Lago di Sorapis is a beautiful mountain lake, tucked away in the Italian Dolomites. If you love adventure and natural beauty, this amazing place offers a hiking experience you won't forget. In this blog post, we tell you everything you need to know about the hike to Lago di Sorapis, where crystal-clear blue waters and towering cliffs create a stunning sight. Put on your hiking boots and prepare yourself for the untouched beauty and rugged charm of Lago di Sorapis.
- 46° 30′ N, 12° 13′ E
Overview
About the hike
But you can make it a loop hike (path no. 217)
General information
Lago di Sorapis or Lake Sorapis is a magnificent mountain lake at an altitude of 1925 meters above sea level. It’s a beautiful turquoise lake surrounded by sharp limestone peaks. The only way to get to Lago di Sorapis is to hike (and probably by helicopter as there is a helicopter platform). The hiking trail is about 7 km one way (so 14 km in total) and it’ll take you around 1,5 to 2 hours to reach the lake.
If you’re still doubting if you should do this tough hike only to see the lake, we can assure you: the hike is as impressive as the lake itself. You can make it a loop hike or you can hike back the same way as you got there. It’s quite a hard rocky hike with a few narrow ledges, metal stairways and some slippery parts with cables to hold on yourself, but perfectly achievable if you’re not afraid of heights. Besides that, you’ll get those insane Dolomites views the whole way up.
Find the best hotels close to Lago di Sorapis here
via booking.com
The Hike
The hike starts on a gravel pinetree-lined path behind a barrier. The path to the lake is generally quite clear. There are a few intersections where you just have to keep following trail no. 215 to Rifugio Vandelli. The first part of the hike is really easy. After walking a while between the trees, you see more and more mountain peaks appearing between the treetops.
At a certain point, you come across a dried up river bed. Here, you have to stay left and cross the river bed instead of going right and climb up along the ‘river’ of white stones. This is the only point of the trail where we got wrong, just because we kept on following other hikers, instead of looking for the trail ourselves.
After a while, the forest path changes into a mountain path along the mountain side. This is where you start getting insane views over the Dolomites area but it also gets more tricky. The further you go, the more the path turns into a narrow ledge with a few small wooden bridges, cables to hold on to, rocks to climb over and metal stairways. Finally, you turn right around the corner of the mountain. From here, it is straight on through the trees, over the roots and over more rocks. After a while, you see Lago di Sorapis appear between the bushes. Sit back and take your time to enjoy this beautiful place and walk to the other side of the lake to get another point of view.
We we went back the same way we came, but you can also make it a loop hike. To do so, you continue to follow trail no. 217 along one of the most rugged and vertiginous mountain passes in the area. We haven’t done this trail yet but we’ve heard it’s quite hard. There would be some tricky sections and it would requirer scrambling on feet and hands in some places.
Hiking at tre cime di lavaredo, dolomites
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When to hike
The Lago di Sorapis hike is a summer hike and can be done from the end of May to October. In summer you get the best weather but it can also get very crowded. Towards the end of summer, there is a chance that the water will be very low. So when weather permits, we recommend you going there late spring or early summer when it’s less crowded.
It can get busy along the way and especially at the lake so we recommend you to start your hike early in the morning and avoid weekends. This way you’ll avoid crowds and parking problems.
How to get there
The hike starts at Passo Tre Croci, where you can park your car. Here you will see a barrier where a gravel pinetree-lined path starts. This is where you begin the hike. You can find the starting point on Google Maps here.
Rent your car in the dolomites here
via RentalCars
Tips and Safety considerations
Lago Di Sorapis is a very popular destinations among tourists, so it will probably not surprise you that it can get very busy here. If you want to avoid the big crowds, we recommend you to start hiking early in the morning.
Important hiking tips!
Wear proper shoes as you'll have to clamber over slippery rocks
There are no facilities along the way so bring enough food and water with you
Sun protection is a must on synny days as you'll have to walk a while whitout shelter
The weather in the mountains can change quickly. Always check the weather predictions before you start hiking.
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- Last updated July 25, 2023
