The trail runs through the heart of the Fanes-Sennes-Prags Nature Park and offers stunning views of the Dolomites. Apart from the section leading to the Dürrenstein Hut, the route is mostly flat. To this day, the remains of a First World War fortress can be found near the Dürrenstein Hut, serving as a reminder of this mountain region’s turbulent history.

Accessibility

From the Brenner motorway, take the Brixen-Nord/Pustertal exit and follow the Pustertal state road to Welsberg. Shortly after the major bypass, turn right onto the regional road into the Pragser Valley and follow the signs to Alt Prags, Brückele and Plätzwiese. The section between Brückele and the car park at Plätzwiese is closed to traffic at certain times of the day from mid-July to mid-September: a regular bus service operates from 10.00 to 16.00.

Description

From the car park at Plätzwiese (1,980 m), the route follows a tarmac road uphill for a short distance. After a few hundred metres, we reach an unpaved road that climbs gently (8% gradient) to the Plätzwiese mountain hut and the nearby Hotel Hohe Gaisl (1,991 m). Across beautiful meadows and pastures, with views of the Rotwand and the Dürrenstein, the route now continues mostly on level ground until a gate and a fork in the path, from where a steep path to the left leads up to the Dürrensteinalm (2000 m). After the gate and a few wooden bridges, however, our route continues almost entirely on level ground. There are a few rest areas with benches along the way. Near a second junction, which leads off to the right down to Schluderbach in the Höhlensteintal valley (2000 m), we follow the path on the left and, after a short, steep descent (17%), climb quite steeply up to the Dürrensteinhütte (2040 m). The refuge was built in 1968 on the ruins of an Austro-Hungarian fortress and offers a magnificent panoramic view from the eastern ridge of the Dolomites, across the Cadini Group, over Misurina, to Popera and the Cristallo Group above Cortina d'Ampezzo. The return journey follows the same route.