Passo Campolongo - Monte Sief

Access to starting point:
Through the Karawanks Tunnel, we drive to Austria, and then we continue driving towards Spittal and further towards Lienz (just after Spittal, the highway ends). Further, we drive on a relatively nice and wide road through the Drau 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 runs, we turn left into the Val Badia valley. Further, we drive through the mentioned valley past the places La Vila and Corvara. Next follows an ascent towards the pass Passo Campolongo. A few hundred meters before the pass, we will notice on the left side a gravel parking lot where we park. The parking lot is located behind the Hotel Laguscei opposite the bus station. There is also the lower station of the chairlift by the road. A smaller parking lot is also on the right side of the road before the bus station.

Path description:
From the parking lot at the Hotel Laguscei we ascend on a cart track which runs right below the cable car and after a few tens of meters we reach a marked junction.
We turn left onto a worse cart track, where signs for »Inzija, Pralongia« direct us. To the right, a cart track leads towards the summit Cherz. Our path then crosses the ski slope to the left side of the cable car and the cart track quickly turns into a footpath. The path then brings us into the forest and to the left downwards a path branches off towards the Planac parking lot and further towards the place Corvara. We continue straight and the path quickly brings us out of the forest onto the ski slope. Here the path steeply ascends on the ski slope for a short time and then turns left from the ski slope and again enters the forest. Further, the path runs through the forest from which occasionally views open up towards the mountain group Puez. Such a path soon brings us to a junction, where from the right another slightly longer path from the pass Passo Campolongo joins.
At the junction we continue left and then through the forest we cross the slopes mostly towards the east. The path then brings us out of the forest onto a clearing or ski slope where there is a bench and another junction.
To the left downwards another path leads towards the place Corvara, to the right a path leads towards the summit Cherz, but we continue straight ahead following the signs »Inzija, Pralongia«. A level path, which occasionally also slightly descends, continues through the forest towards the east. Here along the path we will also notice quite a few benches and springs. When we exit the forest, a short descent follows and the path brings us to the saddle Passo Incisa, where we join the gravel road. Here on the left side is also the well-kept hut La Marmotta.
At the marked junction in front of the hut we continue straight along the road in the direction of Pralongia. The road immediately from the hut begins to ascend relatively steeply towards the east. Here the path runs near the cable car and the Incisa ski slope. We continue further along the ascending road from which increasingly beautiful views open up onto the mountain groups Marmolada, Sella and Puez.
To the left somewhat downwards a path then branches off towards the hut Rifugio Punta Trieste, but we continue further uphill along the road. Higher up the road turns slightly left and brings us to another junction. To the left another path leads towards the mentioned hut, but we continue somewhat to the right and continue ascending towards the summit Pralongia on which we can already see the upper station of the cable car. Along the panoramic road we then continue all the way to the summit by which there is also the hut Rifugio Pralongia. From here an even more beautiful view opens up also onto the mountains above the Val Badia valley and towards the summit Setsas.
From the summit we continue along a wide path towards the east where signs direct us towards Setsas and Col di Lana. Initially the path slightly descends and runs along a wide indistinct ridge. The path then continues towards the east and begins to ascend slightly. When we approach the slopes of the summit Stores, the path turns left and brings us to the northern side of the mentioned summit, where there is also a marked junction.
Here we leave the wider gravel path and turn right upwards onto a footpath that ascends the grassy slope towards the summit Stores. After a short ascent we already spot the cross on the summit. The path then turns slightly left and along the summit grassy slope we soon reach the panoramic summit with a cross and bench.
From the summit Stores we continue along a wide grassy ridge and further on for quite some time mostly slightly descend towards the east. Later the ridge on the right southern side becomes somewhat steeper and the path then again ascends slightly for a short time. A descent follows again further along the left side of the grassy ridge. Such a path then brings us to a small saddle where we cross a cart track.
From the saddle we begin to ascend again and along the path there are again some more trees. Here we ascend also along a stream that occasionally flows along the path, which consequently can be somewhat muddy. Further on the trees become sparser again and when we get somewhat closer to the slopes of the summit Setsas the path brings us to a marked junction.
To the left a path leads towards the summit Setsas, but we continue straight along path no. 23, which leads towards the saddle Passo Sief and the summit Col di Lana. The path from the junction then leads us past a small hut and continues to ascend slightly across grassy terrain. Traversing a slope strewn with rocks and boulders follows, then the path slightly descends and the terrain becomes somewhat more grassy again. Later the path turns left and ascends towards the scree under the sheer walls of the summit Setsas. Here the terrain becomes more rocky again. Further the path crosses the slopes below the sheer walls towards the southeast and occasionally also slightly descends. Such a path then brings us below the slopes of the summit Pico Setsas where there is also a somewhat poorly visible unmarked junction. To the left an unmarked path leads towards the summit Pico Setsas, but we continue ahead towards the saddle Passo Sief. A level path then brings us to the southern side of the summit Pico Setsas where from the eastern side another path from the pass Passo Valparola joins.
At the junction we continue right along the pasture fence and somewhat descend the grassy slope to the saddle Passo Sief.
At the saddle where there is a junction we continue straight along the ridge towards the summit Monte Sief. Here along the path we will notice numerous military tunnels and trenches that are nicely restored. We follow the panoramic path along the military trenches all the way to the summit Monte Sief from which even more beautiful views open up also towards the south.

On the way: Passo Incisa (1938m), Rifugio La Marmotta (1938m), Pralongia (2109m), Stores (2185m), Passo Sief (2209m)

Trip can be extended to: Col di Lana ( 30 min)