Best Time to Hike the Dolomites: Snow, Huts & Crowds by Month

How the hiking year changes

Snow sets the frame. ARPAV, the Veneto weather and avalanche service, describes the snow season in its mountains as running from October to the end of May, and in April the snow cover is still widespread above 2,000 m. That is why May is a month for valley and lower forest walks, while the classic high routes such as the Tre Cime loop, Lago di Sorapis and the Puez-Odle trails open up through June.

The huts follow the snow. In 2026, Rifugio Lavaredo below the Tre Cime opened on 13 June and Rifugio Vandelli at Lago di Sorapis on 20 June, and the Dreizinnenhütte (Rifugio Locatelli) has announced 26 June as its 2027 opening day. From July to mid-September the hut network, the lifts and the bus services are all running, and the long days leave plenty of time for big circuits.

September is the turning point. The days shorten and cool, wet days become less frequent, and visitor numbers fall sharply after August. Huts start closing from about 20 September and more close in the last week of the month, so a trip in the first three weeks keeps most of them. In October most huts close, many lifts stop around mid-month and the first snow usually reaches the passes at some point; in 2026 it fell above about 1,600 m on the night of 21 to 22 October. By November the summer lifts have closed and the high trails are covered in snow or ice for most of the time until late spring.

When the mountain huts and lifts are open

Every hut and every lift sets its own season, so there is no single opening date for the Dolomites. The 2026 dates below show the spread. Operators publish the next summer’s dates in spring, and the table will move by a few days from year to year.

Three things follow from it. A running lift does not mean the trail above it is free of snow: Seceda’s lifts open in late May, and Val Gardena’s tourist board still advises checking snow conditions there in spring, early summer and late autumn. Huts on a hut-to-hut route are the narrowest window, because most close in late September, so plan a multi-day trek for late June to mid-September. And some of the best late-season walking is lift-served: Seceda, the Alpe di Siusi and Col Raiser ran into the first days of November in 2026.

Two access rules sit on top of the seasons. The toll road from Misurina to Rifugio Auronzo, the usual start of the Tre Cime loop, is generally open from late May to late October, weather permitting, and cars need an online booking. At Lago di Braies, from 1 July to 15 September 2026, the valley road was open between 9:00 and 16:00 only with a reservation or permit, or by bus, bike or on foot; the same system returns in summer 2027.

Afternoon thunderstorms and early snow

In summer the main hazard on the high trails is lightning. Thunderstorms in the Alps break most often in the afternoon and evening, and the head of the South Tyrol Alpine Club’s mountain rescue advises starting a hike as early as possible, because heat storms are rarer in the cooler morning. The month with the most wet days at Selva di Val Gardena is June, with about 14, against about 9 in September. On a stormy day, an early start gives you most of the walk before the sky builds up, and a ridge, a summit or a fixed-cable section is the place to leave first.

The forecast to use is a mountain forecast for the area you are hiking in, such as the South Tyrol weather service’s or ARPAV’s Dolomiti Meteo bulletin, not a city app. If storms are forecast from early afternoon, choose a shorter route, set a turnaround time and know your nearest hut or descent.

From late September the hazard changes. Fresh snow can fall on the passes at any point in autumn, and a path that is easy in summer becomes slippery and exposed when it is covered in snow or ice. In June the problem is the reverse: Val Gardena’s tourist board advises checking for snow on the high paths in spring and early summer, even once the lifts are running. In both cases, ask at the hut or the tourist office before going high, and turn back where the path is covered.

How busy the trails get

Nobody counts hikers on the trails month by month, so the best guide is the official count of overnight stays in the mountain areas. It measures how many people are staying in the valleys, not how many are on any one path, but the seasonal pattern is clear: August is the peak, July is close behind, and June and September are both far quieter.

In the Belluno Dolomites around Cortina, Italian guests made up about two-thirds of August’s overnight stays in 2025, and foreign guests about two-thirds of September’s. August is Italy’s main holiday month, and Ferragosto on 15 August, a national holiday, falls in the middle of it.

In July and August, an early start helps with parking at the famous trailheads, such as the Tre Cime loop, Seceda, Lago di Braies and Lago di Sorapis, as well as with the storms.

The Dolomites month by month for hiking

The weather figures are averages for Selva di Val Gardena, a weather station at 1,594 m. The classic high trails sit between about 2,000 and 2,500 m, so expect them to be several degrees colder than the table, and colder still in wind.

May. Choose May for spring walks in the valleys and on lower forest trails, and for the first lift-served walks on the Alpe di Siusi. The high routes, including the Tre Cime loop and Lago di Sorapis, usually still have snow on them, and very few huts are open.

June. June is far quieter than July, with the longest days of the year: about 15¾ hours of daylight in mid-June at Tre Cime. Early in the month many huts are still closed and the higher passes can still hold snow; by late June most huts are opening and the classic routes usually become passable. It is also the month with the most wet days at Selva.

July. July is the easiest month to plan: the full hut and lift network is open, the days are long and the bus services run. The cost is the crowds and the afternoon thunderstorms, so start early on any long or high route.

August. August has the same trail conditions as July and the most visitors of the year, with Ferragosto, the national holiday on 15 August, in the middle of it. Stay close to your trailhead, start early and keep the famous hikes for weekdays if you can.

September. September has the fewest wet days of the summer season, and overnight stays in the main hiking valleys fall to about 40 to 60% of August’s level. Days are cooler, with average highs about 5°C lower than in July at Selva, and shorter, with about 12½ hours of daylight in mid-month: still enough for a full day hike. In the last week of the month several huts close, including Rifugio Locatelli and Rifugio Carducci on 27 September in 2026.

October. Early October still has good walking where the lifts run: in 2026 the 5 Torri chairlift ran until 11 October and Lagazuoi until 18 October, and the Seceda and Alpe di Siusi lifts until 2 November. Most huts close, average highs at Selva drop below 10°C and fresh snow becomes likely at some point in the month. For a trip built on high routes and huts, October is a gamble; for lift-served walks and autumn colour, it can be very good. Our Dolomites in October guide lists the closing dates area by area.

November. The summer lifts have closed and the high trails are usually covered in snow or ice. Valley walks, lower forest trails and viewpoints you can drive to still work. If hiking is the main reason for your trip, choose September instead; our Dolomites in November guide covers what still works.

Best time for the famous hikes

Tre Cime di Lavaredo

The loop around the Tre Cime starts at Rifugio Auronzo at 2,320 m and passes Forcella Lavaredo at about 2,450 m, so it follows the main season: late June to late September is the simplest window. Rifugio Lavaredo was open from 13 June to 11 October in 2026 and Rifugio Locatelli until 27 September. The toll road from Misurina normally runs from late May to late October and needs an online booking, and the seasonal bus from Dobbiaco ran from 31 May to 11 October in 2026. Our Tre Cime di Lavaredo hike guide covers the route, parking and the bus.

Lago di Sorapis

The path to Lago di Sorapis has exposed sections with fixed cables, so it needs a dry path free of snow and ice. That makes July to mid-September the simplest window. Rifugio Vandelli, beside the lake, opened on 20 June in 2026; in June or October, ask locally about snow on the cabled sections before you set out.

Seceda

Seceda has one of the longest hiking seasons of the famous viewpoints, because its lifts ran from 22 May to 2 November in 2026. Val Gardena’s tourist board calls summer the best hiking season there, says it is accessible from mid-May under normal conditions and good for autumn hikes until early or mid-November, and advises checking the snow in spring, early summer and late autumn. In 2025 and 2026 local landowners charged a fee on one path to the viewpoint, according to local press reports; check the current situation when you go. Our page on Seceda and Val Gardena tours in autumn covers the late season.

Alpe di Siusi

The Alpe di Siusi is a high plateau with gentler, lower routes, so it has one of the longest hiking seasons: the gondola from Ortisei ran from 1 May to 2 November in 2026. Lower walks there can work in late May; the higher paths towards the Sassolungo follow the main season.

Cinque Torri

The 5 Torri chairlift ran from 6 June to 11 October in 2026, so mid-June to early October is the window for the lift-served walk around the towers and the First World War open-air museum.

Hut-to-hut and the Alta Via 1

For a multi-day trek, the hut season is the limit: most huts on the high routes open from mid or late June and close from about 20 September, and you need every one on your itinerary to be open. Late June to mid-September is the window; July and early September are the least likely to bring snow on the passes or a closed hut. Late June can still mean snow on the higher passes.

Which guided hike suits your dates

A guide is most useful in the edge months, when snow or ice leaves you unsure whether a route is safe, and on routes with exposed sections.

• Tre Cime loop: the guided Tre Cime loop from Misurina (rated 5.0 from 34 reviews) drives you up the toll road, with the fee included, and walks the 10 km circuit past Forcella Lavaredo and Rifugio Locatelli. It suits the main season, from late June to late September.
• Lago di Sorapis: the Lake Sorapis hike with an alpine guide is a private day from Venice, about 10 km there and back from Passo Tre Croci. Its listing says the path is open from June through October. It costs from $2,239 for up to eight and has no reviews yet.
• Cinque Torri: the guided panoramic hike to the 5 Torri from Cortina follows the First World War trenches and suits the chairlift season, from June to early October.

Our page on guided hiking tours in autumn compares the late-season options, and our guide to the best time to visit the Dolomites covers skiing, spring and the rest of the year.

Frequently asked questions

Sources and methodology