Sometimes, you don’t have to hike for hours to get jaw-dropping views. Sometimes, you only need to walk through Val Venegia – the beautiful gateway to the Pale Di San Martino range in the Italian Dolomites. From the start to finish of this hike, you will be graced with a dramatic picture of its almost 90-degree North Face.
Total round-trip distance
6.5 kilometres / 4 miles
Elevation gain
140 meters / 460 feet
Time required
1.5 – 2 hours
Overview of the Val Venegia hike
Val Venegia is located in the northern part of the Pale Di San Martino range, which lies in the southern Italian Dolomites. The range lies within the boundaries of the Parco Naturale Paneveggio Pale Di San Martino, known for jagged peaks that often rise above 3,000 meters above Sea Level.
The hike through Val Venegia is so easy that I am not even sure it qualifies as a hike. I think calling it a walk through a park might be more fitting—an excellent park, for that matter. The total elevation gain is only 140 meters, or approximately 50 meters for each kilometre walked. The incline is so smooth that you will hardly notice that you are walking up.
I did this hike as part of my autumn road trip across the Dolomites, and I don’t think I could have picked a better time for it. It was the beginning of the last week of October, and the autumn colours were in full swing. Paired with crispy October mountain air and bluebird skies, the scenery made up for some fantastic photo opportunities!
The map & elevation profile
Important info about the hike through Val Venegia
Val Venegia is a hike that can be done year-round, even though the official hiking season in the Dolomites lasts from June until October. Still, thanks to minimal avalanche risk, it’s possible to snowshoe or cross-country ski through Val Venegia, even during wintertime.
When to go: year-round
Trail difficulty: easy
Trail numbers: 710A
Type of hike: out and back
Highest point: 1818 m / 5965 ft
Parking/trailhead: Parcheggio Val Venegia
Map required: Tabacco 022
Nearest towns: San Martino di Castrozza, Pie’ Falcade
Getting there
The easiest and quickest way to reach the Val Venegia trailhead is by car. However, it is also possible to use public transport.
TIP: If you’re considering hiking Val Venegia in autumn, note that public transportation is often limited during the shoulder seasons.
By bus
It’s possible to take the bus from San Martino di Castrozza to the Val Venegia trailhead. The total journey time is 1 hour and 9 minutes, with one change.
From San Martino, you have to take bus no. B122 in the direction of Predazzo. Get off after 12 stops at Paneveggio Centro Forestale.
From here, take bus no. B138 toward Passo Valles and get off at the second stop: Pian Casoni—Bivio Venegia.
To check the timetables and current prices, visit the Trentino transport website and enter ‘Pian Casoni – Bivio Venegia’ as your destination.
By car
Val Venegia is accessible via Provincial Road No. 81. It’s a narrow, winding road, typical of the Dolomiti roads.
The nearest towns are Pie’ Falcade (25 min/15.8 km) or San Martino Di Castrozza (30 min/18 km).
There is a parking fee for the lower and upper car parks. Payments are accepted by card, but phone reception in the parking lot is not optimal. Having cash is always pretty handy. If you are visiting during the peak season (July-August), arrive early, as the spots fill up quickly!
Trail description
From the parking lot, you have two options: the first is to follow the gravel road, and the second is to walk for the first 20 minutes parallel to the road through the forest.
Naturally, I recommend the second option. It’s much quieter. After 20 minutes, the forest path merges with the road. You will then follow a wide gravel road for the rest of the walk through Venegia Valley. The incline is gentle, and the hike could not have been more leisurely.
It takes approximately 1 hour to reach Malga Venegiotta, with several photo stops along the way. If you don’t stop, you can be there in 30 minutes.
Overnight stay & dining possibilities on the Val Venegia hike
There are two backcountry restaurants in Val Venegia. The first one is slightly off the path but visible from the road. Its name is Malga Venegia. The second one, where the trek ends, is called Malga Venegiota Di Tonadico. The owners could not have been any more creative when naming these establishments.
Both restaurants serve typical local food and drinks, so there’s no need to bring your own. The restaurants have toilet facilities for guests. They remain open during the summer, typically from June through the end of September or into mid-October.
When I hiked the trail at the end of October, both restaurants were already closed, but there were benches outside Malga Venegiota where we could sit, enjoy snacks, and take in the views.
Where to stay nearby
The closest towns to this hike are Pie’ Falcade, San Martino di Castrozza, and Fiera di Primiero. If you are travelling by car, I recommend staying in either San Martino or Fiera.
Below are some of the accommodation options I recommend. Please book through the affiliate links to support my site. It won’t cost you anything extra.
TIP: My 7- to 10-day autumn itinerary in the Italian Dolomites includes hikes in Val Venegia and a stay in Fiera Di Primiero. If you want to save time planning your visit, review my plan.
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Other activities nearby
Hikes
Via ferrata
- Bolver Lugli
- Porton and Nico Gusela
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If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below!
Just visited (June 2025), they now have machines to pay by card as well at the parking lots. What a special place!
Hi Kelsey. I was just there last month too! Time to update the post! 🙂
Good Afternoon Marta
I was reading the description for the Val Venegia hike or as you say walk. You have so much information about the Dolomites is is incredible, informative and at times I find myself wondering where do I start. My wife and I will be traveling here in September and doing some of the hikes you have mentioned, My wife has somewhat of a bad back so I am always looking for the easier trails for her. Are there other easy day hikes in this area worth doing? How difficult is the hike to continue to Rifugio Mulaz or Baita Segantini? I haven’t looked yet but if Rifugio Mulaz has lodging we may spend the night there, One last thing do you have an affiliate link with Booking dot com. I can’t seem to find it. Kind Regards, Jerry
Hi Jerry. Thanks for visiting my site and for your lovely comment. I can imagine it is quite overwhelming. Please check out my post about the best hikes in the Dolomites which I recently updated and the hikes are divided into 3 categories: easy, moderate and challenging. I do have a separate post about hiking to hikinf to Passo Mulaz. I will give you a heads up though, this is a challenging hike and if you decided to hike arount Monte Mullaz in a circuit you will also have a scrambling section with chains. Sounds like it might be too much for your wife.
As for reaching Baita Segantini you can do it by hiking from Passo Rolle. Check out my post about hiking to Monte Castellaz which goes in a figure of 8, but you could just do one loop and hike just to Baita Segantini which is a very easy trail and goes mostly on a gravel road. Booking lodging directly on Passo Rolle might be a better option for you. Rifugio Mulaz does have lodging but again hiking up there with a heaby pack for some with back problems would not be recommendable.
As for affiliate links. Yes right in this post I have a section “where to stay nearby” with 3 links to hotels. Those are affiliate links to booking com. If you use them to book your lodging (It doesn’t have to be the same hotels I recommend) I receive I commission. Much appreciated. Let me know if you have more questions!
Oh and around San Martino and Fiera Di Primero you can visit Lake Welspberg or Lake Calaita there are very gentle trails over there. I do recommend getting a map of the area (Tabacco Map no. 22) for Pale Di San Martino Range.
You could also take a gondola from San Martino di Castrozza to Rifugio Rosetta and stay the night there then hike from there to Rifugio Pradidali (another night) then hike back and take the gondola back down to San Martino Di Castrozza.