The Path of the Larches is a short scenic trail between the Rü farm and the Rudiferia farm, above San Cassiano/Sankt Kassian in Alta Badia, Italy.
This delightful Dolomites walking trail is a perfect excursion on arrival and departure days, or when you don’t have a lot of time.
It’s also something you can do all year round. We hiked here after a heavy snowstorm and it was enchanting.
- Trailhead: San Cassiano village center, Alta Badia, South Tyrol | Google Maps
- Distance: 5.8 km out-and-back
- Time Needed: 1:30 – 2:00 hours
- Elevation Gain/Loss: 255 meters
- Difficulty: Easy
- Minimum Elevation: 1518 m
- Maximum Elevation: 1740 m
- Trails: 15/15A
- Route: San Cassiano – Rü – Rudiferia – San Cassiano
- Where to Stay in San Cassiano: Lagació Hotel Mountain Residence (luxury apartments)
- Where to Stay in La Villa: Ciasa Agreiter (budget), Hotel La Majun (luxury), or Hotel Cristallo – Wellness Mountain Living (luxury)
- Where to Stay in Corvara: Sporthotel Panorama (midrange), Hotel Marmolada (luxury), Hotel Col Alto (luxury), or Hotel La Perla (luxury)
- Recommended Trail Map: Tabacco 07 Alta Badia – Arabba – Marmolada
Path of the Larches Hiking Map
Path of the Larches Trail Description
San Cassiano Village Center to Rü (30 minutes)
The Path of the Larches (Tru di lersc) trail begins in Rü, a farmstead above San Cassiano.
From the village center, locate the tourist office and then walk to the San Cassiano Church. Follow the Strada Micurá de Rü/Strass Soplá road (trail 15/15A) uphill to the Lüch Da Pćëi dairy farm and store.
After passing the dairy shop, continue following the road up to Rü. As you ascend, the Lavarela and Conturines peaks dominate your view.
Rü to Rudiferia (20 minutes)
At Rü, turn left onto Path of the Larches in the direction of La Crusc.
The larch-lined trail runs along the border of the Fanes-Sennes-Prags Nature Park, steadily descending the whole time.
The village of La Villa at the foot of the Puez Group is visible ahead.
Rudiferia to San Cassiano (45 minutes)
At Rudiferia, turn around and head back the way you came. When you reach an intersection, head right.
This is the direct route to San Cassiano via Larijëi Farm. If you go left, you’ll follow the same trail back to Rü.
After passing the Larijëi Farm, descend along Strada Soplá (the road you came up) to San Cassiano.
Where to Stay Alta Badia
San Cassiano
San Cassiano (St. Kassian) is a high-alpine village in Alta Badia between La Villa and Falzarego Pass, the gateway to the Ampezzo Dolomites and Cortina d’Ampezzo. This is an excellent base for exploring the Fanes Group and the Pralongià High Plateau.
Budget | Camping Sass Dlacia is the highest campground in the Dolomites, located 3.8 km away from San Cassiano village, at the entrance to the Fannes-Sennes-Prags Nature Park. If you’re not camping, you can also stay in their guesthouse apartments, Üties (wooden huts), and chalet. The location couldn’t be better, because the campground and guesthouse are surrounded by pine forest at the foot of Sass Dlacia. During your stay, you can hike to Rifugio Lavarella and Rifugio Fanes, summit Piz Dde Lavarla and Piz dles Conturines, hike to Rifugio Pralongià, and Pico Setsas. Don’t leave here without eating at their pizzeria and relaxing in their Natura Wellness sauna area.
Midrange | Hotel Conturines is a very welcoming hotel in the heart of the pedestrian zone of San Cassiano, offering comfortable rooms, high-quality breakfasts and dinners, and a small spa area.
Midrange | Garnì Ciasa Ai Pini is a traditional bed and breakfast, located 2 km from the San Cassiano village center. Guests enjoy the spacious rooms, wellness area, scenic surroundings, and friendly staff. In winter, you can ski directly to the hotel.
Top Choice – Luxury Aparthotel | Lagacio Hotel Mountain Residence is an excellent 4 star aparthotel in San Cassiano. You’ll love the spacious apartments, breakfast, spa area, and bar.
Luxury | Hotel Fanes is a stand-out 5-star hotel in San Cassiano, which spoils guests with their two swimming pools (including the adults-only panoramic Sky Pool), extensive spa and wellness area (including 7 saunas), Wellness Pension (breakfast buffet, afternoon homemade cake buffet, and 5-course gourmet dinner). Breakfast and dinner is included in the rate. Winter guests can take advange of the free shuttle service to the Piz Sorega cable car.
Find a place to stay in San Cassiano.
Corvara
The town of Corvara is centrally located in Val Badia at the base of Sassongher mountain, between Colfosco and La Villa. It’s the tourist center of Alta Badia and offers the most in terms of shops, restaurants, and accommodations.
Several cableways connect Corvara with the surrounding plateaus like Col Alt Pralongià and mountains like Sella easily accessible.
Midrange | Ciasa De Munt Lifestyle Living strikes just the right balance between urban and the outdoors, with its clean aesthetic, modern elegant lines and location. Guests have access to top-notch wellness facilities, storage lockers, and a washing machine. A fresh breakfast buffet featuring homemade cakes, cold cuts, and eggs is laid out each morning. Take advantage of the mountainside breakfast offering in their Piz Boé Alpine Lounge (2200 meters).
Midrange | Sporthotel Panorama is a great value hotel with an on-site restaurant and spa, perched above the village of Corvara. Guests love the setting, outstanding food, and friendly staff. The outstanding room rate will have you overlook the slightly dated interiors.
Luxury Family Aparthotel | Movi Family Apart-Hotel offers new and stylish apartments for families. This modern property blends everything we love about a hotel (amenities and breakfast buffet) with everything we love about an apartment (self-sufficiency and space). Extra Perks: kids and family spa area with pool, adults-only spa, summer outdoor playpark, entertainment for kids (ages 3-12, 9:30 am – 9:30 pm).
Luxury | Hotel Marmolada is a superb 4-star hotel which delivers an all-around excellent experience: facilities, parking, breakfast, and spa. Half board is available. When booking, pay attention to room categories: many rooms are newly renovated, but not all.
Luxury | Hotel Col Alto is a 4-star hotel in the heart of Corvara. We were impressed by the staff, the design, the extensive wellness facilities, deluxe bedding, and generous breakfast buffet.
5-star Luxury | Hotel La Perla is a family-run hotel set in an 18th century building with charming alpine interiors, several restaurants, and a spa. Breakfast and dinner, both included in the room rate, are served in the hotel’s Les Stües restaurant. If you’d like to dine in the hotel’s 1-star Michelin restaurant, La Stüa de Michil, it’s necessary to make a reservation in advance.
Look for accommodation in Corvara.
Dolomites Trip Planning Essentials
Use our Dolomites Travel Guide to plan an unforgettable trip to Northern Italy.
When to Hike in the Dolomites
The best time to hike in the Dolomites is between mid-June and mid-September. If the weather is stable, the hiking season can extend until late October.
How to Get to the Dolomites
Read How to Get to the Dolomites to find out how to travel to the Dolomites from the closest airports, train stations, and bus terminals.
If you’re traveling without a car, also check out How to Visit the Dolomites Without a Car.
Car Rental
The easiest way to travel between hiking destinations in the Italian Dolomites is with your own car. Check out our itineraries for trip inspiration:
We recommend using the Discovercars.com car rental reservation platform to search for and book car rentals. This easy-to-use booking platform compares car rental deals from 500+ trusted providers, so that you can choose the best option for your trip.
Tip: If you can only drive automatic transmission cars, as opposed to manual transmission cars (stick shift), book your car rental as early as possible.
Best Places to Stay
Figuring out where to stay in the Dolomites is probably the biggest hurdle to planning a trip to the Dolomites. We’ve created three guides to help you decide where to stay:
- Where to Stay in the Dolomites in Summer: best villages and towns in South Tyrol, Trentino and Belluno
- Best Hotels in the Dolomites: best boutique and luxury hotels in the Dolomites
- Dolomites Accommodation Guide: farm stays, mountain huts, wellness hotels, aparthotels
- Best Val Gardena Hotels: best accommodations in Ortisei, Santa Cristina, and Selva di Val Gardena
We suggest choosing 2-4 bases for your Dolomites trip and spending 2-4 nights in each base.
- Base 1: Val Gardena
- Base 2: Val di Funes
- Base 3: Alta Badia
- Base 4: Cortina d’Ampezzo
- Base 5: Alta Pusteria
- Base 6: San Martino di Castrozza
What to See & Do
During your trip to the Dolomites, you can go via ferrata climbing, culinary hiking, hut to hut hiking, cycling, paragliding, and so much more. We’ve highlighted our favorite experiences in Best Things to Do in the Dolomites.
Wherever you decide to stay, you’ll be surrounded by glorious mountain scenery and incredible natural landmarks.
In Best Places to Visit in the Dolomites, we’ve outlined the most iconic attractions as well as lesser-known destinations across the Dolomites, including Seceda, Alpe di Siusi, Lago di Braies, and Lago di Sorapis.
Dolomites Packing List
Hiking Gear
- Day Pack: Osprey Tempest 30 Women’s Backpack / Osprey Talon 33 Men’s Backpack
- Grade B/C high-cut hiking boots: Meindl Schuhe Island Lady (Kati’s Boots), Women’s Hanwag Tatra II GTX (Sabrina’s Boots), Men’s Hanwag Tatra II GTX (men’s equivalent)
- CAT 4 Sunglasses: Julbo Shield Mountain Sunglasses
- Hiking Poles: Black Diamond Trail Trekking Poles
Outdoor Photography Gear
- Camera Body: Sony Alpha a6400
- Mid-range Zoom Lens: Tamron 17-70mm 2.8 Di III-A VC RXD
- Wide angle Zoom Lens: Sony – E 10-18mm F4 OSS Wide-angle Zoom Lens
- Backpack Camera Clip: Peak Design Camera Clip
Dolomites Hiking Guides
Hiking in the Dolomites is our passion. Year after year, we love discovering new trails and expanding our knowledge of the area. For day hiking, check out Best Day Hikes in the Dolomites. For trekking, take a look at our guide to Hut to Hut Hiking in the Dolomites and Alta Via 1.
For region-specific hiking trails, check out:
- Best Hikes in Val Gardena
- Best Hikes in Cortina d’Ampezzo
- Best Hikes in Alta Badia
- Sexten Dolomites Hiking Guide
- Puez-Odle Nature Park
Recommended Hiking Guidebook: Shorter Walks in the Dolomites (Cicerone Guide)
Hi Kati and Sabrina,
I followed several of your great hiking recommendations, with my favorite being the Kamnik-Savinja trek (it’s an amazing hike and much more a hidden jam compared to the Julian alps or the Alta via 1). Fun fact, on this trail a met some fellow travelers also reading your blog.
When reading this blog post I was wondering whether you have more recommendations for winter hiking. I’m heading to Tirol for the end of the year break and would love to do there some winter/snow hikes.
Best,
Markus
Hi Markus,
Thank you! I’m so thrilled to hear that you loved the Kamnik Alps Trek. I think that’s one of our ultimate favorites too. You would also enjoy the Eagle Walk across the Lechtal Alps.
Unfortunately, we don’t have any winter (snow) hiking recommendations (we’re usually trying to escape the cold). Please let us know if you come across some good winter hikes in Tirol.
Kindly,
Sabrina