Bonacossa trail starting from Lake Misurina in the Dolomites (Italy)

A beautiful circular route in the Cadin di Misurina massif, starting from the lake, which takes you to the wilder part of the massif to the Fonda Savio Refuge, with a beautiful view of the Tre Cime along the way.
Please note: there are a few difficult sections, but they are generally well equipped. Be sure to read the comments in the practical information section.

Details

n°2406643

Creation:
12 Aug 2019

Last update:
13 Sep 2019

Last review:
13 Jul 2024

Activity: Walking
Distance: 10.17 km
Duration according to the author: 6 hrs
Difficulty: Very difficult
Back to start: Yes
Ascent: + 1,040 m
Descent: - 1,042 m
Highest point: 2,544 m
Lowest point: 1,747 m

Country: Italy
Area: Alps
District: Auronzo di Cadore
Start/End: N 46.578188° / E 12.253484°
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Description of the walk

Park in the car park at the Lago di Misurina chairlift.

(S/E) Take the forest road that climbs to the Col de Varda refuge. You will reach a trail junction.

(1) Leave the forest road, which is of no interest, and cut straight across the ski slope. You will reach the Col de Varda refuge.

(2) Take trail 117 to the left of the refuge, which runs along the massif below the cliff. This trail is called Sentiero Bonacossa; it climbs gradually until it levels out before Forci di Misurina. Climb a clearly visible staircase along the wall to reach a pass between two walls (2375m). Begin a very steep and exposed descent equipped with cables in the difficult sections.
Reach the bottom of the descent at the junction of two paths.

(3) Stay on trail 117, leaving the poorly marked trail 118 that branches off to the right. Climb a steep trail with two short ladders to cross rocky blocks on this well-marked and obvious trail. Reach the Col de la Forc del Diavolo.

(4) Descend straight down the rocky slope where the trail zigzags; at the bottom, the trail levels out and turns right towards the refuge. Reach the Fonda Savio Refuge, located on a ridge with a beautiful view of the other side.

(5) Take trail 115 on the left, which descends towards the lake. Enter the forest and reach a four-way junction.

(6) Here you have two options:
- turn left to stay in the forest (preferred route),
- the route chosen here: continue straight ahead on the path to reach the road coming from Lake Antorno.

(7) Follow the road to the left and reach the Alla Baïta campsite.

(8) Continue south to reach the northern end of Lago di Misurina. Follow the left bank to reach the chairlift car park (S/E).

Waypoints

S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,751 m - Car park at the foot of the chairlift.
1 : km 1.42 - alt. 1,934 m - Shortcut
2 : km 2.23 - alt. 2,107 m - Col de Varda refuge
3 : km 3.85 - alt. 2,253 m - Crossroads with trail 117
4 : km 4.36 - alt. 2,514 m - Forc del Diavolo Pass.
5 : km 5.09 - alt. 2,343 m - Fonda Savio refuge
6 : km 7.36 - alt. 1,908 m - Four-way crossroads
7 : km 8.14 - alt. 1,835 m - Lake Antorno crossroads
8 : km 8.71 - alt. 1,761 m - Alla Baïta campsite
S/E : km 10.17 - alt. 1,750 m - Car park at the foot of the chairlift.

Notes

Bring a helmet as the trail is busy and there may be rockfalls from hikers on the steep sections.
You can extend the hike by continuing along trail 117, which descends on the other side of the ridge from the refuge (clearly visible) and joins Lake Antorno via trail 119. However, there is more road with traffic at the end. Important note: Use 1:25,000 scale maps. For your information, good trails are marked with a solid red line, while more difficult trails are marked with a dotted line. Steep sections, which are generally equipped with cables, are marked with small crosses.

Worth a visit

(4) Forc del Diavolo: (2478m) beautiful view of the Tre Cime.
(5) Refuge Fonda Savio: from here, the Durissini Trail branches off to the right and descends the opposite slope.

Reviews and comments

5 / 5

Based on 5 reviews

Reliability of the description
5 / 5

Ease of following the route
5 / 5

Route interest
5 / 5

Randonneur Suisse

13 Jul 2024 at 14:59 7200 • Edited: 13 Jul 2024 at 16:20 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
This is a magnificent, demanding hike, not to be attempted if you are not used to steep mountain trails. There are some fairly steep sections, so you need to be in good physical condition. Via ferrata equipment is by no means essential if you are sure-footed and have experience of descending along a cable. The scenery is spectacular, with some snowfields still visible on 13 July 2024, but this poses no danger for us Swiss seniors (aged 60 and 64), who are quite accustomed to the mountains and their challenges. Visorando's description is excellent, nothing to say, well done!
Please note! If you park at the start of the Col de Varda chairlift, it will cost you £15 as it is a private car park reserved for chairlift users! We left our car there at 7:00 a.m. Everything was closed, not a soul in sight, but when we returned around 1:30 p.m., a rather annoyed lift employee pounced on us and demanded payment of the €15. We didn't try to negotiate, especially since the other car park, along Lake Misurina, costs €14...!
Enjoy your hike!
Christine and Olivier

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Wonderploum

22 Aug 2023 at 13:43 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 25, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Early start, as soon as the Col de Varda chairlift opens, to be planned for in midsummer.
Spectacular hike, as described, a little loose and crumbly after the first breach, but the equipment is sufficient, with no imperative need for a lanyard (descend slowly and take care not to throw stones downstream, as always). A magnificent setting and a feeling of remoteness (the Fonda Savio refuge only comes into view after a long and superb traverse). The descent after this refuge is much more peaceful and the return to Misurina, along a short stretch of tarmac, poses no problems. Thanks to our author for discovering this superb route.

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Angi

17 Aug 2023 at 22:00 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We were looking for a less crowded hike in the Dolomites in the middle of August, and we found it! We came across a few people, but otherwise we were all alone and the views were incredible!
There are a few exposed sections, especially the descent after Forti di Misurina, so it's better to do the route in the other direction if you're prone to vertigo (another option is to take a harness and via ferrata lanyards if you're afraid, but it's not essential). It's quite technical, but you don't need to be an experienced climber. I'd say it's accessible to anyone who is reasonably fit and doesn't suffer from vertigo.
Otherwise, our watches showed 13km and not 10km as planned.
One way to shorten the route and remove about 300 metres of elevation gain is to take the Col de Varda chairlift.

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sandrinederin

20 Jul 2021 at 13:08 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 20, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb hike that we thoroughly enjoyed. Physically and emotionally demanding (for me) due to some exposed sections. We wore high-top boots with fairly stiff soles, which we felt were necessary given the rocky nature of the hike. Thank you for sharing.

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Dethilma

13 Jul 2020 at 12:01 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 10, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A challenging route with very steep ascents and descents (ladders, sections with safety lines, etc.). We were able to complete this route with our dog, but she needed help on some sections.

I would not recommend this route if you are afraid of heights But the height offers superb views of the bare mountains!

As for precautions, there can indeed be rock falls. But by keeping our distance from other hikers (bearing in mind that it was not very busy in the middle of July), we were able to do it without helmets.

In early July, we encountered a few small patches of snow. But it was compacted and we were able to walk through it without any problems in our trail trainers.