Passo Campolongo - Pico Setsas

Access to starting point:
Through the Karawanks Tunnel, we drive to Austria, and then we continue driving towards Spittal and then towards Lienz (a little 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. Only 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 past the places La Vila and Corvara. Next follows an ascent towards the mountain pass Passo Campolongo. A few hundred meters before the mountain pass, we will notice on the left side a macadam parking lot on which we park. The parking lot is located behind the hotel Laguscei opposite the bus station. By the road is also the lower station of the chairlift. 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 cableway and after a few dozen meters we get to a marked crossroad.
We go left on a worse cart track, where signs »Inzija, Pralongia« direct us. To the right leads the cart track towards the summit Cherz. Our path then crosses the ski slope to the left side of the cableway and the cart track quickly turns into a footpath. The path then brings us into the forest and left downwards a path branches off towards the parking lot Planac and further towards the settlement Corvara. We continue straight and the path quickly brings us out of the forest onto the ski slope. Here the path for a short time steeply ascends on the ski slope and then from the ski slope turns to the left and again turns into the forest. Further, the path runs through the forest from which occasionally views still 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 mountain pass Passo Campolongo joins us.
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.
Left downwards leads another path towards the settlement Corvara, right leads the path towards the summit Cherz, but we continue straight ahead and follow the signs »Inzija, Pralongia«. A flat path, which occasionally also slightly descends, further runs through the forest towards the east. Here we will notice along the path quite a few benches and springs. When we come out of the forest then only a short descent follows and the path brings us to the saddle Passo Incisa, where we join the macadam road. Here on the left side there is also a nicely arranged hut La Marmotta.
At the marked crossroad 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 cableway and the Incisa ski slope. We continue further along the ascending road from which increasingly beautiful views open up on the mountain groups Marmolada, Sella and Puez.
Left somewhat downwards then a path branches off towards the hut Rifugio Punta Trieste, but we continue further uphill along the road. Higher up the road turns slightly to the left and brings us to another crossroad. Left leads another path towards the mentioned hut, but we continue somewhat to the right and continue ascending towards the summit Pralongia on which we already see the upper station of the cableway. Along the panoramic road we then continue all the way to the summit beside which there is also the hut Rifugio Pralongia. From here an even more beautiful view opens up also on the mountains above the Val Badia valley and towards the summit Setsas.
From the summit we continue on a wide path towards the east where signs direct us to Setsas and Col di Lana. Initially the path slightly descends and runs along a wide indistinct ridge. The path then continues further towards the east and begins to ascend slightly. When we approach the slopes of the summit Stores, the path turns to the left and brings us to the northern side of the mentioned summit, where there is also a marked junction.
Here we leave the wider macadam path and direct ourselves right upwards onto a trail that ascends along the grassy slope towards the summit Stores. After a short ascent we already spot the cross on the summit. The path then turns slightly to the left and along the summit grassy slope we soon reach the panoramic summit with a cross and a bench.
From the summit Stores we continue along a wide grassy ridge and further for quite some time we mostly descend slightly towards the east. Later the ridge to the right south side becomes somewhat steeper and the path then for a short time again ascends somewhat. 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 also be somewhat muddy. The trees further become sparser again and when we somewhat approach the slopes of the summit Setsas the path brings us to a marked junction.
Left leads the path 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 house and continues slightly ascending along the grassy terrain. A traverse of the slope strewn with rocks and boulders follows, then the path slightly descends and the terrain becomes somewhat more grassy again. Later the path turns to the left and ascends towards the screes below 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 less visible unmarked junction. The summit Pico Setsas is otherwise already visible for some time from the path and is located straight ahead of us below the sheer walls of the summit Setsas.
At the mentioned junction we leave the marked path towards the saddle Passo Sief and direct ourselves left onto the unmarked path towards the summit Pico Setsas. From the junction we ascend more steeply and the path leads us towards a clearly visible saddle on the left side of the summit Pico Setsas. This path was once also marked, so along the path we can notice some faded markings. On the saddle the terrain becomes grassy again and the path brings us to a fence where the path from the eastern side also joins us.
On the saddle we continue right along the fence and ascend towards the slope of the summit Pico Setsas. The grass soon ends and a somewhat steeper ascent towards the summit follows. Here along the path we will notice also some remains from the time of the First World War. A short ascent along steps follows and a very nice view opens up on all sides. To the very summit where a small cross is placed only a few meters of steep ascent follow where we must also help ourselves with our hands.

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