Hiking Alta Via n.3 of the Dolomites

Arrive in Cortina d'Ampezzo (1,224m / 4,016') at your discretion and check into your hotel (private transfer available on request). Cortina d'Ampezzo is a charming alpine resort town surrounded by stunning peaks, uniquely sheltered from the cold winds of the North, giving it a pleasantly mild climate that tourists can enjoy year-round. Host to the 1956 Winter Olympics, Cortina enjoys a reputation for great winter and summer skiing, attracting hikers and climbers who challenge the rocky faces of the nearby mountains. This chic alpine town also caters to the high society crowd, offering many year-round social activities, shopping, and fine dining. A Dolomites trip will surely provide visitors with enough adventure, enjoyment, and memories to last a lifetime. Cortina d'Ampezzo offers everything the adventure traveler could need: natural beauty, outdoor activities, or exciting nightlife. It's the perfect location to experience everything the Dolomites offer.

If you're doing a guided trip, you'll meet your local English-speaking hiking guide for a trip briefing and orientation. Take a private transfer to Cimabanche, the trailhead from where your trek begins. Hike on a path along the spectacular section below the northern face of Croda Rossa Mountain and Prato Piazza, set in an idyllic high alpine pasture valley. This is the best vantage point for viewing the Croda Rossa, so called for its blood-red rock caused by the presence of iron oxide. You will reach a lovely rifugio for lunch. Here, you will enjoy fantastic views of the Croda Rossa Massif (Red Wall in English, Hohe Gaisl in German), the Cristallo group, and the Natural Park of Fanes–Sennes–Braies.
After lunch, follow the track to your rifugio (2,040m / 6,693') for tonight. Enjoy the afternoon and the evening, admiring the landscape and the fortress built a few years before WWI.
(~3 hours hiking, 7,4 km / 4,4 miles, 597m / 1,970' ascent, 96m / 317' descent.)

In the morning, from your rifugio, hike to the parking lot of Carbonin, from where you will have a short private transfer to Lake Misurina, the largest natural lake in the Cadore area, sitting at 1,756m / 5,761'.
From the southern part of the lake, you'll take a path to your rifugio (2,115m / 6,979') for the night. If you feel tired, there is the possibility of using a chairlift. Take a look around you and admire the incredible Dolomites' peaks, ranging from the Marmarole to Sorapiss, Marmolada to Tofane, Cristallo to the Torre dei Scarperi di Sesto, while behind is the Cadini group. Simply unforgettable!
(~2 hours hiking, 5,1 km / 3,06 miles, 348m / 1,148'ascent, 6m / 20' descent.)

From your rifugio, hike on a gravel road with a gentle downhill on the south flank of the jagged spires of the Ciadin de la Neve peaks; eventually, there is the possibility to walk to a recently renovated malga/alm and stop for coffee and cake. It might be too early for lunch, but at the malga, you can buy sandwiches and have a picnic further along the way. Hike on a trail in the woods and follow a gravel road that climbs westwards, and in the last part, there is a trail and a strange bridge above a concrete ditch: an anti-tank built during WW2 (and never used). In a few minutes, you'll arrive at your destination hotel, (1,805m / 5,956'), right above the northeast border of Cortina.
 (~5-6 hours hiking, 13,7 km / 8,2 miles, 497m / 1,640' ascent, 809m / 2,670' descent.)

From Passo Tre Croci, hike on an old military road, where you will easily gain elevation up to an open flat meadow. From here, you will hike on a single-track trail and admire the view of the Cristallo Mountain group to the North, the Tofane to the West behind the Cortina basin, and the Ciadin del Loudo to the South, just above your trail. Head west toward the Faloria Ski Resort area, with the rocky walls of Ra Zesta on your left. Reach a forcella, and continue to the summit, where you'll find a lovely rifugio, a good place for lunch.
Descend along a new, panoramic trail. This trail first follows the rocky ridge of Mount Faloria with stunning views of the classic Dolomite's rock layers; the second section unfolds through woods of larches and spruce pines until it again reaches the ski slopes and a small wooden hut. You'll soon get to the main road in, where you will have a private transfer back to your hotel in Cortina d'Ampezzo.
(~5-6 hours hiking, 11,4 km / 7,1 miles, 510 m / 1,670' ascent, 650 m / 2,145' descent.)

Breakfast and departure at your discretion (private transfer available on request).