Palaronda Trek: 4 Days of Pale di San Martino Magic

The Pale di San Martino, also known as the Pale Group, is majestic, elegant, literally hardcore, an Italian favourite, and, yes, it's also one of the most fun and kind of exciting treks in the Italian Dolomites. Sexy, you say? Well, if you have a look at the photos and see the landscape you are hiking through, you can definitely get a few sexy profile photos or Instagram stories on this trek. This is the Palaronda Trek: short, accessible, not too technical, and a great way to spice up your time in Italy. The Pale di San Martino is the largest massif of the Dolomites and it is located between eastern Trentino and Ventore. Its highest point is 3,192 meters: Cima di Vezzana.

On the Palaronda Trek, you are not climbing Vezzana but you will have the possibility to climb Fradusta at 2,939 meters. This sounds high and it is high, but the good thing about the Palaronda Trek is that you will be staying in mountain huts of which one is already at an altitude of over 2,500 metres. The start point of the Palaronda Trek is at San Martino di Castrozza. This village is situated at the Passo Rolle, cycling enthusiasts would know this mountain pass from the notorious Giro d'Italia. San Martino di Castrozza is about 2 hours from Bolzano and Trento, and about 2.5 hours from Venice.

We've already mentioned that the Palaronda Trek is short, accessible, and doable for most hikers. The classic version, also known as the Palaronda Soft Trek, is 4 days long, counts about 35 kilometres and entails almost 3,000 of elevation. Sounds like the life of an ibex but you too can do this. Your daily hiking time isn't much longer than 5 hours max so in the huts you will have plenty of time to rest your legs, fuel up, and recharge yourself. Hiking times are generally a bit shorter compared to other famous Dolomite hikes like the Alta Via 1, the Alta Via 2, and the Alta Via del Granito.

Okay, it's still a multi-day hike and it will definitely help if you have experience with hiking in the mountains. The ascents and descents will be hard on your legs and the weight of your backpack doesn't make it easier. The paths regularly consist of loose rock, you have to climb and scramble over large boulders, up and down steep slopes and early in the season there is even a chance you will have to walk through the snow. Further down this blog post, you can get an idea of what the itinerary looks like and you can find a handy packing list. With some physical preparation and the right tools, the Palaronda Trek is also for you. Is it suitable children? Maybe from the age of 12, but only when they have experience with multi-day hiking in the mountains and are comfortable carrying their own backpack. For hut-to-hut hiking trips for children, read this blog post.

The season for the Palaronda Trek runs from the end of June until mid-September, completely in line with other treks in the Dolomites and the Alps. The rifugi as introduced in the next paragraph won't be open before and after that time, and thus you won't be able to spend the night outside the season. A typical summer day in the Dolomites is characterized by bright sunshine and clear skies. However, there may be occasional rain showers or afternoon storms. There is no snow on the trails, which is the main limiting factor for off-season accessibility.

In the summer, there may be some light snowfall, but the snow does not accumulate and is usually gone by the next morning. Be sure to bring waterproof and warm clothing, not just shorts. More about that in the packing list a few paragraphs below. July and August are the busiest months for trekking in the Dolomites. Hut-to-hut tours are also a favourite pastime for Italians, so if you want to go trekking in or around the school holidays, it's best to not wait too long with making arrangements.

On the above version of the Palaronda Trek you won't have to do any via ferratas. However, it is possible. That wouldn't be a Palaronda Soft Trek, by far the most popular option, however. A via ferrata, in English "iron path", or Klettersteig in German, is a protected climbing path with cables, ladders and iron supports attached to rock walls. There are several famous Via Ferratas in the world, the highest of which, on Kota Kinabalu

Unlike on the Alta Via 2, we don't advise you to bring via ferrata gear to the Palaronda Trek. That is, if you stick to the itinerary as described and offered above. This doesn't mean you don't have the option to go try it. Should you be interested, then note that especially Rifugio Pradidali is a great base for via ferrata routes.

The Palaronda Trek starts at Rifugio Rosetta, which is reached by trail or cable car from San Martino di Castrozza, a well-known mountain resort along the Via Passo Rolle in the Dolomites. Every year the hairpin bends of this mountain pass feature in the bicycle race Giro d'Italia. In order to start the Palaronda Trek, you have to get to San Martino di Castrozza first.

By bus:

If you are not travelling by car, it's best to spend the night in the small town of Arten, or neighbouring Feltre. This is about 1.5 hours by bus from Trento and 2 hours by train and bus from Venice. From Arten, you can take a straight bus to San Martino di Castrozza and with that the trailhead or cable car for the Palaronda Trek.

By car:

There is a free parking space right at San Martino di Castrozza. Here hikers leave their cars overnight. Alternatively, if you have a place to stay in the village, you can leave your car there as well. San Martino di Castrozza is a 2 hours drive from both Trento and Bolzano and about 2.5 hours from Venice.

A situation is defined as an emergency whenever human life (yours or someone else's) is endangered and there is nothing you can do to resolve the matter. You should call for help if there has been an accident, if there is somebody trapped, if you got lost or in trouble and are unable to continue because of the time of day or weather conditions, or if you are trapped because of technical climbing challenges that exceed your capabilities.

The most important thing to do in an emergency is to stay calm and survey the situation. Do not panic or take useless risks if the people in trouble are difficult to reach. In an emergency, first and foremost, call for assistance. When calling for help, make sure to provide your location and the number of victims and type of injuries. Then, protect the victim from cold and other environmental threats and administer first aid, if you can.

Mountain Rescue Emergency Number: 118

A hut-to-hut trek really doesn't have to break the bank. Huts are usually basic but offer everything you need to recharge your mental and physical batteries for the next hiking day(s). For 4 days on the Palaronda Trek, you can count about 90 to 100 EUR per hiking day. This includes itinerary details, navigation assistance, your accommodation in a rifugio, and half pension in the shape of breakfast and dinner. For hut-to-hut tours in general, we then advise bringing 40 to 60 EUR pocket money per day. This is for lunch and your beverages. Most of our pocket money usually goes towards that ice-cold beer with our name on it, in the next hut. :)