The Dolomites in Northern Italy afford some of the most breathtaking hiking in the world. This summer, my family set off on a seven-day hiking trip through the Dolomites basing ourselves in three different places: Alleghe, Salva di Val Gardena, and Cortina d’Ampezzo. It was the most hiking my two teenagers have ever done and was one of our most memorable family trips to date. Here is a review of our fourth hike of the trip – a hike around the Sassolungo Loop near Val di Gardena Selva. 

After three delightful days in Alleghe, we traveled an hour and fifteen minutes northeast to Selva di Val Gardena, a beautiful resort town at the foot of the Dolomites where we stayed two nights. It was much different than tiny Alleghe where there were few tourists. Instead, Selva di Val Gardena was bustling with tourists and its wide streets were lined with fancy, upscale restaurants and shops. The hiking trails around it were also quite crowded.  But, we all agreed that it was nice to mix it up.

The drive from Alleghe to Selva di Val Gardena was stunning yet the many hairpin turns made my stomach and head hurt as I am quite prone to motion sickness. It is worth a stop at the top of Sela Pass for incredible views of the surrounding Dolomites.  We arrived in town just in time for dinner and rest before another big hike the following morning.

The most popular hike in the area is the Sassolungo Group Loop, a 10.2-mile (16.4 km) loop trail that leads around the Sassolungo and the Sassopiatto rock formations. It is considered a challenging hike and takes roughly 6 hours depending on stops.

We began our hike at the Passo Sella, where we left our car at the car park and headed up into the low-laying clouds and fog blanketing the Sassopiatto. We climbed up the gravel road, hoping it was not going to rain, and set off clockwise towards the first of four rifguios.

The trail was extremely muddy after all of the June rain, and we were all relieved to have on good hiking boots and a pair of walking sticks. The mud made the first hour of the hike a bit more challenging but it also seemed to slow down and ward off the crowds.

Setting off on the Sassolungo trail

We reached the first rifugio, the Federico Augusto, in less than 30 minutes, going steady up to 2298m/7539 feet. After an hour we hit the second rifugio, the Sandro Pertini Refuge (2300m/7546 feet).

Approaching the second rifugio, Sandro Petini along track 557. There is a lovely “to go” coffee stand and sign detailing the helicopter service that brings in all the supplies.

As we continued hiking, the thick crowds at the start of the hike dissipated and only the hardy souls trekked on. It was still muddy, and the clouds had yet to lift. But the views continued to dazzle us regardless of the somewhat poor conditions.

As the hike continues, it becomes even prettier passing by a farm, loads of wildflowers and lazing cows.

We reached the third rifugio, Sassopiatto an hour and a half later, and then the hike became a little rough as you hit the large open section of scree.

We were all getting famished by this point, a common theme of the trip due to our miscalculating what rifugio to stop at for lunch. Finally, at a bit past two, we reached the last rifugio Emilio Comici where we indudged in a fabulous lunch and marveled at the stunning views.

We had hiked for over five and a half hours and thankfully only had a short half and hour walk left. The clouds had also lifted a bit affording breathtaking views of our surroundings. It was yet another hike to remember!

Check out this Instagram reel of the hike around Sassolungo!

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If you go:

AllTrails recommends going counterclockwise however we chose to go clockwise starting at the Passo Sella parking lot. We started clockwise and first hits (passes 4 rifugios and a farm). The hike took us approximately six hours with stops along the way (not including our stop for lunch).