8 BEST One-Day HIKES to do in DOLOMITES | Exploring different valleys

In today’s post we are excited to share with you top 8 most beautiful one-day hikes that you can do in Dolomites and this way discover all the beauty of the region. Some of them are very popular destinations and some are less known. They are all wonderful, with a very picturesque scenery and are able to impress even an experienced hiker. So if you’re ready – then let’s begin!

Circuit hike around the lake Resia and Haidersee in Val Venosta.

This truly amazing trail starts in the village Graun in Val Venosta close to the Austrian border. It is a 15 kms hike going around the beautiful lake Resia through the village San Valentin to the other smaller lake Haidersee. From the very start you will enjoy the fantastic views of the old drowned village Graun and its sinked bell tower as well as the incredible mountain summits all around. If you are lucky to come in a sunny and calm weather, you will be astonished by the clear reflections of the mountains in the lake. The trail goes partly on the pavement partly on the gravel routes alongside the lake and through the forest. Also there are a lot of cycling paths to take in the area if this is what you enjoy. On the way you will meet plenty of birdlife on the lake like ducks, cormorants and alike. On every corner you can take a break choosing from one of the many picnic tables and benches at the shore or in the forest. We ended our hike in the village Fisherhause but you can make it all the way back to Graun completing the circuit. This is an easy level trail that can be used as a warm-up for more challenging ones to come.

Berkwaal Sentiero del Sole circuit hike in Val Venosta.

This is another easy level trail to take in Val Venosta which we called a waterfall paradise trail. This 15 kms hike starts in the old medieval village Glurns. Then you will walk along the endless apple fields to get to the next village Schluderns where you will need to hike up to the castle of Coira. It is the steepest part of the trail that is only 1.5 kilometers long. Then you finally take the directions of Sentiero del Sole number 17 and will follow them all day long. The most part of the trail is going along the river channels on a flat route through the shadowed forest. The proximity of the water makes it very special and calming. The path is twisting along the river and every time it turns – the other beautiful view is opening to the eyes. At one moment the trail is doing a loop crossing the river and continuing to go along the gorge on the other side. On the way there are a lot of rest areas and picnic tables to choose from which we found amazing. In the end following this idyllic peaceful path, you get back to the village Schluderns and complete the circuit.

Vajolet Towers hike in Val di Fassa.

This 20kms circuit hike around Vajolet Towers starts from the village Pera di Fassa situated at 1300m, hikes up to 2500m to do a circle around Vajolet Towers and comes back to the village. From the very beginning the trail starts to climb gently uphill gradually becoming steeper and steeper. Then conquering 600m of elevation you get to the Campedie cable station. Alternatively, to save some time and powers you can get there by taking cable car Vajolet 1. Then the trail becomes flatter and even though it is still climbing up it is much more gentle. The landscapes around are very surreal and sometimes hard to believe they are true. Those natural rock walls look absolutely incredible with the different lighting conditions changing their appearance. On the crossroads close to the refugee Vajolet the trail is doing a loop and coming back to the Campedie cable station on the other side of the valley.

Passo Gardena to Selva di Val Gardena hike.

This is our favourite day hike in Dolomites that starts from Passo Gardena, getting through refugio Puez to the village Selva di Val Gardena. This is the perfect 16km hike to do if you have little time to spend in Dolomites but want to see all their beauty. And we would recommend it to everybody because of the variety of landscapes and so many wonderful and magnificent nature scenes. It starts from the mountain plain Passo Gardena where you take the trail number 2 and will follow it all the way until the downhill. It is a moderately difficult trail sometimes climbing steep rocky uphills and in the end there is even more challenging 800m downhill. But the scenery compensates it all as you walk in the rocky land that seems out of this world admiring the variety of rock shapes and amazing rocky canyons. Right before the downhill starts you take the trail number 16 and follow it all the way down to Selva di Val Gardena.

Seceda Mountain hike in Val Gardena.

This easy 16kms hike starts from the village Santa Cristina di Val Gardena, hikes up 900m to the Seceda mountain and gets back down doing a loop along the mountain range. First, the path follows quite a steep uphill for 2.5 kms till it joins the trail number 4. Then it goes through the shadowed forest climbing gently uphill and from time to time the path opens up to the magical scenery of the surrounding mountain ranges. And as you are coming higher the views are getting more breathtaking. Then the scenery around changes to the eternal green plains and hills and the route continues to go up on mostly pavement car roads. The trail is not too steep nor extreme in any part so it is quite an easy level hike. This way you get to the highest viewpoint of Seceda mountain and its epic abrupt rocky edges. Also you get to enjoy the 360 degree views of the endless green mountain layers and solid Dolomite rocks. After that you take the path leading you back to the valley and to the village Santa Cristina.

Adolf Munkel trail in Val di Funes.

This is probably one of the easiest trails that you can take in the region of Val di Funes. It is 11 kilometers long, has only 400m of elevation profile and most of the trail goes through the forest with some beautiful rocky views on the surrounding mountains and several wide angle landscapes. The trail starts at the Refugee Zannes and al the first part follows the gravel car road. It is mostly flat all the way through with just little uphills and downhills. If you go off season or early in the morning you can enjoy the secluded forest paths and calmness of the places. From time to time the path opens up to the view of the giant abrupt rocks rising high to the sky and it is really incredible as you are hiking very close to them. In such a way you get to the highest point of the trail –Refugio delle Odle and then the trail takes you gently downhill to the place where you started.

Circuit Hike around Lago di Braies.

This Lago di Braies Hiking Trail is a scenic walking path around one of the most beautiful lakes in Dolomites. It is a very easy 3 km walk that is suitable for everybody. The trail goes along the shore of the lake all the way through sometimes going through the forest and sometimes at the very edge of the rock above the lake. The path is very well made with lots of wooden steps, bridges and handrail. It is mostly flat and very easy to follow. It has plenty of possibilities for the photography enthusiasts and depending on the light and weather you can get very different pictures. We didn’t get lucky with the weather but still could appreciate the glorious views over the lake and the mountains around.

Tre Cime di Lavaredo Circuit Hike.

It is an 11 kilometers hiking trail that goes around the famous three rocks following the rocky mountain paths. It is an easy level hike that is suitable for everybody. Even though it is situated quite high up in the mountains, it has only several uphills and downhills but they are not very steep, most of the time it goes along the side of the hills and mountain plains. Due to the elevation of this trail you can enjoy the bird-eye views all the way through. It is a wonderful trail to do if you are not feeling like doing any challenging routes but still want to enjoy the splendid views of the Dolomites rocks and valleys. Due to variety of landscapes it has plenty possibilities for any photographer. Meeting sunrise or sunset here would be a great experience too.

And it was the last hiking trail that we wanted to share with you. Let us know if you found this post useful and which hike is your favorite in the comments below. Make sure to check out the full trip reports of these hikes with the maps that you can find here on our website.

Hiking in Italy (Cinque Terre, Dolomites, Via Francigena)