How long does it take to hike the Alta Via 1 Dolomites?
Most people take between 6 - 10 days to hike the Alta Via 1 Dolomites. Anything quicker requires part trail running; anything longer would allow for frequent breaks and a relaxed trekking pace.
But how long would it take you?
Given that the main Alta Via 1 Dolomites trail is a distance of 120km / 75mi and includes a 7,400m / 24,000ft (South direction) of elevation gain, speed and fitness are important factors to understand how long it could take a hiker to complete the trail. However, preferences and time constraints ultimately dictate how many days it will take a hiker to complete the Alta Via 1.
Since 2018, we’ve produced 100’s of personalised hiking itineraries that have helped 2,000+ self-guided hikers confidently plan their Alps multi-day journey. To achieve this, we focus on the following 4 steps:
This blog post summarises these steps, which form part of the itinerary creation process our customers use to produce their very own personalised plan and GPS map file with The Hiking Club app.
So how long would it take you to hike the Alta Via 1? Let’s find out!
STEP 1: PRELIMINARY ESTIMATE
The following calculator is designed to provide a simple estimate of how many days it would take you to complete the Alta Via 1 Dolomites. Please note:
The number of hours is for hiking time only and should exclude breaks and stationary time.
Consider fellow multi-day hikers as the ‘others’ when choosing relative speed rather than an average person.
After clicking ‘calculate,’ allow ~5 seconds for the result to display. Feel free to make new selections and recalculate as many times as required.
If interested, learn more about our time estimates and calculator here.
STEP 2: SELECTING PREFERENCES
The Alta Via 1 offers a wonderful array of choices in terms of trail highlights and accommodation types. Some of these choices will change the number of days it will take to complete the Alta Via 1.
TRAIL HIGHLIGHTS
The Alps offer a network of trails rather than a single path to follow. There are always trail junctions that allow hikers to choose a route based on the highlight, terrain, or accommodation options available.
The standard or "main trail" Alta Via 1 Dolomites is 120km / 75mi. However, many hikers choose to take one or more alternate routes along their journey, which will change their daily hiking stats.
Some of the more popular alternate routes include:
Rifugio Scotoni > Rifugio Lagazuoi via Forcela de Salares
A quieter alternate route that provides great perspective of the towering Lagazuoi peaks to the North and across the valley to Monte Castello. A good option for those stopping at Rifugio Lagazuoi or those wanting to explore the WWI tunnels.
Rifugio Lagazuoi > Falzarego Pass via WWI tunnel
A unique opportunity to walk through the WWI tunnel system that weaves down within the mountain. It is recommended to rent a helmet from the cable car station, and bring a torch.
Rifugio Nuvolau > Passo Giau via Via Ferrata Ra Gusela
This beginners via ferrata trail does not present significant technical difficulties. However, every hiker must assess their level of risk and gear choice. It is a direct route that significantly reduces the distance.
Rifugio Città di Fiume > Rifugio Palafavera via Monte Pelmo Loop
This challenging alternate route is not for the faint hearted. This route circles Monte Pelmo and includes a decent climb on very friable rocky paths with some cables to assist. The scree is difficult to navigate.
ACCOMMODATION PREFERENCE / AVAILABILITY
If a hiker has specific accommodation preferences, it may impact how far they need to hike each day. For example, there are only a limited number of campgrounds along the AV1. Selecting these campgrounds will dictate the daily hiking time, despite the “preferred” hiking time.
Also, as accommodation on the AV1 gets fully booked over the summer hiking season, often hikers miss out on some of their preferred accommodation choices. This may mean that their daily hiking itinerary is impacted, either requiring a longer/shorter hiking day than preferred.
The following accommodation options are available on the Alta Via 1:
Campgrounds: This includes campgrounds located at/near the entrance to three Natural Parks located along the trail. These full-service campgrounds typically offer hot showers, toilets, water, electricity, kitchen, and food.
Camping Palafavera - example of a 3* campground located along the trail
Shared room (dorms): These rooms are offered by most mountain huts, but you will even find them in some villages too. Occasionally there is a sink in the room, however, showers and toilets are typically outside in common areas. The room sizes vary from 4 to 18 beds.
Rifugio Biella - example of a mountain hut that offers shared room (dormitory) accommodation
Private room: Usually this is a single, double, triple, or quad room that has a private bathroom and shower. These rooms are offered at some mountain huts and hotels along the trail.
Rifugio Lagazuoi - example of a mountain hut that offers private room accommodation
STEP 3: COMPROMISES
Most hikers have a maximum number of days available to complete the Alta Via 1. Sometimes, their choice of preferred hiking hours, pace, and preferences result in an itinerary with more hiking days than they have available. In these cases, here are the compromises that can keep a hikers AV1 dream alive!
BE WILLING TO TAKE SOME TRANSPORT
Most hikers want to walk every step of the Alta Via 1 to experience all the trail has to offer. However, if a hiker doesn't have enough time to walk all the way, there are some transport options (bus, cable car, chairlift) that runs alongside the trail or skips entire sections, reducing the number of days it will take to complete the trail. In other cases, transport can allow a hiker to maintain their ideal number of hiking days while staying in their preferred accommodation type.
Lagazuoi Cable Car connecting Falzarego Pass to Rifugio Lagazuoi
BE FLEXIBLE WITH TRAIL HIGHLIGHT PREFERENCES
There is 1-2 hiking days difference between the main and alternate routes on the Alta Via 1. If a hiker is unwilling to use transport to reduce their number of hiking days, ignoring route choices based on trail highlights in favour of the shortest trail combination can be a viable option.
BE FLEXIBLE WITH ACCOMMODATION TYPE PREFERENCES
Some hikers start by off with a mandatory accommodation type, usually for private rooms or camping. As every accommodation location doesn't offer these types (or places become fully booked), seeking them out can increase the number of hiking days it will take to complete the trail. Being open to spending some nights in a dorm room can prevent this increase.
Rifugio Adolfo Sonino Al Coldai offers both private and shared accommation options
CHOOSE TO HIKE A SECTION OF THE ALTA VIA 1 DOLOMITES
If a hiker doesn't want to take any transport, isn't interested in skipping trail highlights, and, is unwilling to compromise on their preferred accommodation types, doing a section of the AV1 is a practical option to ensure the trip goes ahead within the available days. There are several points that cross main roads, making it possible to join and leave the trail at multiple points allowing for a lot of flexibility in partial tours.
STEP 4: FINAL PLAN
Using our planning app, you can design an AV1 hiking itinerary based on all the information above, including your desired hiking days, route preferences, accommodation choice and transport options.
Watch the below video to see how our planning app turns all of the options above into a fun and easily choose your own adventure experience for the Alta Via 1!