Passo di Giau - Rifugio Averau (path 452)

Access to starting point:
First, we drive to Cortina d'Ampezzo (to here possible over a border crossing Rateče or Predel to Trbiž / Tarvisio and then on a highway in the direction of Videm / Udine to exit Tolmezzo. From Tolmezzo we follow the road in the direction of village Ampezzo and mountain pass Passo Mauria. The road then descends and it brings us to a crossroad, where we continue left (possible also right) in the direction of Cortina d'Ampezzo. At all next crossroads, we follow the signs for Cortina d'Ampezzo. Or from Primorska side, where we drive on a highway in the direction of Trst / Trieste. Further, we drive on Italian highway in the direction of Padova, but only to a highway junction, where we continue in the direction of Veneto and Belluno. Near Belluno the highway ends, and at the next crossroads we continue in the direction of Cortina d'Ampezzo and then we follow the signs for Alpine mountain pass Passo di Falzarego. This ascending road we then follow to a crossroad at an altitude of approximately 1400m. At the crossroad, we continue left in the direction of Alpine mountain pass Passo di Giau and Marmolada. We park on a large parking lot on the mentioned Alpine mountain pass.

Path description:
From the mountain pass, we continue on a wide path past the mountain hut Rifugio Passo Giau. After a short ascent on a wide path we come to a crossing, where the path 443 branches off to the right. We continue on a wide path upwards and then the path becomes narrower and turns a little left on the west side of the mountain Ragusela. The path here starts descending and crosses scree towards the north. Later, the path starts ascending on a quite steep and also slightly crumbly slope, which then brings us on grassy slopes. From grassy slopes we soon join wide path from the mountain hut Rifugio Fedare (2000m) and then a shorter ascent to the hut Averau follows.

Trip can be extended to: Rifugio Nuvolau ( 30 min) , Averau