Passo Falzarego - Rifugio Nuvolau

Access to starting point:
First, we drive to Cortina d'Ampezzo (to here possible via the border crossing Rateče or Predel to Trbiž / Tarvisio and then on the highway in the direction of Vidma / Udine to the exit Tolmezzo. From Tolmezzo we follow the road in the direction of the village Ampezzo and the mountain pass Passo della Mauria. The road then descends and brings us to a crossroad, where we continue left (possible also right) in the direction of Cortina d'Ampezzo. At all next crossroads, we follow the signs for Cortina d'Ampezzo.
Or from the Primorska side, where we drive on the highway in the direction of Trst / Trieste. Further, we drive on the Italian highway in the direction of Padova, but only to a highway junction, where we continue in the direction of Veneto and Belluno. Near Belluno the highway ends, and at the next crossroads we continue in the direction of Cortina d'Ampezzo and then follow the signs for the alpine pass Passo di Falzarego. We then follow this ascending road to the large parking lot on the mentioned pass.
To Cortina d'Ampezzo we can also come from the direction of Austria (direction Karawanks Tunnel, Spittal, Lienz, Sillian, Dobbiacho / Toblach, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Passo Falzarego).

Route description:
From the Pass Falzarego we head south on path 441 (direction Rifugio Averau and Rifugio Nuvolau), which starts to ascend on gentle grassy slopes. After a short ascent we come to an unmarked junction, where a less noticeable path branches off to the right towards the summit or ridge of Col Galina, we continue slightly left on the wide and still marked path. The path from which beautiful views open up on Sas de Stria, Lagazoi Piccolo, Tofano di Rozes, Averau and Croda Negro takes us higher to a marked junction, where the path to Croda Negro branches off to the right.
We continue in the direction of the Rifugio Averau on the path which gradually transitions to the eastern slopes of Croda Negre. Here the path temporarily flattens completely and then crosses a deep torrent gully over a large bridge. After the bridge the path starts to ascend steeply, then suddenly flattens and transitions into more plateau-like terrain. The path ahead ascends a smaller torrent gully and brings us just a few 10 m further to the next junction.
We continue left (right Croda Negra) and continue the ascent on a steep gully, the path higher temporarily transitions to steep slopes, then turns left and flattens completely. After a short descent we come to a marked junction, where the path from the Rifugio Col Gallina joins from the left, we continue right, where after a few 10 steps of further walking we arrive at the saddle Forcella Averau (2435 m). Here the path descends to the steep walls of the nearby summit Averau, where we then cross panoramic and dangerous for falling rocks slopes. The path from which a beautiful view opens up on Marmolada and its glacier temporarily ascends steeply, then transitions to scree over which we walk to the nearby hut (hut Averau is currently being renovated, data August 2010).
From the hut we continue on path no. 439 and continue in the direction of "Rifugio Nuvolau". The path ahead first ascends gently, then transitions to a short rocky step, where especially when wet there is a risk of slipping. Already after a few meters the path flattens and transitions to the summit slope of the peak Nuvolau. Here a via ferrata to Nuvolau branches off slightly to the left, we continue right on a moderately steep and increasingly panoramic path, which we follow all the way to the summit, reaching it after approximately 15 minutes of further walking.

Along the route: Forcella Averau (2435m), Rifugio Averau (2413m)

The trip can be extended to the following destinations: Averau

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