Lech da Sompunt - Muntejela de Puez (path 11)

Access to starting point:
A) Access from Gorenjska: Through the Karawanks Tunnel, we drive to Austria, and then we continue driving towards Spittal and further towards Lienz (a little after Spittal the highway ends). Further, we drive on a relatively nice and wide road through the Drava valley, which brings us to Italy. The road further leads past Dobbiaco / Toblach and Brunico / Bruneck. Just a little after the last-mentioned town, past which a bypass road leads, we turn left into the Val Badia valley. Further, we drive through the mentioned valley to La Villa where just a few meters after the sign, which marks the settlement, we turn right towards the lake Lech da Sompunt. Then we follow the ascending road to Hotel Sompunt, which is located by the mentioned lake.
B) From the Primorska side: From Nova Gorica, we drive to Italy and continue on the highway to Portogruaro, where at the highway junction we turn in the direction of the town Belluno. We follow the highway to its end (we don't turn in the direction towards Belluno), and then we continue driving towards Cortina d'Ampezzo. When we arrive in Cortina d'Ampezzo, we follow the signs for the alpine pass Passo Falzarego. On the pass Passo Falzarego (2105 m) we turn right towards the neighbouring pass Passo Valparola (2192 m), from there we descend into the Val Badia valley. In La Villa we turn right towards Brunico / Bruneck. Just a few meters before the sign, which marks the end of the settlement La Villa, we turn left towards the lake Lech da Sompunt. Then we follow the ascending road to Hotel Sompunt, which is located by the mentioned lake.

Path description:
At the parking lot by the lake we go left on a footpath following the signs »Sponata, Ütia de Puez«. The path quickly brings us to the road where there is a marked junction. We go right and continue on the road which leads up the ski slope. Further, we ascend the ski slope from which increasingly beautiful views open towards the Val Badia valley and the Lavarella mountain group. Higher up, a mountain bike trail joins us for a short time, as indicated by signs along the path. We continue ascending the ski slope and soon spot the Rifugio Sponata hut, followed by a short ascent.
From the hut where a view towards Marmolada opens up for a short time, we continue on a gently sloping macadam road, then signposts direct us right upwards onto the ski slope. After a short ascent, the marked path leaves the ski slope and follows an ascent through the forest to the right of the ski slope. The path then brings us to a junction where the path from the upper cable car station joins. At the marked junction where the mountain bike trail also begins, we continue on path number 5 towards the Rifugio Gherdenacia hut.
Here we enter the Puez-Odle nature park and the well-maintained path begins to ascend steeply through the increasingly sparse forest. The path then turns slightly to the left and begins crossing fairly steep slopes to the south. During the crossing, the path initially continues ascending, later becomes gentler and slightly descends in places. The path then brings us out of the forest onto the Munt de Gherdenacia pasture where the Gherdenacia hut is also located.
At the hut where there are signposts, we continue west following the signs »Ütia de Puez«. The path soon begins to ascend and turns slightly right into a sparse larch forest, bringing us to a marked junction. Left leads the path to the Sassongher summit, we continue straight ahead and ascend further beside increasingly sparse larches. For a short time we then gently ascend a scenic grassy slope, then reach a narrow valley where there is another junction.
Left leads path number 15 towards the Puez hut, we continue up the mentioned narrow valley on path number 11, which also leads towards the Puez hut.
Further on, we ascend the mentioned valley for quite some time, during which beautiful views occasionally open up, especially towards the Lavarella mountain group. The path here runs northwest to a marked junction near the Ciampani peak.
At the junction we continue left, right leads path number 1 towards Badia Abtei. From the junction, the path runs west and becomes gentler. The increasingly scenic path then brings us below the slope of the Muntejela peak.
The marked path here bypasses the peak on the south side, we head slightly right onto pathless terrain towards the eastern ridge of the mountain. We then ascend the undemanding ridge all the way to the summit where a cairn is also placed.
We descend the ascent path or continue to the Puez hut and then return on path number 15.

On the way: Rifugio Sponata (1730m), Rifugio Gherdenacia (2050m)