Passo Campolongo - Piz Boe (Via Ferrata Vallon)

Access to starting point:
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 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 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 mountain pass Passo Campolongo. Several 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 stop. 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 stop.

Path description:
From the parking lot, we continue by the main road (towards the south) to hotel Boe, which is located on the right western side of the road. At the hotel where there are also signposts we go right on a macadam road following the signs »Rifugio Lago Boe«. Behind the hotel, the road turns to the right and slightly descends, and then starts ascending and crosses the ski slope. Further, the road ascends for a short time through the forest and then brings us to the mountain pasture Malga Plan Fisti.
We continue on the road across the mountain pasture and a little after the mountain pasture we come to a marked junction where the footpath towards the mountain hut Kaiser Hütte branches off to the left. We continue right and continue to ascend on the road. After a short ascent then to the right also branches off path 638A towards the summit Crep de Munt. We continue left on the road from which beautiful views open up towards Marmolada and on mountains above the valley Val Badia. The road here ascends a little steeper and again brings us to a ski slope. A little higher the road turns to the right and continues to ascend along mostly grassy slopes. The road then becomes gentler and soon brings us to the hut Rifugio Lago Boe. To the hut also runs a circular cabin cable car from the place Corvara in Val Badia. Near the hut is also the lower station of a chairlift, which goes towards the summit Vallon (2530m). Both cable cars operate also in the summer months.
Near the hut where there is a junction we continue left on the ski slope where signs direct us to the lake Lech de Boe and hut Ütia Franz Kostner. The path runs on the right edge of the ski slope and after a short ascent brings us to the mentioned lake, which is located to the right of the ski slope below the rocky ridge.
From the lake we still continue on path 638, which turns to the left and crosses the ski slope. Further, the path then runs a little left of the ski slope on partly grassy terrain. The path soon brings us to a marked junction where path 636 towards the mountain hut Kaiser Hütte (Rifugio Bec de Roces) branches off to the left. We still continue on the path, which ascends on the slope parallel to the ski slope and soon to the right also branches off path 646A towards the summit Boeseekofel (Piz da Lech). We still continue on the path, which runs left of the ski slope and slowly beautiful views start to open up towards the hut Ütia Franz Kostner and on the steep walls of nearby peaks in the mountain group Sella. Further the slope becomes a little gentler and the path brings us to a marked junction.
To the right branches off the path towards the upper station of the cableway Vallon and further towards the summit Boeseekofel (Piz da Lech), while we continue left on path 638 towards the hut Ütia Franz Kostner. Wide and panoramic path runs towards the west and quickly brings us to yet another junction.
To the left there is only a short ascent to the hut Ütia Franz Kostner. If we also visit the hut then we return to the junction and continue right on path 638. A little after the junction the path turns to the left and ascends towards the scree where we are again at a junction.
This time we leave path 638 and turn right onto the path named Roda de Valun. The path then runs towards the northwest and through scree brings us into a valley surrounded by precipitous peaks. Here the path first crosses scree on the left side of the valley in ascent and then brings us to flatter terrain where there is also a junction.
To the right leads an easy circular path Roda de Valun, while we continue left towards the secured climbing path Via Ferrata Vallon where a larger inscription on the rock directs us. The path, which here is marked with red-blue markers, then ascends through the scree and brings us to the wall where the secured path begins. Before entering the secured section of the path we equip ourselves with a helmet and a via ferrata set.
The secured path in the initial part turns to the right and steeply ascends several times along the steel cable. The steel cables in this part are quite loose and also the distance between the pegs to which the steel cables are attached is relatively large. The path then briefly turns a little to the left and brings us below even steeper slopes. Here we continue to the right again and after several traverse ascents on the exposed slope the path brings us to a suspension bridge. Across the bridge we cross a smaller waterfall and then the ascent becomes even more demanding. Behind the bridge the path ascends almost vertically to the left upwards and for progressing some arm strength is also needed (difficulty C). The demanding part is otherwise relatively short and the secured path then soon ends and brings us to gentler slopes where there is also a small lakelet.
Here the path turns to the right and ascends on an easy slope from which a view opens up towards the summit Piz Boe and on numerous other nearby peaks. The path then turns to the left and gently ascends on a rocky slope on the right side of the valley. On the left side we will also notice here a somewhat larger lake, which is located below the western slopes of the peak Pizes dl Valun. We still continue on a relatively gentle path towards the south, which slowly turns slightly to the right. When we approach the summit Piz Lech Dlace we come to a junction.
The right path bypasses the summit Piz Lech Dlace on the western side and then joins path 672. We continue left and cross the slope towards the eastern side of the mentioned summit. When we join path 672 the slope becomes somewhat steeper and an ascent towards the ridge follows. Here on a shorter section of the path steel cables also assist us. On the ridge we then continue right and soon reach the summit Piz Lech Dlace on which there is a larger cairn.
From the summit we continue along the ridge and after a short descent we come to a saddle where there is a junction. From the right another path from the secured path Via Ferrata Vallon joins us here. Likewise to the right also branches off a traverse path towards the hut Rifugio Boe, while from the left an unmarked trail past lake Eissee joins us.
We continue straight and start ascending again on the rocky slope. A little higher the path slowly turns to the left and brings us to the ridge from where a view opens up towards the west. We continue along the ridge towards the south and then cross steeper slopes along the ridge. On the shorter section a steel cable also assists us. When we reach the ridge again we reach the somewhat less known summit Cresta Strenta, which with 3124 meters is the second highest summit in the mountain group Sella.
We still continue towards the south and further the path runs on the gentler western side of the ridge. Soon from the right the path from the hut Rifugio Boe joins us and to the summit then only a short easy ascent follows.

On the way: Malga Plan Fisti (1930m), Rifugio Lago Boe (2185m), Lago Boe (2252m), Ütia Franz Kostner (2500m), Piz Lech Dlace (3009m), Cresta Strenta (3124m), Forces dai Ciamorces (3110m)