Italy's Dolomites, Alta Via 2 Route

I got the Europe trekking hut-to-hut bug after Tour du Mont Blanc so this year I'll be travelling to Italy and trekking the Dolomites Alta Via 2 route. The ferrata's [iron rails] have a certain appeal to me and probably try those without a need for harness out. This link has some pics to give you an idea.

I've been doing research on the internet and purchased the Cicerone Guide. I'm making good progress. Has anyone here done this trek before? I'm curious as to your daily itinerary, mileage/elevation gain each day, huts used, and overall logistics [hotels used before/after the trek, getting luggage to the end, etc.] I've seen the services that do all the bookings for you and help out with logistics but it triples the overall cost!

Thanks in advance for any information.

Juniper, who used to post here, did the AV 2 in 2009, I believe. Unsure if VFTT searches go back that far. Maybe try PMing her?

Chris and I did the AV 1 in Sept 2009 and averaged a leisurely 10-12 miles per day. The full bars - espresso and booze - demanded a more relaxed pace. Since there was more on our itinerary than just the hike, it made sense for us to rent a car. The car was left (along with extra clothing and stuff) at the hotel we stayed the night prior to starting. Afterwards we utilized a series of trains and buses to get back to our car. It was a wonderful trip.

Thank you. I did a search and found it here. Don't you love hiking all day in spectacular scenery and finishing at a beautiful mountain hut with hot showers and wine?

RollingRock said:

I got the Europe trekking hut-to-hut bug after Tour du Mont Blanc ...

I've seen the services that do all the bookings for you and help out with logistics but it triples the overall cost!

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Beware ... the Europe hut-to-hut trekking bug is incurable

I have never even considered any help with the logistics, and never had any problems. One suggestion is to buy a minimalist cell phone in Italy. Years ago I bought a cell phone in Switzerland for about $30, with $15 of prepaid credit ... enough for a few years of last minute bookings while in Switzerland. Most huts etc were booked in advance from the States.

We did part of the Alta Via 1 in 2011 and are returning this year for part of the AV2. Our daughter will be hiking on her own this time so we are keeping our daily mileage reasonable. We've found planning easy enough and haven't paid for any services. We rely on public transportation and have no extra luggage, so no worrying about storing extras (last time we had one backpack for three of us for two weeks!). Steve took gear for the via ferratas and did one around Tre Cime. He plans to do the some on this trip too.

This time we're probably flying into Milan and going directly to our starting point. There is some castle we plan to stay in after our hike on the way back to Milan. I have a list of the refugios we plan to visit. There is a local guy on the tripadvisor forums that is helpful. He provided us with some feedback on our itinerary. We are going in July and weren't planning on reserving in advance, except for calling ahead a few days once we are there. I do have to figure out about a cell phone to use once we are there (didn't have one last time and would like one this go around).

We love the Dolomites - you'll have a great trip!

We are flying into Venice in September and taking a train directly to Bressanone. I've been thinking about not taking any extra luggage to get around the storage issue. We are thinking of hiring a guide to meet us on the trek and assist up the classic ferrata tridente. It looks like a lot fun!

I'm probably going to book all the huts in advance from the US because when we did the TMB [Tour Du Mont Blanc], the call ahead approach did not work that great for us. [The refugios themselves would call ahead for us so we did not have to carry a cell phone.] A couple of the huts we were planning to stay in were full so we had to continue trekking to the next hut [making it longer mileage days]. I'll check out TripAdvisor about our itinerary as well.

Afterwards, we plan on spending a couple nights in Venice exploring the city.

Have fun. You'll probably have a trip report I can read before I leave!

We ran into that problem with the TMB when we did it as well. We didn't have any problems in the Dolomites (we also traveled in September last time). The only time we called ahead was for the weekends and the people at the huts were helpful in doing that. Our biggest problem was some of the huts closed early, so we had to rearrange our itinerary (again, the people at the refugio were very helpful in finding which huts were still open and where we could stay). We don't like having a set schedule to allow for weather delays (even more important with our daughter). We had a snow storm on our trip last time and we ended up two nights at our first refugio. This time we're traveling in July, but I don't think we will book ahead either (just call ahead once there); but I'm still trying to gauge the necessity of bookings. We did the TMB and the Dolomites at different times of year, so hard to compare, but I thought there were less people in the Dolomites.

If you have the Price book, then you probably already know - but a language guide with both Italian and German will be useful (I think we had the Rick Steve's one).

If you are going to have a set schedule, then it will be easier to store extra luggage somewhere as you know where you will be starting/ending. We are more open ended - so storing luggage somewhere is an extra constraint we don't want. Since we really didn't do any sight seeing, it wasn't a big deal for us to not have extra stuff. You can try to find a hotel that will store luggage for you.

We did spend a night in Venice before our hiking started last time. It was fun to see the city - but we were definitely read for the mountains after that (heat and crowds). We skipped the gondolas and got a pass for the vaparettos instead. Also be sure to go out at night - the city looks different (and very pretty) at night.

Thank you for all this helpful information! I'm sending you an 'invisible greenie' your way

I'm considering doing the Alta Via 2 this July as well. Since I don't have any experience trekking in Europe and since I read that getting advance reservations at the huts can be difficult I've requested a quote for a reservation package through a service (Holomites), who will plan the trip out for you. I'm looking to fly into Venice on 7/3 and fly out of Munich on 7/15 or 16, after spending a few days in the city. I can let you know the price quote when I receive it if you are interested.

I did not have any experience trekking in Europe when I trekked Tour Du Mont Blanc a couple of years ago. We made reservations as we went along and for the most part everything went smoothly. If you are willing to possibly run into a few issues along the way [unlikely] you could cut the cost of the trip in half.

Most of the huts we plan on using have websites with email addresses so we'll book them ourselves in advance. We have our itinerary planned out. I saw the Holomites service so I would be interested in their pricing.

We are flying in/out of Venice with a stopover to Munich on the return. We'll be spending three nights in Venice and one night in Munich afterwards. I'm really looking forward to the trek [as I'm sure you are]. Since you'll be there before us, I'd be really interested in your trip report and seeing your pictures!

I received the quote yesterday.
The cost for:
-Transportation from the Venice airport
-1st overnight in Badia with breakfast & dinner
-7 overnight hut stays with breakfast & dinner
-Transportation from Col Di Pra back to Badia
-2 additional overnights in Badia with breakfast & dinner
-scheduling adjustments made for hut overnights if delayed enroute
-Transportation to Munich
-2 nights in Munich with breakfast only

1,300 Euro

I'll have to do a little homework to see if the exta cost is worth it vs. having to coordinate the logistics of the trip. If I make the decision to take this trip I'll make sure to post a report on this thread.

We are giving ourselves 10 days to do the entire trek of 100 miles. With the hotels before/after it seems like it will cost us $660 [including dinner/breakfast]. With transportation, lunch, beer/wine, souvenirs we are budgeting $1,000.

You should do this trek either way. Pay the extra cost or coordinate on your own. You will never regret it!

FYI, for what it's worth we're doing the AV2 around the same time frame and haven't made reservations. We plan to call ahead once we are there. Buy the Gillian Price guide to help plan - it's actually pretty straight forward and can save you a lot of money!

I know most people wouldn't be comfortable doing this, but a lot of huts will let you email your credit card information and that will confirm your reservation. I did this for the tour du mont blanc for most huts back in 2006. I am glad that I did because a few of the huts were completely full (including my favorite, the Rifigio Bonatti).

roadtripper said:

I know most people wouldn't be comfortable doing this, but a lot of huts will let you email your credit card information and that will confirm your reservation.

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In Switzerland many of the huts have a normal secure online payment system.

The Via Ferrata (Iron Way) are a great way to visit places and cross terrain that would usually require climbing gear and training. Many of the routes are more exposed and would merit the use of a harness, helmet and a way to clip into the cables. It is a good idea to use some sort of a Y system with your harness in the middle and a locking carabiner on each of the two ends. This allows you to clip into the cable beyond a stantion before you unclip from the side you are on. If you are going to climb any steep ladders you really should have an energy absorbing device of some sort in the system. If you fall off a ladder 50 feet above the previous stantion, the impact when the rope stops at the stantion below will break you and or the rope. The one I have used is an aluminum plate with 5 or 6 holes drilled through it. The 6 foot length of rope which connects the two locking carabiners rope is woven through the holes. One larger hole in the plate is clipped to your harness. The plate is in the middle of rope between the two carabiners. If you fall, you will come to a stop in 3 feet instead of 0 feet. The length of rope should fit the holes in the plate fairly snugly. The holes have no sharp edges of course. There are many commercial gizmos available that do the same sort of thing.
I am not sure but I think that the Via Ferratas are two way streets. There are many places that it would be disconcerting to have to swing out, unprotected, around another person who is either stopped in your way of going the other way.
There are many places where there may be people above you so a helmet to ward off errant rocks may be advisable.
If you hear someone yell "STEIN" above you, don't look up but make yourself small against the rock.
There is more on the subject at the two web sites below.

http://www.dolomitemountains.com/en/resources/resources148.htm

http://www.needlesports.com/catalogue/content.aspx?con_id=d7376987-c60a-437e-a15a-9c9e00a6a466

We will actually be trying to hire a guide to meet on the AV2 and take us up on one of the Via Ferrata's. We're hoping he'll bring us the harnesses/helmets. I agree that this is a can't miss thing to do.

It's the only way it would be viable for us since we don't want to carry the equipment for 10 days just to do one segment. We're hoping it will work out for us.

Well, one month to go before we head out! I've emailed most of the huts for our reservations [no deposits required], got our plane tickets and booked a hotel in Venice for 3 nights where we decided to take a 1/2 day trip kayaking the canals. We also have hired a guide to meet us on the trek to climb up the via ferrata tridentia!

We decided to carry everything we need in one pack including for Venice, Munich, etc. We are shooting for a maximum weight with water of about 25 pounds. Even added a quick stopover on the return flight to Munich for some German brews!

Sounds like you are all set! I think it's smart to just take one bag - cuts down on hassle. You really don't need that much anyway. When we were there last month my husband and I each had a pack (our daughter didn't carry one) and we were fine. I had one set of clothes that I kept clean and then my hiking clothes. I washed stuff in sinks a few times and that worked well. Enjoy your trip!

Can't wait to hear about this trip, and to look at lots of photos! Living shamelessly-vicariously, big time..!