Hiking · Dolomites, South Tyrol, Italy · recorded with NomadTracks

Dürrensee to the Drei Zinnen: a Dolomites classic

The Drei Zinnen (Tre Cime di Lavaredo) are the Dolomites distilled into three towers. This 16.7 km route starts at the turquoise Dürrensee far below instead of the toll-road parking lot — more climbing (about 950 m), a fraction of the crowd, and the full reveal of the north faces at the end.

Distance16.7 km
Elevation gain950 m
ActivityHiking
Duration5 h 41 min

About this data: this track and its photos were personally shared with us as samples by a NomadTracks user. NomadTracks never uploads, collects or shares your tracks or photos — your recordings stay on your devices and in your own cloud.

Route map of Dürrensee to the Drei Zinnen: a Dolomites classic drawn from the recorded GPS points on an OpenStreetMap basemap
The actual recorded GPS track — start marked green, finish orange. Numbered pins mark where the photos below were taken.

Download GPX Coordinates, elevation and relative times — recording dates are normalized out, photos not included.

Elevation profile of the track
Elevation profile over the full distance. Switch the map above to interactive mode, then slide across the chart — a marker follows the route.

The long approach is the point

From the lake the trail works up through the Rienztal, pine forest giving way to gravel flats and then the huge amphitheater below the north faces. The recorded elevation profile shows the two-stage character: gentle valley kilometers, then the step up to the Drei-Zinnen-Hütte.

Paper map, live position

The Sextner Dolomiten Tabacco sheet was photographed and georeferenced in NomadTracks before the trip — the classic 1:25,000 cartography with a live blue dot on it beats any generic basemap for judging the cirque's scale.

About the place: Dolomites, South Tyrol, Italy

The Tre Cime di Lavaredo (Drei Zinnen) are the emblem of the Sexten Dolomites in South Tyrol, Italy, a UNESCO World Heritage landscape of pale vertical rock above green valley floors. Starting at the turquoise Dürrensee (Lago di Landro) on the Höhlenstein valley road avoids the busy toll road to Auronzo hut; the hiking season runs mid-June to late September, with the Drei-Zinnen-Hütte open for refreshments below the famous north faces.

The Tre Cime di Lavaredo above green alpine meadows under summer clouds
1 · The Tre Cime di Lavaredo above green alpine meadows under summer clouds
The trail winding through pines toward the Dolomite peaks
2 · The trail winding through pines toward the Dolomite peaks
Gravel stream bed and pine forest in a Dolomites valley
3 · Gravel stream bed and pine forest in a Dolomites valley
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