunity to stop there for lunch, water, and a beer!

Rifugio Antonio Locatelli in the distance.

Flying my drone to catch an even higher view of Tre Cime!