insta influenced | tre cime, cadini di misurina, rifugio auronzo

11 miles . 3000 ft gain . 7721 ft high*

Tre Cime National Park

I admit it. I was influenced by others. I just had to get that one photo. You know the one I’m talking about, the one where you’re standing on a cliff with the most epic peaks behind you.

But actually, I had been in this area before. Just a couple years ago, I visited Tre Cime and stayed at Rifugio Lavaredo. It was summer and somehow I had entirely missed the opportunity for the photo op. I am truly embarrassed to admit that I wanted that photo op. I don’t normally go for things so precisely!

But coming back again, I ended up doing a photoshoot because I’m expanding my elopement photography business to the Dolomites!

*My fall itinerary started with parking near Lago d’Antorno and hike 3 miles to Rifugio Auronzo. I then did an evening hike to Cadini di Misurina. In the morning I woke up for sunrise and had breakfast in the Rifugio. Then I hiked along Trail 105 to get a view into La Grava Longa (back side of Tre Cime) and then hiked back down to Lago d’Antorno via the Trail 105 directly through the larch groves. You can do as little as 1 mile and anything more than that depending on how you tour the area.

Here’s what you need to know about visiting Tre Cime:

How to get to Tre Cime

There’s 3 main ways to get to Tre Cime, usually most people think about the entrance as Rifugio Auronzo, which is most direct from Cortina. Technically there are trailheads from the town of Auronzo to the southeast and Moso to the northeast.

By Bus

The first time I visited Tre Cime was summer time when busses were plentiful. If you’re traveling shoulder season (Oct-May), I would suggest either driving or walking depending on snow conditions and gate opening. Bus is by far the cheapest method. Dolomiti Bus 30/31 out of Cortina works great, though there’s other routes through other nearby towns like Auronzo, if you do some research. Look for the extraurbane lines and Tre Cime (but the busses won’t run in the winter). It’s a few euros to ride depending on length of travel, I advise having cash and you can pay either on the bus or at the station. The station is preferable since bus drivers don’t always speak English.

By Car

You can also drive all the way up to Rifugio Auronzo, but this is the most pricey option. You must reserve online for a rate of 40€/12 hours. You can buy additional parking tickets to extend your time, but I really would not recommend driving if you’re planning to stay overnight. Seems like a hassle to me, plus the hike (see next section) isn’t so bad if you’re already planning to hike. But if you are needing to park, for visitors with rental cars, you can update your rental car license plate up to a day before access, so don’t fret not knowing what your rental car will be.

By Foot

I highly recommend this option since you get to enjoy more scenery. You can take the bus to the trailhead or drive and park. Though parking was pretty minimal if you wanted free parking. Most of the parking by Lago di Misurina and Lago Antorno is for just 2 hours. I happened to find one on a hiking map for an unmarked parking spot just before Lago Antorno. It might be the parking for Rifugio Fonda Savio, but it’s free parking with about 25 spots. From here, we hiked 3 miles and 1600 ft gain to Rifugio Auronzo. Generally pretty mellow grade.

What Trails to Hike in Tre Cime

To get to the Rifugios

The great thing about hiking in the Dolomites is the vast network of trails. We chose to hike trail 101 primarily to get to Rifugio Auronzo. From here you can continue on 101 to reach Rifugio Lavaredo or Dreizinnenhütte, each just about 1.5 miles apart and minimal elevation gain.

• Lago d’Antorno to Rifugio Auronzo: 3 miles, 1600 ft gain one way
• Rifugio Auronzo to Rifugio Lavaredo: 1 mile, 200 ft gain one way
• Rifugio Auronzo to Dreizinnenhütte: 2.5 miles, 500 ft gain one way

Circumnavigate Tre Cime

If you have time, you can hike all the way around the Tre Cime mountains. Get a good vantage point from every angle. To do this, you’ll hike Trail 101 through the 3 main rifugios from Auronzo to Lavaredo to Locatelli/Dreizinnenhütte. From here, you can wander a bit around the last hut, but to complete the loop, head slightly down the valley to Trail 105 (be careful not to go too far down the valley) to cross to the west side of Tre Cime. From here, loop back along Trail 105 to Rifugio Auronzo or back to a lower trailhead.

• Tre Cime Hiking Loop starting and ending at Rifugio Auronzo: 6 mi, 1500 ft gain in a loop

Cadini di Misurina Viewpoint

This is one of the most photographed view point. So much that there’s often a line to photograph the very specific viewpoint. Social media, right?? (tbh I am here talking about it too) It’s a rather short hike but long walk for a viewpoint. Even for sunrise and sunset there can be a lot of people waiting for the spot. I’d highly recommend skipping it for the same view just above the waiting line

• Rifugio Auronzo to Cadini di Misurina: 1 mile, 300 ft gain one way

Rifugio Fonda Savio

If you have via ferrata gear, I’d suggest continuing along Trail 117 (from Cadini di Misurina) for a spectacular route. It’s bolted for safety and I decided not to do it since I didn’t have the gear for the one short section. From my research, it seemed like if you fell off the ladders, it would be quite fatal and I didn’t want to risk that in icy weather. But if you do get there, you can hike straight back down to Lago d’Antorno quite easily.

• Rifugio Auronzo to Rifugio Fonda Savio: 2.5 miles, 1200 ft gain (1000 ft loss) one way
• Rifugio Fonda Savio to Lago d’Antorno: 2 miles, 1600 ft loss one way

Where to Stay in Tre Cime

There’s three main rifugios to stay at when visiting Tre Cime. I’ve only stayed at 2 out of 3!

Rifugio Auronzo

For the easiest access, Rifugio Auronzo is a great spot, but it is also very touristy and serves a lot of day visitors. Booking is easy and online. They only open for summer. Lodging is like dorm rooms with bunk beds. When we visited we got a whole 6 bed room to ourselves since it was shoulder season in October. Downstairs, the cafeteria is exactly what you imagine from school. It’s buffet style if you’re staying overnight, so pack it up! I love this rifugio primarily for the views straight out your window, but it doesn’t quite have that cabin charm that other rifugios have. Half board is 90€ per person

Rifugio Lavaredo

Honestly I didn’t like Rifugio Lavaredo for the food, but for the vibes, it was great. It felt like a local hut where it’s not touristy, people are just here to hike and see the mountains and enjoy the quiet. It’s definitely more primitive feeling as a smaller rifugio and no cell service. I did really enjoy that it was the mid way rifugio and easy to get to from the bus stop. Reservations are also online but I remember having to pay in cash, though this might change soon as more rifugios become more connected to the internet. Half board is 120€ per person for dorm style and 240€ per private room as of 2025. In 2023, it was 75€ per person, so perhaps the quality went up?

Dreizinnenhütte

Last one of the bunch! Dreizinnenhütte is also called Rifugio Locatelli. It’s the whole German-Italian border thing where this South Tyrol region uses the mixed languages. This rifugio is probably the most popular and famous of the three. It’s got the recognizable red roof and a pretty good view of Tre Cime opposite of Rifugio Auronzo. Since it’s further out, it has the shortest season of the three, from June to September. When I visited, it was rather loud with younger teenagers, but I’m sure this varies. It had a great porch to hang out and seemed almost as big as Rifugio Auronzo. You can also book online, which is awesome since others require emailing. Half board is 80€ in general but there’s also private rooms. There is a cute dorm outside the main rifugio that you can rent as well.

Final Thoughts

I hope this has been a good guide for visiting Tre Cime! It’s a small little area packed with so much, and don’t forget to explore the other trails in the Cortina d’Ampezzo area. There’s a lot to choose from and I’d be so happy to answer any questions!

Photos taken on Canon R5