Cadini di Misurina viewpoint hike: trail 117 from Rifugio Auronzo

Hiking guide · 11 min read

One hour on foot from Rifugio Auronzo, a rock balcony at 2,330 m (7,650 ft), and in front of you a forest of spires: the Cadini di Misurina. It is the most photographed viewpoint in the Dolomites after the Tre Cime themselves — and it is worth knowing how to do it properly, at what hour, and what lies beyond the photo.

The Cadini di Misurina sit a stone's throw from the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, yet for decades hardly anyone looked at them: all eyes were on the north faces. Then one image — two people standing on a spur beneath a row of grey towers — went around the world, and today trail 117 from Rifugio Auronzo is one of the busiest paths in the park. This guide walks you through the route step by step, the logistics of the toll road, the bus alternative, the full Sentiero Bonacossa traverse to Rifugio Fonda Savio, and how to combine the Cadini with the Tre Cime loop in a single day. And we tell you honestly when to go so you are not queuing on the ledge.

The viewpoint on Monte Campedelle: the grassy spur ends abruptly above the northern towers of the Cadini di Misurina.

What the Cadini di Misurina are

The Cadini di Misurina are a compact, jagged Dolomite group rising between Lake Misurina and the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, inside the Tre Cime Nature Park in the province of Belluno. The highest summit is Cima Cadin di San Lucano at 2,839 m (9,314 ft), but height is not what makes them memorable: it is the density of towers. From a distance they look like a row of teeth; up close they are dozens of separate pinnacles divided by narrow notches — the "cadini", the scree basins that give the group its name.

The viewpoint everyone is looking for sits on Monte Campedelle (Monte de le Cianpedele), on trail 117 / Sentiero Alberto Bonacossa, at roughly 2,330 m. It is a grassy balcony that simply stops above a void, directly opposite the northern towers of the group: Cima Eötvös, Torre Wundt, Cima Cadin Nord-Est. From there the spires feel within arm's reach. The contrast with the Tre Cime standing behind you is why the walk is worth it even if you have already done the classic loop.

The route from Rifugio Auronzo (trail 117)

From the Rifugio Auronzo car park everyone turns left, towards Rifugio Lavaredo and the Tre Cime. You go the other way: walk back towards the last hairpin of the paved road just below the hut and look for the trail 117 sign on the right. A narrow path drops a few dozen metres through dwarf pine and scree, then traverses almost level across the south flank of Monte Campedelle, with the toll road falling away beneath you.

After about twenty minutes the trail climbs a grassy slope in a series of short switchbacks. This is the only real climbing: around a hundred metres of ascent packed together, the surface changing from gravel to packed earth. At the top of the slope there is a junction that is not always signed: left is the track to the viewpoint spur; right is trail 117 continuing towards Forcella di Misurina and Rifugio Fonda Savio. Take the left, follow the most obvious track, and within a few minutes you are on the balcony.

Section	Time	Elevation	Notes
Rif. Auronzo → start of 117	5 min	−20 m	Signpost below the hut, on the right facing the valley
Traverse across Campedelle	20 min	±30 m	Wide, nearly flat, gravel surface
Grassy switchbacks	20 min	+110 m (360 ft)	The only steep bit; muddy after rain
Junction → viewpoint	5–10 min	+10 m	Track on the left, exposed spur for the last 30 m
Return by the same trail	45 min	−150 m	Take care descending the grassy slope
Total	1 h 30 – 2 h	~150 m (490 ft)	3.9 km (2.4 mi) out and back

Something nobody tells you: the "Instagram" viewpoint is only the first one. Go back to the junction and continue south on 117 for another ten to fifteen minutes and the trail crosses a second rise with an open view of the towers and Lake Misurina far below — and a fraction of the people. Our guides prefer it for early-afternoon photos, when the light comes from the side.

Getting there: toll road and bus

Rifugio Auronzo is the gateway to everything: the Tre Cime loop, the Cadini, the Bonacossa. There are two ways up.

By car: the toll road from Misurina

From Lake Misurina the provincial road climbs about 2 km to Lake Antorno, where the toll gate is, then another 5 km (3 mi) of hairpins to the hut car park (around 700 spaces). In recent seasons the toll for a car has been in the €30–40 range, valid for 12 hours; motorbikes pay less, campervans more. Since 2025 online booking is mandatory: you pick a day and an entry time slot, and without a booking you do not get through. On July and August weekends the morning slots sell out days ahead. Book on the official site (auronzo.info) as soon as you have a date, and check the current year's prices there, because they change.

By bus: line 444 from Dobbiaco

The simplest alternative to driving is shuttle bus 444, which leaves from Dobbiaco (Toblach) railway station, passes Lake Landro and climbs to Rifugio Auronzo. It usually runs from early June to mid-October, up to three times an hour in peak months; seats must be booked online here too. From Cortina you reach Dobbiaco or Lake Landro on line 445 and change to the 444. Note that the 444 does not stop in Misurina — if you are staying in Misurina, take the 445 towards Dobbiaco and change, or walk up (see below). For connections from Venice, Verona and Munich, read our guide on how to get to the Dolomites.

On foot from Misurina or Lake Antorno

To skip the toll and the booking altogether, trail 101 climbs from Lake Antorno to Rifugio Auronzo in 1 h 30 – 2 h (600 m / 1,970 ft of ascent), and from there you pick up the 117. Or, from Rifugio Col de Varda (chairlift from Misurina), the Sentiero Bonacossa reaches the Cadini from the opposite side — that is the traverse we describe below.

The full Sentiero Bonacossa to Rifugio Fonda Savio

The viewpoint is only the beginning of the Sentiero Alberto Bonacossa, a protected path of about 7.5 km (4.7 mi) that crosses the whole Cadini group from north to south, from Rifugio Auronzo to Rifugio Col de Varda via Rifugio Fonda Savio. It is one of the finest and least-known walks in the area, and it turns a one-hour stroll into a proper Dolomite day.

From the viewpoint junction, 117 continues south, climbs to Forcella di Misurina (around 2,400 m) and then enters the heart of the group. Here the terrain changes: scree, short cable-protected passages, a metal ladder below Forcella del Diavolo (roughly 2,500 m / 8,200 ft, the high point of the traverse) and a downclimb through a tight gully on iron rungs. Nothing technical for anyone who has walked on alpine ground before, but you need a sure foot and no fear of heights. From Forcella del Diavolo it is about 40 minutes down to Rifugio Fonda Savio (2,367 m), perched on Forcella Rinbianco with Lake Misurina below.

From Fonda Savio the southern half of the Bonacossa descends to Rifugio Col de Varda in about 1 h 30, with two more short protected sections. Allow 4–5 hours of walking from Auronzo to Col de Varda in total, around 500 m (1,640 ft) up and 700 m (2,300 ft) down. A via ferrata set and helmet are recommended for the protected sections — not essential for experienced walkers, but we always carry them with our groups. If you are unsure of your level, check our difficulty scale before you commit.

Cadini + Tre Cime in one day

The question we get most often: can you do both in a day? Yes, and it is how we structure the day when we have a single Rifugio Auronzo access to make the most of. The full Tre Cime loop — Rifugio Lavaredo, Forcella Lavaredo, Rifugio Locatelli, Forcella Col di Mezzo and back — takes 3 h 30 – 4 h for about 10 km (6.2 mi) and 400 m (1,300 ft) of ascent; it is described step by step in our Tre Cime di Lavaredo hike guide. Add the Cadini and you reach about 6 hours of actual walking, 14 km (8.7 mi) and 550 m (1,800 ft) of ascent: a full day, but within reach of anyone who hikes regularly.

Time	Section	Duration	Why this order
7:00 am	Arrive at Rif. Auronzo	—	First toll-road slot or first 444 bus
7:15 am	Trail 117 → Cadini viewpoint	1 h	Low light from the east on the towers, almost nobody on the spur
8:15 am	Back to the hut	45 min	You pass the first groups coming up
9:00 am	Tre Cime loop clockwise	3 h 30 – 4 h	Forcella Lavaredo → Locatelli → Col di Mezzo; lunch at Locatelli
1:00 pm	Back at Rif. Auronzo	—	Well inside the 12-hour toll window

If you would rather have sunset light on the Cadini, reverse the order: Tre Cime in the morning, Cadini from 5 pm onwards. In that case bring a headlamp: in September it gets dark early and the grassy slope is no fun to descend without light.

From the Misurina side: Col de Varda and Fonda Savio

There is a way to see the Cadini that avoids the toll road and the Auronzo crowds completely: come in from Lake Misurina. The Col de Varda chairlift leaves from the lakeshore (1,756 m) and reaches Rifugio Col de Varda (2,115 m) in about ten minutes; it usually runs from late June to mid-September. From there trail 115 climbs steadily to Forcella Rinbianco and Rifugio Fonda Savio in 1 h 15 – 1 h 30 (250 m / 820 ft of ascent), crossing scree slopes while the Cadini towers open up above you one by one.

Fonda Savio is a small, genuine CAI hut — around thirty beds, family-run, home cooking — and the right place for lunch looking down on the lake. Strong walkers can continue over the northern Bonacossa to the viewpoint and Rifugio Auronzo (2 h 30 – 3 h from Fonda Savio, protected sections) and return to Misurina by bus, or go back to Col de Varda the same way. Even without the chairlift, trail 120 from Misurina to Col de Varda takes a good hour. For how huts work — bookings, dinners, sleeping-bag liners — read our rifugio guide.

The final stretch of 117 along the crest: the northern Cadini towers ahead, Sorapiss and Cristallo on the horizon.

Crowds, quiet hours and photography

Let's be plain: between 9 am and 4 pm on an August day there is a queue on the spur. It is not dangerous in itself, but it turns an extraordinary place into a twenty-minute wait for thirty seconds of photos. The good news is that the crowd is predictable, and the quiet hours are real.

Anyone arriving on the first toll-road slot or sleeping at Rifugio Auronzo or Lavaredo has the viewpoint almost to themselves until 8:30 am. From 4:30 pm the day groups have left and until sunset only photographers remain: five to twenty people, with room for all. On September weekdays even midday is reasonable. Before you go, check our live crowd map: it shows how full the park's car parks are in real time and helps you choose your hour or, if needed, another valley.

For photographers

Sunrise is the moment: the towers face east and for about twenty minutes they turn pink and then orange, with the Tre Cime still in shadow behind you. In July that means being on the spur at 5:30 am, which means sleeping up high. Sunset is more convenient but the towers are backlit; it works best with high cloud diffusing the light. A wide-angle between 16 and 24 mm frames all the towers with a person on the tip; a 50 mm isolates the spires. Drones are prohibited in the nature park without a permit, and the wind on the crest is almost always stronger than it looks. Remember that the person on the spur moves to the edge for the composition, not for the view: there is no need to go past the point where the grass ends.

When it is open and where to sleep

The toll road normally opens between late May and early June and closes between late October and early November depending on snow; trail 117, though, is only safe once the grassy slope and the ledge are free of snow and ice, usually mid-June to early October. For the full Bonacossa wait until July: the gullies below Forcella del Diavolo hold snow for a long time. September is the month we recommend — clear air, half the crowds, first frosts that make the dawn light even cleaner. For a month-by-month picture read our guide on the best time to hike the Dolomites.

Hut	Altitude	Typical opening	Why sleep there
Rifugio Auronzo	2,320 m / 7,610 ft	early June – early October	5 min from the start of 117: sunrise on the Cadini without a 3 am alarm
Rifugio Lavaredo	2,344 m / 7,690 ft	mid-June – late September	Smaller and quieter, 20 min from Auronzo, under the Cima Piccola
Rifugio Locatelli (Dreizinnenhütte)	2,405 m / 7,890 ft	late June – late September	The north-face view; the Cadini are a 2 h walk from here
Rifugio Fonda Savio	2,367 m / 7,766 ft	mid-June – mid-October	In the heart of the Cadini, far from everything; book via CAI
Rifugio Col de Varda	2,115 m / 6,940 ft	mid-June – late September	Easy access from Misurina, base for the southern Bonacossa

Dates are indicative: each hut decides based on snow and should be checked on its own website. In high season beds at Auronzo and Locatelli need booking weeks ahead, often months for August weekends. For what goes in the pack — even for a single night up high — there is our packing list.

One day of a bigger trek

The Cadini viewpoint is an hour's walk. The Tre Cime, four. But this is the Cortina corner of the Dolomites, and these two loops are the entrance to a region you can cross in a week, hut after hut, without ever going back to the car. When guests tell us "I want to see the Cadini", what they almost always mean is this: the feeling of being inside the mountains for days, not a car park to reserve.

The Alta Via 1 passes just a few valleys away — from Lake Braies to the Lagazuoi, from the Cinque Torri to the Civetta — and its northern section, Braies to Cortina, takes 4–5 days with comfortable bases in Dobbiaco and Cortina that make it easy to add the Tre Cime and the Cadini as an extra day at the start or the end. On our self-guided or guided Alta Via 1 the huts are already booked, your luggage travels on its own and there is a number to call 24 hours a day; to see whether it is the right trek for you, read the complete Alta Via 1 guide and our comparison of guided vs self-guided.

Frequently asked questions