Cadini di Misurina viewpoint hike

The Cadini di Misurina are the cluster of sharp grey spires east of Lake Misurina. You see them from the lakeshore, but the view most people are after is from the other side: a narrow rocky outcrop near Rifugio Auronzo that looks straight across at the spires. In summer people queue to stand on it for a photo.

The walk to it is short. Getting to the start, and coping with the drop at the end, are the parts to plan.

What the Cadini are

The Cadini di Misurina are a mountain group in the eastern Dolomites, in the municipality of Auronzo di Cadore, and part of the Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage site. The Tre Cime di Lavaredo lie to the north, Lake Misurina and Monte Cristallo to the west, and the Sorapiss and Marmarole to the south. The highest summit is Cima Cadin di San Lucano at 2,839 m.

The name comes from the local Cadorino word ciadìn, a basin, after the deep hollows and cirques between the peaks (according to dolomiti.it).

The viewpoint hike, step by step

The start is Rifugio Auronzo, at 2,320 m, at the top of the Tre Cime toll road.

1. Find trail 117. From the hut’s terrace, walk down the steps to the road. At the road a sign points south on CAI trail 117 towards Rifugio Fratelli Fonda Savio. This is the opposite direction to the busy Tre Cime path, which heads east.
2. Drop to the saddle. The path goes downhill for about 10 minutes to Forcella Longeres.
3. Branch off to the viewpoint. Carry on along trail 117 from the saddle. A short side path leads out to the viewpoint, on the boundary between the Sesto Dolomites and the Cadini.
4. Return the same way, climbing back up to the hut.

Figures vary between sources, all of them hiking blogs. Earth Trekkers gives 3.2 km return with 210 m of climbing and 1 to 2 hours. Others give about 3.9 km return and about 144 m of climbing, and 30 to 35 minutes each way. Plan on 1 to 2 hours return including the photo stop.

How hard is it?

You need no climbing skills or equipment. The drop is what decides whether this walk is for you.

The final section runs along the top of a cliff. Beyond the main viewpoint the path is narrow and covered with loose gravel, which makes it slippery. Earth Trekkers describes the hike as easy but needing a head for heights, and does not recommend it for anyone afraid of heights or in wet, icy or windy weather. BookATrekking also warns against it for people with vertigo.

Our advice: if the path is wet or the wind is up, enjoy the view from the safer ground before the outcrop and skip the last few metres. The photo is not worth a fall.

The trail is usually free of snow from June to late October. Outside that window the toll road is closed anyway.

Parking and the trailhead

There is only one car park at the trailhead: the one at Rifugio Auronzo, at the end of the Tre Cime toll road. In 2026 a car paid €40 and had to book a time slot online before arriving; the ticket covers 12 hours from the booked time (checked October 2026). You cannot arrive before your slot starts, and you cannot leave and come back on the same ticket.

Without a car booking you have two practical options:

• The Dolomitibus shuttle from Misurina, via Lago d’Antorno, at €10 for a day ticket in 2026. No cash on board.
• The SAD 444 from Dobbiaco, which needs an online booking. It does not stop at Lake Misurina.

The Rifugio Auronzo guide covers both buses and the booking rules in full.

Sunrise and sunset

Plenty of people want a Cadini sunrise, and it is the hardest time to get here. The first shuttle from Misurina leaves at 7:30, well after a summer sunrise. That leaves three routes:

• An early car slot. The booking calendar shows which entry times are available. We could not confirm the earliest slot the Comune offers, so check the calendar before you plan around it.
• Sleep in your vehicle. The Comune’s rules allow sleeping inside your vehicle in the car park, but not camping: no chairs, tables or awnings outside, with fines of €100 to €500. A stay longer than 12 hours needs two booked slots.
• Walk up in the dark. Trail 101 from Lago d’Antorno takes about 1 hour 45 minutes to the hut, then another half hour or so to the viewpoint. Bring a head torch, and do not try the cliff-edge section until there is enough light to see your feet.

Sunset is easier by car, since you can book an afternoon slot. In 2026 the shuttle ran until 20:00, so check the last bus down against the sunset time for your date. On queues, Earth Trekkers found the wait for the photo on the outcrop ranged from almost nothing to an hour or more, and found few people in mid-afternoon. Early and late in the day may help, but there are no guarantees.

Going further into the Cadini

Trail 117 carries on past the viewpoint to Rifugio Fratelli Fonda Savio (2,367 m by the hut’s own figure; dolomiti.it gives 2,359 m), on a ridge in the middle of the group. dolomiti.it puts it about 1 hour 45 minutes on foot from Lago d’Antorno. The shorter way up from the Misurina side is trail 115 from Pian dei Spiriti, above the lake: 1 to 1.5 hours and about 470 m of climbing. One hiking blog describes a loop linking Rifugio Auronzo, Fonda Savio and Lake Misurina at about 11.4 km, 590 m of climbing and 4.5 hours.

The Sentiero Alberto Bonacossa is a different matter. It is an equipped trail (a via ferrata with fixed cables) that crosses the Cadini from the south shore of Lake Misurina to the Tre Cime. It needs via ferrata experience, the right kit and a helmet.

On the lake side of the group, a chairlift from the shore of Lake Misurina runs up to Rifugio Col de Varda (2,106 m). In 2026 it ran from 18 June to 20 September, and an adult return cost €17 (checked October 2026). From the hut, trail 120 continues to Rifugio Città di Carpi in about 1 to 1.5 hours, with views of the Cadini from the south.

Combine it with the Tre Cime loop

Both walks start at the same car park, so the viewpoint fits easily into a Tre Cime loop day. The loop takes 3 to 4 hours and the viewpoint 1 to 2, so a 12-hour car slot covers both with time for lunch.

Tours

A guided hike on GetYourGuide, Hike on the Cadini di Misurina, starts from the lake at the Col de Varda chairlift and covers 12.7 km with 870 m of climbing, so it suits fit hikers. It is new and had no reviews when we checked. Two Tre Cime tours that start in Misurina include the toll road. More options are on our tours page, and our guide to the best hikes in the Dolomites puts this walk alongside others in the area.