Passo Campolongo - Piz Boe (Lichtenfels)

Access to starting point:
Through the Karawanks Tunnel, we drive to Austria, and then we continue driving towards Spittal and forward towards Lienz (a little after Spittal highway ends). Further, we drive on a relatively nice and wide road through Drau valley, which brings us in Italy. The road further leads past Dobbiaco / Toblach and Brunico / Bruneck. Only a little after the last-mentioned town, past which leads a bypass road, we turn left into a valley Val Badia. Further, we drive through the mentioned valley past settlements La Vila and Corvara. Next follows an ascent towards the mountain pass Passo Campolongo. Some hundred meters before the mountain pass, we will notice on the left side a macadam parking lot on which we park. The parking lot is located after the hotel Laguscei on the opposite side of the bus stop. By the road is also a bottom station of the chairlift. A smaller parking lot is also on the right side of the road before the bus stop.

Path description:
From the parking lot, we continue by the main road (towards the south) to hotel Boe, which is located on the right west side of the road. At the hotel where there are also signposts we go right on a macadam road following the signs »Rifugio Lago Boe«. Behind the hotel, the road turns to the right and slightly descends, and then starts ascending and crosses the ski slope. Further, the road is for a short time ascending through the forest and then it brings us on the mountain pasture Malga Plan Fisti.
We continue on the road over a mountain pasture and a little after the mountain pasture we come to a marked crossing where the footpath towards the mountain hut Kaiser Hütte branches off to the left. We continue right and continue to ascend on the road. After a short ascent then also the path 638A towards the summit Crep de Munt branches off to the right. We continue left on the road from which beautiful views are opening up towards Marmolada and on mountains above the valley Val Badia. The road here ascends a little steeper and again brings us to a ski slope. A little higher road turns to the right and continues to ascend by mostly grassy slopes. The road then becomes less steep and soon brings us to the hut Rifugio Lago Boe. To the hut also runs a cable car from the settlement Corvara in Val Badia. And near the mountain hut is also bottom station of the chairlift, which runs towards the summit Vallon (2530 meters). Both cableways operate also in the summer months.
Near the mountain hut where there is a crossing, we continue left on a ski slope where signs point us to the lake Lech de Boe and mountain hut Ütia Franz Kostner. The path runs on the right edge of the ski slope and after a short ascent, it brings us to the mentioned lake, which is located right from the ski slope below the rocky ridge.
From the lake, we still continue on the path 638, which turns to the left and crosses a ski slope. Further, the path then runs a little left from a ski slope on partly grassy terrain. The path soon brings us to a marked crossing where the path 636 towards the mountain hut Kaiser Hütte (Rifugio Bec de Roces) branches off to the left. We still continue on the path which is ascending on a slope parallel with a ski slope and soon the path 646A towards the summit Boeseekofel (Piz that Lech) branches off to the right. We still continue on the path which runs left from the ski slope and slowly nice views are opening up towards the mountain hut Ütia Franz Kostner and on the precipitous walls of the nearby peaks in the mountain group Sella. Further, the slope becomes a little less steep and the path brings us to a marked crossing.
The path towards the upper station of the cableway Vallon and further towards the summit Boeseekofel (Piz da Lech) branches off to the right, and we continue left on the path 638 towards the mountain hut Ütia Franz Kostner. Wide and a panoramic path runs towards the west and it quickly brings us to another crossing.
In case if we don't visit mountain hut we can at the crossing continue straight on the path 638, otherwise and we go left and after a short ascent, we reach the mountain hut Ütia Franz Kostner.
At the mountain hut, we go right on the path 637 and after a short descent, we come to a crossing. Left downwards leads the path 637 towards the settlement Arabba, and we continue right on the path 638. After few ten meters then the path branches off to the right towards the secured path Via Ferrata Vallon and towards path Roda de Valun. This time we continue left and the path start ascending diagonally on the scree. After a short ascent, we are again at the crossing.
Left leads the path towards the mountain pass Passo Pordoi and the path 638 towards the summit Piz Boe. At the crossing, we go right upwards on the path 672 (Lichtenfels), which also leads towards the summit Piz Boe. From the crossing, the path starts ascending on the scree and runs on the right side of the valley upwards. At the end of the valley, the path turns right into rocks and becomes demanding. The path which is well secured with a steel cable here runs on a steep rocky slope and few times ascends a little steeper. More experienced mountaineers will manage the ascent also without self belaying. The relatively short secured part then ends and the path becomes less demanding.
Further, the path then turns to the left and then for some time mostly in a gentle ascent crosses steep slopes on the eastern side of the peak Pizes dl Valun. After the crossing, the path brings us on less steep slopes where we come to a marked crossing.
At the crossing, we continue right on the path 672 (Lichtenfels), and straight leads the path which later joins the path 638. Our path is then ascending a little left from the wide and relatively gentle valley and runs towards the west. When we come on the southwest side of the peak Pizes dl Valun path turns a little to the left and it brings us on a wide ridge from which a nice view opens up towards the summit Piz Boe. We still continue towards the west and we soon come below the slope of the peak Piz Lech Dlace. The path here avoids the ridge on the right side and after a short ascent on the scree from the right side joins also secured path Via Ferrata Vallon.
At the crossing, the path turns to the left and it ascends on steeper rocky slope. On a shorter part, we also get help from some steel cables. On the ridge, we then continue right and we soon reach the peak Piz Lech Dlace on which there is situated a bigger cairn.
From the top, we continue on the ridge and after a short descent, we come to a saddle where there is a crossing. From the right here joins also the other path from secured path Via Ferrata Vallon. Also, the diagonal path towards the mountain hut Rifugio Boe branches off to the right, and from the left joins unmarked footpath past the lake Eissee.
We continue straight and we again start ascending on a rocky slope. A little higher, the path slowly turns to the left and it brings us to the ridge from where a view opens up towards the west. We continue on the ridge towards the south and then we cross steeper slopes by the ridge. On the shorter part, there is also a steel cable for help. When we come again on a ridge we reach a little less known peak Cresta Strenta, which is with 3124 meters the second-highest peak in the mountain group Sella.
We still continue towards the south and further, the path runs on the less steep western side of the ridge. Soon from the right joins also the path from the mountain hut Rifugio Boe and to the top then follows only shorter undemanding ascent.

On the way: Malga Plan Fisti (1930m), Rifugio Lago Boe (2185m), Lago Boe (2252m), Ütia Franz Kostner (2500m), Piz Lech Dlace (3009m), Cresta Strenta (3124m), Forces dai Ciamorces (3110m)