escursione sotto catinaccio
escursione sotto catinaccio

Hike at the foot of the Catinaccio summits

The walk at a height of 2,000 m a.s.l. and more leads from Ciampedie to the Paolina mountain hut, between Vigo and the Costalunga mountain pass

We take the cableway in Vigo di Fassa and we come to the meadows of the little plateau above the Vajolet valley at a height of 2000 metres a.s.l. The path no. 545 stretches toward South near the refuge Negritella. We cross a forest, we go around some rocky faces and we finally reach the green meadows above the farmstead Vael, but here we follow the signposts to the refuge Vael which is in a higher location than the farmstead.

The way to the refuge is the only steep stretch of this trail. The refuge and the hut Marino Pederiva are at a height of 2.280 metres, that is the highest point of our walk, it is just under the summit Roda di Vael (2.806 m). After a short break we go on following the path SAT 549 toward the refuge Paolina and we can admire the Pass Costalunga and right here we can see a huge bronze eagle, which watches over the Catinaccio. It was manufactured to the memory of Theodor Christomannos, one of the pioneers of the tourism in the Dolomites. We are coming closer to the refuge Paolina (path no. 539), which is situated on the side toward Bolzano, just above Nova Levante and Carezza. From here we return at our starting point following the same path we did before, but it is possible to take the ropeway Paolina toward Carezza and then there is a bus to Vigo di Fassa.

Author: AT

suited for families difficulty: easy with lifts
  • Starting point:
    Catinaccio Cable Car mountain station (Vigo di Fassa)
  • Time required:
    02:10 h
  • Track length:
    5,7 km
  • Altitude:
    from 1.965 m to 2.290 m
  • Altitude difference:
    +356 m | -184 m
  • Signposts:
    SAT 545, 549, 539
  • Destination:
    Paolina chair lift mountain station
  • Resting points:
    Ristorante Bellavista, Rifugio Ciampedie, Rifugio Baita Checco, Rifugio Negritella, Rifugio Roda di Vael, Rifugio Pederiva, Rifugio Paolina
  • Recommended time of year:
    Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
  • Download GPX track:
    Hike at the foot of the Catinaccio summits

If you want to do this hike, we suggest you to check the weather and trail conditions in advance and on site before setting out.

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