Via Ferrata Delle Trincee Dolomites Hike Guide
Via Ferrata Delle Trincee is an amazing route in the Dolomites of Italy. The hike starts at Passo Fedaia and works up a steep series of hills to reach the base of the climb. The via ferrata starts with the hardest crux which is about 60 meters of very steep and exposed climbing. Once you reach the top, the path is full of fun moves, a wooden bridge and even a series of tunnels from World War I. Although this is a harder via ferrata, I HIGHLY recommend it since it’s a great mix of technical climbing, Italian history and insanely dramatic views of the mountains around you.
Via Ferrata Delle Trincee Quick Facts
Virtual Trail Guide: Via Ferrata Delle Trincee
Via Ferrata Delle Trincee Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5 Stars)
Distance: 7.3 Miles / 11.74km RT – Assumes a start from Marmolada
Elevation Start: 6,876ft /2095m
High Point: 9,000ft / 2,743m
Total Elevation Gain: 3,261t / 993m
Estimated Time to Complete: 6-8 Hours RT
Difficulty: Difficult What does this mean?
Via Ferrata Rating: Difficult
Class: Class 5 (First section), Rest is mostly Class 3/4 – What does this mean?
Season: May – October – Expect snow outside of these months
Directions to Via Ferrata Delle Trincee
Trailhead: Passo Fedaia
Getting Here: With so many variations on how to get to Passo Fedaia, it’s best to just enter this spot into your GPS. However, once you park near the glacier, the hike starts across the road from the lake and begins by following signs to Passo Padon and eventually to the VF itself.
Parking: Parking here can be tricky since this hike shares a small area of spots with a number of other hikes and attractions in the area. However, on the side of the road there is room for about 20-30 cars.
Fee: Free
Summary
Dogs: This is not a dog friendly hike.
Lodging: Your best bet for lodging in the area would be to stay at Rifugio Castiglioni at the base of the hike.
Trail X Factors: The First Headwall
When you are scrambling, climbing or doing a via ferrata it is fairly rare for the first move to be the crux (hardest part). In this case though, there is no question that the hardest move on the entire via ferrata Delle Trincee is the first 60 meters or so. This is a series class 5 section with some very tricky sections of cable and exposed moves. After you get through this part, the difficulty eases up significantly.
Hike Tip(s): Shortening The Trip + Route Finding
If you do not want to make the Via Ferrata Delle Trincee a full day or the weather is turning, there is an opportunity to shorten your day after you finish the first main section of VF. Its fairly obvious that you can take a singletrack dirt trail down to where you started. However, if you do this option – you will miss out on all of the WW1 tunnels and caves.
Speaking of these tunnels and caves, be sure to take the time to explore the first group that is off the main trail. In addition, learn from our mistakes and DO NOT skip the main, significantly larger tunnel. This is towards the end of the hike and it is very easy to just go through the tunnel and out the other side, there is even a section of via ferrata and trail over there. Instead, take a left inside this tunnel to stay on the right path. Be sure to watch your head and bring a headlight to help see inside.
Best Views: The entire thing. A+ views from start to finish, really. We loved every via ferrata we did while in the Dolomites, but this one was probably our favorite even though it was a very long day.
Via Ferrata Delle Trincee Hike Route
Gear Needed
- Men’s Trail Runners
- Women’s Trail Runners
- Backpack (Summer)
- Food & Water
- Helmet
- Via Ferrata Lanyard
- Climbing Harness
- Climbing Gloves
- Optional: Garmin inReach
- Optional: Hiking Poles – 120CM
- Optional: Headlamp
- Optional: Garmin Fenix Watch
- Optional: GoPro, Joby Tripod, GoPro 360
- Optional: Drone
- *Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you.
Our Trip to Via Ferrata Delle Trincee: July 2022
It was my birthday and Jackie decided to let me pick our hike for the day. Initially, I wanted to hike the highest peak in the Dolomites: Marmolada. However, due to a tragic accident just a few weeks before, the mountain was closed. Making the best of an awful situation, I found a hike right across the street: Via Ferrata Delle Trincee.
We arrived at the pass and started the hike which was stunningly beautiful. The trail was steep which woke us up right away. I knew the first headwall was going to be difficult, but when we arrived at the base of the first section of cable, it was clear this was a significant step up from the previous hikes we had done. Jackie led the way for the hardest part and I was so proud of her for how she crushed it. The scrambling was fun, exposed and most of all beautiful. We finished the first section and looked back at the awesome chunk of rock we had just climbed, proud of ourselves.
The second section of via ferrata was where the history came in – loads of old barracks, tunnels and caves from World War I. It was so damn cool to step foot in the same place as people who were fighting for their lives almost 100 years before. The climbing was fun but much easier than the first section with lots more sections of cable that you really didn’t NEED to clip into. We arrived at the last tunnel and instead of going into it, we went through it – missing our turn.
Jackie and I kept hiking and even linked up with more sections of via ferrata. It was not until the very end of the tunnel that I realized we had completely missed it and were off route. With a little bit of trail finding, I eventually found it and we backtracked through the tunnel, which was so cool. Although this set us back a lot in terms of time – it was well worth the side excursion.
We started hiking down the mountain and stumbled onto the Rifugio Padon which to both of our surprises was still open! It was around 18:00 in the afternoon and having this small pitstop was a huge morale boost. I had a beer and a piece of birthday cake while Jackie snacked on some minestrone soup and Prosecco before finishing the hike back to our car. Overall, this was an A+ birthday and one of the most diverse and memorable days I have ever spent in the mountains anywhere in the world. If you have the time and ability to climb a more difficult via ferrata, I cannot recommend Via Ferrata Delle Trincee highly enough.
