Sant'Uberto - Ütia de Gran Fanes

Access to the starting point:
Via Border crossing Rateče, take the road to Trbiž / Tarvisio, where you take the motorway towards Udine. Leave the motorway at the exit for Tolmezzo and follow the road to the above-mentioned place. From Tolmezzo, continue in the direction of Ampezzo and the Passo della Mauria mountain pass. The road then begins to descend and leads into the Cadore valley, where you continue to the right (Belluno and Cortina d'Ampezzo on the left) in the direction of Auronzo. After a few more km of driving, you reach the next major crossroads, where you turn right towards Misurina (left Tre Croci Pass). From here, follow the road down to a major crossroads, where you turn left towards Cortina d'Ampezzo (right Austria). From this crossroads, you continue for about 10 km towards Cortina d'Ampezzo, and then, at a sharp left turn, you turn right onto the road towards the Rifugio Ra Stua hut. Park in the parking lot at the very beginning of the road.

Path description:
From the parking lot, turn left onto cart track, following the signs for "Valle di Fanes" (route No 10). Cart track starts descending from the parking lot and quickly leads to a marked crossroads. At the crossroads, turn right onto the footpath, following the signs for "Valle di Fanes". From the crossroads, the path descends through the forest and leads to a tarmac road.

Continue right along the road and cross the bridge over the Rio di Fanes stream. The road along the stream then leads to a crossroads.

To the right is a more difficult path called Sentiero dei Canyons, and we turn left (path 10) onto a road that is paved for a short distance and then becomes gravel. The road then climbs gently through the forest, with occasional views of the nearby peaks.

Later, a footpath branches off to the left towards the Posporcora saddle, and we continue on the dirt road. The road then turns slightly to the right and crosses the deep gorge of Gola di Fanes via a bridge. We continue along the road and soon we are at the crossroads again. There are also some benches and tables near the crossroads.

At the crossroads we continue left along the road, straight ahead is the Scorciatoia (short cut), which is slightly steeper and later rejoins the road. At the crossroads on the right, the path leads to the Cascata di Fanes waterfall, which is only a few minutes' walk along an exposed ledge (self-propelled vehicles are recommended).

We continue to the left and continue climbing on the dirt road, which is also suitable for mountain bikers. After a short climb, we reach another crossroads where the 401 trail branches off to the left towards the Forcella Posporcora notch. We continue to the right and continue climbing along the road through the forest, from which views of the surrounding peaks become more and more frequent. The road climbs steeply a few times and is occasionally paved. Higher up, the Sentiero dei Canyons trail branches off to the left, also leading to the Val Travenanzes valley.

The trail then turns slowly to the right and approaches the Rio di Fanes again. Here, the Scorciatoia trail joins from the right, and shortly afterwards the trail to the last waterfall on the Rio di Fanes branches off to the right. The waterfall is only a few minutes' walk along an exposed path. Here again, self-propulsion is recommended.

At the crossroads, the road turns slightly left and continues along the stream. The path then soon leads us out of the forest and opens up to wonderful views of the surrounding peaks. The scenic route then leads to Lago di Fanes.

At the end of the lake, cross the bridge and continue along the cart track along the stream. The path leads to a fence where you leave the Dolomites d'Ampezzo Nature Park and enter the Fanes-Senes-Braies Nature Park. This is also the border between the Veneto and the South Tyrol (Trentino-Alto Adige). Continue along the cart track, which follows the stream for a short distance and then climbs a little more steeply and leads from the grassy slope into the woods. The woods become thinner and thinner and from the path we have a fine view of the peaks above the Valle di Fanes. Our path follows the stream again for a while and leads us to a crossroads.

Path 10A leads to the right towards hut Rifugio Fanes, and we continue left along the road towards mountain pasture Malga Fanes Grande. The road continues in a gentle ascent to the south-west. Later, the road begins to descend gently and the road from the Rifugio Fanes hut joins us on the right. There is only a short descent along a scenic road to the Ütia de Gran Fanes hut.

On the way: Lago di Fanes (1832m)

We can extend the trip to the following destinations: Lago di Limo, Bivacco Baccon Barborka (1 h 45 min), Vallon Bianco (2 h 15 min), Bivacco della Pace, Furcia Rossa III

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