> Follow the opening stages of the Alta Via 2 at a relaxed pace
> Spend three nights in authentic mountain huts and alpine inns
> Cross the Puez-Odle Nature Park from Bressanone to Ortisei
The evening light turns the Odle peaks orange, the terraces at Rifugio Plose fill with hikers swapping stories, and tomorrow's trail is already waiting above the tree line. This is one of those Dolomites moments you don't rush. That's exactly why this 4-day version exists.
Following the same spectacular route as our Dolomites Highlights Trek, this itinerary adds an extra night at Rifugio Plose at the very beginning. The result? More stages, more time to enjoy the mountains, and a gentler introduction to the Alta Via 2. Starting in Bressanone, you gradually leave the valley behind and enter a landscape of alpine meadows, panoramic ridges, and dramatic limestone peaks.
Over four days, you'll hike through the heart of the Puez-Odle Nature Park, one of the most beautiful corners of the Dolomites. Overnight stays at Rifugio Plose, Gampenalm, and Rifugio Juac break up the route perfectly, giving you extra time for mountain lunches, sunny hut terraces, and those views you came all this way for. The trek finishes in Ortisei, deep in Val Gardena, with a camera full of photos and the Dolomites still fresh in your legs.
From Bressanone, the route slips out of town and soon climbs steadily toward the Plose. It is a hard, full-blooded ascent from the Isarco valley into the mountains, with the Dolomites slowly opening the curtains. The finish at Rifugio Plose feels earned, the kind of balcony where tired legs suddenly forgive everything.
The route heads past the bridge on the Psalm Trail and climbs through the vineyards and lanes above Bressanone to St. Andrä. Here, near the cable car station, you join the starting point of the famous Alta Via 2. To save your legs some of the elevation gain, you can take the cable car from St. Andrä up toward the Plose.
The final stretch leads toward Valcroce and the Plose high ground, with wide views toward the Dolomites and the Isarco Valley below. Arrival at Rifugio Plose is wonderfully simple: boots off, shoulders down, mountain air in, and a front-row seat to the peaks. What a place to land.
From Rifugio Plose, the route begins with wide views over the Dolomites before gradually dropping away from the high ground. The path first loses height across open slopes and panoramic trails, with views toward the Odle/Geisler peaks and the mighty Sass de Putia, also known as Peitlerkofel, rising to 2,875 metres. It is a hard stage with a long descent, followed by a demanding climb to the pass.
The first half rolls steadily downhill from the Plose area, passing the Plose Panorama Trail and several big-view spots over the surrounding valleys. After the lower section, the route turns serious again and climbs toward Forcella Sass de Putia, the Peitlerscharte, at around 2,357 metres. That ascent is the main test, a proper mountain bite with views that keep pulling you upward.
After the pass, the route eases across the high ground before descending toward Gampenalm. The arrival is classic Dolomite comfort: wooden hut, open meadows, peaks all around and the feeling that the mountain has finally said, “go on then, sit down.” A cracking place to land after a big traverse.
A rugged Dolomites crossing with proper bite: from the green pastures around Gampenalm the trail climbs into the wild limestone world of Puez-Odle, then rolls south towards the Seceda side. Views of Sobutsch (2,486 m), Wasserkofel (2,644 m) and the sharp Puez skyline make this a big, beautiful mountain stage.
The route rises steadily from the alpine meadows to the high shoulder near Croce Pass and the Puez-Odle Nature Park, before dropping into rougher ground below Forcella Roa. After the main climb, the path undulates across open slopes with views towards Vallunga, Seceda and the Sassolungo group. The final stretch eases into a long descent through softer slopes and forest edges.
Rifugio Juac appears in a gentler corner of the mountains, nicely tucked above Selva. Boots off, shoulders down, and that Dolomite glow all around: this is a proper place to land after a big, stony day out.
A scenic descent from Rifugio Juac to Ortisei, with the high drama of the Odle and Sassolungo groups slowly giving way to softer meadows, forest paths and the first signs of Val Gardena life. It is mostly downhill, but the opening kilometres still have a little bite before the route settles into its long glide towards the valley.
From the hut, the trail follows open slopes with views towards Seceda, the Odle Group and Sassolungo. After a gentle climb to the highest point of the route, the path bends west across grassy hillsides and quiet woodland. The big descent starts after the panoramic upper section, dropping steadily past mountain tracks, scattered farms and viewpoints above Ortisei.
The final kilometres ease into the edge of Ortisei, where mountain silence turns into village buzz. Cafés, church towers and Val Gardena charm take over nicely here. After the long drop from the high pastures, arriving in town feels smooth, sunny and well earned.
