Three Peaks Hut Tour

Three Peaks Hut Tour - Hiking in the Three Peaks Nature Park

In 2010, the nature park known as Sexten Dolomites was renamed the Three Peaks Nature Park (Parco Naturale Tre Cime) due to the outstanding shape and widespread fame of the Three Peaks. The Dolomites area offers a wide variety of hiking, via ferrata, and alpine climbing tours of all difficulty levels. Both vacationers and locals eagerly await the melting of the snow in the mountains so that they can once again go hiking in the Three Peaks Nature Park. One of the most popular excursions in the nature park is the Three Peaks Hut Tour.
The Three Peaks Hut Tour includes a approximately 5-hour hike to numerous mountain huts in the Three Peaks Nature Park, namely the Auronzo Hut, Lavaredo Hut, Three Peaks Hut, Zsigmondy Hut, and the final destination, the Talschluss Hut in the Fischleintal.

Auronzo Hut, Toll Road

The start of this day tour in the Dolomites is already at a well-known mountain hut, the Auronzo Hut (Rifugio di Auronzo) at an altitude of 2320 meters. It is located directly on the backside of the Three Peaks and can be reached by car from Misurina. The so-called Superstrada Panoramica, 8 km long, well-developed with 16 hairpin turns, leads directly to the parking lot of the mountain hut. The last 5 km of this route are a toll road with current rates of € 11 for motorcycles and € 22 for cars. For those who cannot find a way to travel by car or motorcycle, buses run daily from Toblach directly to the Auronzo Hut. From there, the Three Peaks Hut Tour begins, which lasts approximately 5 hours on foot.

From the Auronzo Hut to the Three Peaks Hut

Once arrived at the Auronzo Hut, one can already admire great panoramas of the surrounding mountain peaks of the Dolomites. To the west, the Hohe Gaisl (3,146 m) in the Fanes-Sennes-Prags Nature Park with its reddish shimmering color, to the south the Cristallo Group with the well-known summit, Monte Cristallo (3,221 m), and directly on the north side just a few meters away, the rocks of the mighty Three Peaks. All around, a mountain world that one only knows from picture books.
After a few minutes of hiking, one already reaches the next mountain hut in the Three Peaks Nature Park, the so-called Lavaredo Hut.

After a short break, the hike continues comfortably to the Paternsattel, which is located exactly on the eastern side of the Three Peaks. This smaller alpine pass is famous, among other things, because it is the starting point for the tour or via ferrata to the 2,744 meter high Paternkofel (Monte Paterno). Just for information: this mountain tour is not recommended without the right equipment. The Three Peaks Hut Tour continues on a pleasant path to the Three Peaks Hut. It takes about 1 hour to reach this intermediate goal. But there is no time for boredom here. I would rather describe it as the enjoyable stretch of this hiking tour, because on this section you have a dream view of the entire Three Peaks Nature Park: the Haunold, the Innichen mountain, the Hochebenkofel with the Birkenkofel, parts of the Sexten Sundial, the Dürrenstein, the Seekofel, and countless other well-known peaks of the Dolomites can be seen far and wide. A tip from me is the spectacular 360° panorama tour on Dolomiten.net, where you can already get a first impression of this incredible view.

From the Three Peaks Hut to the Büllelejoch Hut

After a lunch break at the Three Peaks Hut, the next intermediate stage is imminent: the hike to the Büllelejoch Hut in the shadow of the Paternkofel. This is actually the first uphill section of the hike in the Three Peaks Nature Park, but still quite sober. Impressive on this route is the direct proximity and view of the Paternkofel as well as the picturesque Zinnen Lakes. After passing these lakes, the hike continues uphill in a zigzag pattern until, after about 30 minutes, the next intermediate stage, the Büllelejoch Hut (Rifugio Pian di Cengia) at an altitude of 2528 meters, is reached. The first magnificent views of the Sexten Sundial can already be enjoyed here. Especially the mighty 3,094 meter high rocky summit of the Zwölferkofel stands out. If, after several hours of hiking, you still miss a tour to a summit, you are in the right place here, because from here there is the possibility to climb the Oberbacher Spitze (2675 m) and the famous Einserkofel known for its rockfall.

From the Büllelejoch Hut to the Zsigmondy Hut

After a half-hour ascent to the Büllelejoch Hut, the hike in the Three Peaks Nature Park now descends, but with an amazing panoramic view. The Sexten Sundial becomes more and more impressive the closer one gets to the Zsigmondy Hut. It is about 1 more hour of walking until this destination is reached. Finally, the view opens up to the entire Sexten Sundial, the Tenkoefl (Croda Rossa d'Ampezzo), the Elephkoefl, the Zwölferkofel, and the Einserkofel. For your information, the Zsigmondy Hut is also a typical intermediate destination of the magnificent Alpinisteig, one of the most beautiful high-altitude routes in the Alps.

From the Zsigmondy Hut to the Talschluss Hut

From the Zsigmondy Hut to the final destination, the Talschluss Hut in the Fischleintal, it is about another 1 ½ hours. Here, one descends rapidly by 800 meters in the center of the Sexten Sundial. Upon arrival at the mountain hut in the Fischleintal, one can once again take a last look at the surrounding mountains and end the day with a well-deserved beer.

My Conclusion:

Dreamlike panoramas, great mountain huts, the Three Peaks Hut Tour is impressive. The hike is somewhat challenging due to the duration, as it takes a full day, but in the end, it is always worth experiencing the Three Peaks Nature Park. The following video or the already mentioned 360° panorama tour provide some impressions of the nature park.