Passo di Costalunga / Karerpass - Rifugio Roda di Vael

Access to starting point:
Access from Gorenjska: 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 over the mountain pass Passo Campolongo and Passo Pordoi. From the mountain pass Passo Pordoi we then descend on the west side into a valley Val di Fassa. A little after the settlement Pozza di Fassa we turn right towards the mountain pass Passo di Costalunga / Karerpass. Few hundred meters before the mountain pass, we park on a large parking lot named »Valate«. The parking lot is situated on the right side of the road.
From Primorska side: From Nova Gorica, we drive to Italy and drive forward on the highway towards Venice / Venezia. At town Portogruaro we leave the highway towards Venice and continue right on the highway towards Pordenone. At the next highway junction near Conegliano, we continue right towards Belluno. We follow the highway to exit for Belluno. When we leave the highway we come to bigger roundabout, which we leave at exit for Belluno and settlement Feltre. In smaller roundabout in the settlement Belluno we then continue right towards the settlement Agordo. We follow this road all the way to the settlement Moena into a valley Val di Fassa. In the settlement Moena we then continue right towards the settlement Canazei, but only to the settlement Vigo di Fassa where we go left towards the mountain pass Passo di Costalunga / Karerpass. Few hundred meters before the mountain pass, we park on a large parking lot named »Valate«. The parking lot is situated on the right side of the road.

Path description:
From the parking lot, we go on narrow cart track following the signs »Rifugio Roda di Vael«. Cart track is at the beginning ascending through the forest and soon brings us to a marked crossing. The path branches off to the left towards the mountain hut Rifugio Paolina, and we continue right towards the mountain hut Rifugio Roda di Vael.
Further, we still walk on a cart track which is mostly ascending through the forest, and occasionally also a view opens up towards the mountain group Latemar. Higher, the path out of the forest brings us on pastures from which a view opens up also towards the south.
On the mountain pasture where there is also a shepherd hut cart track ends, and we continue on a footpath which still runs towards the east. After that, the path turns slightly to the left and starts ascending a little steeper on the more and more panoramic slopes. We will soon in front of us notice a mountain hut Rifugio Roda di Vael and Baita Marino Pederiva to which there is only a short ascent. A little before huts from the left joins also the path from the mountain hut Rifugio Paolina.

On the way: Baita Marino Pederiva (2275m)

Trip can be extended to: Roda di Vael / Rotwand