Alta Via 4

Eight mountain groups in six days. From the Sexten Dolomites to the giant pyramid of Antelao — and in between the north faces of Tre Cime, the turquoise lake Sorapis, and silence unlike anywhere else in this part of the Dolomites. Alta Via 4 is the shortest of the Dolomite high routes. Do not mistake that for easy. It carries the rating EE — for experienced mountaineers — and its name comes from the man who first climbed these peaks.

It is named after Paul Grohmann, an Austrian alpinist who in the mid-19th century first stood on the summits of Cima Grande di Lavaredo, Cristallo, Sorapis, and Antelao. You walk literally in his footsteps. The "Alta Via di Grohmann" connects San Candido in the north with Pieve di Cadore in the south and en route passes nearly everything that matters in this corner of the Dolomites.

The route has cleverly rising difficulty. North from San Candido via Tre Cime is manageable for a fit hiker. The farther south, the wilder it becomes — exposed meadows beneath Antelao, a few sections with steel cable anchors, passes with endless views. True via ferrata is not part of the classic route, but exposure and remoteness are. The highest point stays around 2,600 m, while Pieve di Cadore sits at 880 m.

Stages take you hut to hut. Day one: ascent from San Candido into the heart of Sexten at Rifugio Tre Scarperi (1,640 m). Day two: the main postcard — the crossing beneath the north faces of Tre Cime di Lavaredo and overnight at Rifugio Locatelli (2,405 m) — the most iconic view of the entire route, three towers lined up against the sky. The hut is named after pilot Antonio Locatelli and stands where the front line ran during 1915–1917 of World War I; nearby you find preserved tunnels and positions. Day three through the rock maze of the Cadini di Misurina towers to Rifugio Fonda Savio. Day four arrives at Rifugio Vandelli, minutes from the turquoise lake Sorapis, which glows from fine glacial silt in the water. Day five crosses the remote Marmarole group to Rifugio San Marco. Day six: finale beneath Antelao, descent via Rifugio Antelao down to Pozzale near Pieve di Cadore.

For whom? For the experienced. Those unfazed by exposure, who read weather, and who can carry a backpack for six days. First-time Dolomite trekkers should start elsewhere — this is the upper league. When? Huts typically run mid-June through September, with July and August ideal when passes are snow-free and everything is open. Outside season it closes and high areas may hold firm.

How to book? Mountain huts (rifugios) must be reserved ahead — main season they fill, and sleeping rough is not the plan here. Most huts operate under the Italian alpine club CAI; membership in Alpenverein or CAI gets you a hut discount. Reserve by email or phone directly at each hut, one stage at a time.

Alta Via 4 does not shout. It lacks the crowds of Alta Via 1 or the fame of tourist postcards. It has something better: silence, exposure, and the name of the first man to climb here. Will you walk in Grohmann's footsteps?