Alta Via 1
Alta via n. 1 delle Dolomiti · Dolomiten-Höhenweg Nr. 1
OSM hiking route through the Dolomites (118 km line), Lago di Braies to Belluno. Vertical figures sampled from Copernicus GLO-30. Days (10) is a placeholder from round(lengthKm/12), not the published 8–13 day window (unverified).
Last verified 2026-09-24 · no issuer named on the permit
Cite this record
The Hiking World, Alta Via 1, verified 2026-09-24, https://www.thehikingworld.com/trails/alta-via-1
How we verify · last checked 2026-09-24
Byline
- The Hiking World editorial · author
Desk byline for seed records. Named surveying editors replace this once a trail is verified.
Figures marked provisional are seed data and still need verification. Source and last-checked date sit under each cited value.
Weather forecast
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Permits and fees
| Permit | Cost | Quota / restriction | Issuer | Source | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unverified (no central trail authority)Unverified — not officially sourced | Not recorded | — | Not recorded | Not recorded | Unverified |
Hut reality check
Sleeping-bag liner — blankets or duvets provided
CAI rifugi: guests must use a sleeping-bag liner (sacco-lenzuolo); blankets are provided and must be folded. Ask the manager if you have none. Private rifugi on AV1 can differ — not invented as a whole-route statute.
Half-board is the usual rifugio offering. No central walking permit on this record.
No central AV1 portal — contact rifugi one by one. How hut-to-hut booking works.
cai.it · verified 2026-09-10Altitude weather delta
High 2,588 m minus low 389 m is 2,199 m of relief on this record. A standard tropospheric lapse of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m implies about 14.3 °C cooler at the high point than the valley, all else equal.
That is a model (International Standard Atmosphere environmental lapse), not a forecast and not a trail-closure. Wind, snow, and storms stay in Hazards.
derived:lapse-rate · verified 2026-09-10 · provisionalISA 6.5 °C / 1,000 m · wikipedia.org · 2026-09-10
Line download is the stored OSM geometry, simplified. It is not a surveyed GPS track. GPX · GeoJSON
Editorial v1 · Provisional catalog
Grade 2 alpine walk; optional Marmol VF harder
- SAC T2–T3 (mapped — no official SAC grade)
- Mountain hiking. Continuous trail, some steep ground, sure-footedness helpful. through Demanding mountain hiking. Exposed sections possible; hands may be needed for balance.
- YDS Class 1
- Class 1. Walking on an established path; low fall risk.
Log in to view the elevation profile
Ingested from OpenStreetMap relation 177743 (ODbL). The mapped line and 2D length are derived from that geometry. Ascent, descent, and high/low points are sampled from Copernicus GLO-30 (copernicus-dem:glo-30) and remain provisional. Water, permits, and hazards were not taken from OSM tags and must be verified.
OSM 2D length is 118 km (relation 177743; Alta via n. 1 delle Dolomiti, ref AV1, from Lago di Braies to Belluno, Wikidata Q1236280). OSM tagged distance=125. Alternative, approach, and excursion members were dropped so the snap stays on the main Braies–Belluno line, not AV2–AV6 or the Valle d'Aosta AV1. lengthKm is verified: 118 km is within ~3% of Cicerone/CAI ~120 km (independent published figure; geometry clean after alts dropped; https://www.cicerone.co.uk/alta-via-1-trekking-in-the-dolomites, checked 2026-08-24). Published 8–13 days remain a window, not a DataPoint. Wikipedia 125 km / Wikivoyage ~120 km (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alta_Via_1, checked 2026-08-24, CC BY-SA; https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Alta_Via_1, checked 2026-08-24) stay in the published band.
DEM high 2,588 m is in the Dolomite-pass band (~2,000–2,750 m), 164 m under Wikipedia's Rifugio Lagazuoi 2,752 m (same Wikipedia page, checked 2026-08-24) — classic DEM/vertex undershoot. High point left as Copernicus, not overwritten with the hut elevation. Cumulative DEM ascent 7,713 m vs Wikipedia ~7,300 m is a cross-check only.
typicalDays 12 is the published typical hut-to-hut itinerary (Cicerone Alta Via 1, ~2 weeks / 11 stages, https://www.cicerone.co.uk/alta-via-1-trekking-in-the-dolomites, checked 2026-08-24). Published window 8–13 days; not a DataPoint. Season: mid-June–late September when huts are open and paths are mostly snow-clear (same page).
Water was not mapped to named WaterSource points (no honest atFraction). Rifugi and springs exist along the route; Wikivoyage notes limestone drainage and dry troughs on some southern stages — not positioned here.
Water security
Sourced carry / availability
Rifugi and springs exist; Wikivoyage notes limestone drainage and dry troughs on some southern stages. Named WaterSource points were not mapped. Litre quantities are not copied from unofficial lists.
en.wikivoyage.org · verified 2026-08-24Surface
Surface is not recorded. This field is filled only from an OSM surface tag, not from the grade.
Permits & fees
Permit status is unverified. Permit fields were not sourced from OSM. Confirm locally before travel. No central booking or walking-permit authority was found for Alta Via 1 (Wikipedia Alta Via 1, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alta_Via_1, checked 2026-08-24; Wikivoyage Alta Via 1, https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Alta_Via_1, checked 2026-08-24). Rifugi (CAI and private) are booked individually — logistics, not a walking permit. No walking fee was stated. Left unverified rather than asserted.
Getting there
Sourced legs to the Lago di Braies / Pragser Wildsee (OSM line start) base start station — where this trail record begins. This is not a route planner: durations are approximate and marked provisional until an official transport page confirms them.
Bus · Venice Marco Polo (VCE) → Cortina d'Ampezzo
About 2.5 h. Wikivoyage Alta Via 1 Get in: Venice Marco Polo is the usual international gateway, about 2.5 hours south by bus or train; direct coaches run to Cortina d'Ampezzo (https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Alta_Via_1, checked 2026-08-24, CC BY-SA).
en.wikivoyage.org · verified 2026-08-24 · official · provisionalRail · Treviso (TSF) → Cortina d'Ampezzo / Belluno
Treviso is the other Venetian-plain airport (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treviso_Airport, checked 2026-08-24). Wikivoyage notes Belluno trains on the Treviso–Calalzo line as the southern-end rail spine (AV1 page, checked 2026-08-24).
en.wikipedia.org · verified 2026-08-24 · wikidata · official · provisionalBus · Cortina d'Ampezzo → Lago di Braies
Dolomiti Bus. About 1 h. Wikivoyage: from Cortina, Bus 442 continues to Dobbiaco; from Dobbiaco, Dolomiti Bus 442 runs to Lago di Braies roughly hourly in summer, about 30 minutes (https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Alta_Via_1, checked 2026-08-24, CC BY-SA).
en.wikivoyage.org · verified 2026-08-24 · official · provisional
Do not assume a single Cortina–lake bus; Wikivoyage routes via Dobbiaco in summer. Peak-season lake road access may be restricted (same page, checked 2026-08-24).
Plan from your location
Type a city, then pick a match. These links open external search tools — they do not fetch fares or timetables.
Getting there car-free
Lago di Braies / Pragser Wildsee (OSM line start) · car-free flag: seasonal
Wikivoyage Alta Via 1 Get in: Dolomiti Bus 442 from Dobbiaco to Lago di Braies, about 30 minutes, roughly hourly in summer (https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Alta_Via_1, checked 2026-08-24, CC BY-SA).
Belluno / Val Cordevole (OSM line end) · car-free flag: yes
Wikivoyage: the walking finish is La Stanga / La Pissa in Val Cordevole, about 20 minutes by bus from Belluno; Belluno has trains toward Treviso and Venice (same page, checked 2026-08-24).
Trailheads
- Lago di Braies / Pragser Wildsee (OSM line start) car-free: seasonal
- Belluno / Val Cordevole (OSM line end) car-free: yes
Log in to view trailhead transit detail
Hazards
- Alpine weather: temperatures can drop sharply in midsummer; snow on high passes (especially Forcella del Lago) is not unusual into July after a hard winter (https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Alta_Via_1, checked 2026-08-24, CC BY-SA).
- Steep, rocky, and occasionally exposed limestone ground; full days with large climbs and descents (same Wikivoyage page, checked 2026-08-24).
- The standard AV1 itinerary does not require via ferrata gear. The optional Via Ferrata Marmol finish to Rifugio 7° Alpini does; hikers without that kit can take the walking descent to La Stanga/La Pissa. Some optional extensions and the Lagazuoi Tunnels descent have iron cables on exposed ground (same page, checked 2026-08-24).
- Altitude exposure around 2,000–2,750 m on the high stages (Wikipedia high point Rifugio Lagazuoi 2,752 m, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alta_Via_1, checked 2026-08-24).
Questions
Do I need a permit for Alta Via 1?
Permit status is unverified for Alta Via 1. This desk does not assert that a walking permit is or is not required.
When is the best time to hike Alta Via 1?
On this record the best season is: Mid-Jun–late Sep (huts open, snow clear).
How difficult is Alta Via 1?
Alta Via 1 is graded Cicerone/CAI: Grade 2 / E (optional Marmol VF = EEA) · SAC T2–T3 (mapped — no official SAC grade) · YDS 1. A sourced hazard on this record: The standard AV1 itinerary does not require via ferrata gear. The optional Via Ferrata Marmol finish to Rifugio 7° Alpini does; hikers without that kit can take the walking descent to La Stanga/La Pissa. Some optional extensions and the Lagazuoi Tunnels descent have iron cables on exposed ground (same page, checked 2026-08-24).
How long is Alta Via 1?
The OSM 2-D length on this record is 118 km (verified). Published figures may differ. See /guides/how-long-is-the-trail
How do I get to Alta Via 1?
The record’s base start is Lago di Braies / Pragser Wildsee (OSM line start). A primary gateway on the record is Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE). Trailhead transit notes are not included in this public FAQ.
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Featured in
- Permit & season calendar
- How hut-to-hut booking works
- Refuge vs ryokan: how hut culture differs
- Difficulty scales and surface
- Seasonality on the catalog
- Water sources on the catalog
- Car-free and transit access
- Government fees and operator markup
- Iconic bucket-list treks
- Hut-to-hut treks in Europe
- Car-free long-distance hikes
- High-infrastructure treks