Capanna Alpina - Vallon Bianco

Access to starting point:
Access from Gorenjska: Through the border crossing at Rateče or Predel to Trbiž / Tarvisio and then on the highway in the direction of Vidma / Udine to the Tolmezzo exit. From Tolmezzo, we follow the road in the direction of the village Ampezzo and mountain pass Passo della Mauria. The road then descends and brings us to a crossroad, where we continue left (also right is possible) in the direction of Cortina d'Ampezzo. At all subsequent crossroads, we follow the signs for Cortina d'Ampezzo.
In Cortina d'Ampezzo, we then follow the signs for the alpine pass Passo di Falzarego. We follow this ascending road to the mentioned pass, then continue right towards the pass Passo Valparola. From the pass, we descend towards the Val Badia valley. When the road flattens lower down, we will notice a large parking lot, restaurant and camp on the right. We continue a few hundred meters further along the main road and then immediately after the bridge that crosses the stream Rü Sciare, turn right towards the restaurant Capanna Alpina. We then follow the mentioned road to the end, where we park on the large parking lot in front of the mentioned restaurant. The parking lot is payable in the summer months. The price for one day of parking is 5€ (July 2019).
From the Primorska side: We drive on the highway towards Venice / Venezia. Near Portogruaro, we leave the highway towards Venice and continue right on the highway towards Pordenone. At the next highway junction near Conegliano, we continue right towards Belluno. Near Belluno, the highway ends, and at the next crossroads we continue in the direction of Cortina d'Ampezzo. Further, we follow the above description.

Path description:
From the parking lot, we continue past the restaurant Capanna Alpina on a macadam road closed to traffic. The road quickly brings us to a plain where there is a junction. To the right leads path 20 towards the hut Ütia Scotoni, we turn left onto path 11 and follow the signs for Col de Locia and Fanes.
From the junction, we walk for some time on a gentle macadam path that crosses a stream via a bridge in between. Further on, the path becomes somewhat narrower and brings us into dwarf pines and then into a sparse forest. Here the path also starts to ascend somewhat more steeply. Somewhat higher, the path turns left and then ascends along a fence on a somewhat steeper slope. From the path here, beautiful views open up towards the west where the mountain group Sella is clearly visible. The path then crosses a grazing fence and brings us to flatter terrain near the indistinct summit Col de Locia, which is located along the path on our left side. On the summit there are also some benches.
The path here turns slightly right and first gently descends, then crosses a small stream. Further, we walk through a gentle and wide valley that mostly heads north. For some time the path still runs along dwarf pines, later bringing us to expansive grassy slopes. Such a path brings us to a marked junction where a path branches off to the right towards lake Lech de Legacio and further towards hut Lagazuoi.
At the junction, we continue straight across expansive meadows where livestock also grazes in summer months. The path starts to descend gently again and brings us, with wonderful views, to another marked junction.
This time a path branches off left towards peaks Conturines and Lavarela. We continue on the wide path all the way to mountain pasture Malga Gran Fanes where there is a marked junction.
Straight ahead is just a few minutes' walk to hut Ütia de Gran Fanes, which we already see ahead. At the junction, we turn right onto path no. 17 or Path of Peace (Fridensweg / Via della pace). From the junction, the path first runs across a grassy slope and then brings us into a belt of very sparse larch and pine forest. Further on, the path is marked with no. 17 and signs VB and FR, indicating peaks Vallon Bianco and Furcia Rossa. The path continues gently ascending along an old military mule track towards the southeast. The path slowly turns somewhat more left and views towards the east onto valley Valle di Fanes start to open up. The mule track here brings us onto rockier terrain along which we soon reach a junction.
To the right leads path 17 towards Monte Castello or bivouac Bivacco della Pace, we continue left on the path towards peaks Furcia Rossa and Vallon Bianco. From the junction, the path then crosses slopes somewhat more to the east for quite some time and brings us to somewhat steeper slopes. This is followed by an ascent mostly in switchbacks on a steep slope, and the path brings us to the next junction.
To the right branches off a protected climbing path towards summit Furcia Rossa III and further towards bivouac Bivacco della Pace. At the junction, we continue left and ascend for some time more on a panoramic path. The path then turns somewhat right and brings us across a wide ledge and then along the upper edge of scree back to a junction where a path branches off right towards summit Furcia Rossa II, near which there is also a small bivouac Bivacco Baccon Barborka. To the mentioned bivouac it is about 10 minutes' walk.
At the junction, we continue left towards summit Vallon Bianco and after a short traverse, the path brings us to the northern slopes of the mountain. Further, we cross slopes towards the east and the path becomes somewhat exposed, aided by some steel cables. Here we also enter the nature park Parco Naturale delle Dolomiti d'Ampezzo. The path then turns right, crosses a short small bridge and soon brings us to a saddle where we will notice many ruins from the time of the First World War.
On the saddle, we continue left and the well-maintained military path carved into the steep slope then ascends in a few switchbacks. The path then crosses even more exposed slopes towards the east and crosses an interesting narrow bridge. Further, the path mostly in a gentle ascent crosses exposed slopes towards the east, accompanied along the way by numerous ruins from the time of the First World War. A little below the summit, the path brings us to a small junction where we turn sharply right and ascend more steeply with the aid of a few pegs. To the summit follows just a short ascent along the panoramic summit slope of the mountain. From the summit, where there is a logbook box and a few small benches, there is an exceptional view over much of the Dolomites. Particularly beautiful is the view of the nearby Tofane.
We descend along the ascent path.

On the way: Col de Locia (2069m), Ju dal'Ega (2157m), Ütia de Gran Fanes (2102m)