Rifugio Auronzo - Rifugio Pian di Cengia

Access to starting point:
Access from Gorenjska: Over the border crossing Rateče we drive to Trbiž / Tarvisio, where we go on the highway in the direction of Videm / Udine. We leave the highway at exit Tolmezzo and we follow the road to the mentioned settlement. From Tolmezzo we continue in the direction of the settlement Ampezzo and mountain pass Passo della Mauria. The road then starts descending and brings us into a valley Cadore, where we continue right (left Belluno and Cortina d'Ampezzo) in the direction of the settlement Auronzo. After few additional km of driving, we come to the next bigger crossroad, where we go right in the direction of Austria and Tre Cime (left Cortina d'Ampezzo). We leave the road towards Austria after additional some 100m, because signs for Tre Cime point us to the right on a payable mountain road which after 7km brings us to a large parking lot near the mountain hut rifugio Auronzo.
From Primorska side: We drive on the highway which leads over the border crossing Sežana in 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 we continue in the direction of Cortina d'Ampezzo and Auronzo. When the road brings us into a valley Cadore we will get to a bigger crossroad, where the road goes towards Cortina d'Ampezzo left, and towards Auronzo right. Here we continue right towards Auronzo. Further, follow the upper description.

Path description:
At the mountain hut Auronzo we go on a macadam road which leads towards the mountain hut Lavaredo slightly towards the east. After approximately 20 minutes of walking on a very panoramic road which leads below the mighty mountain walls of Tre Cime we get to the hut Lavaredo.
From the mountain hut, we still continue on the road, and it quickly brings us to a crossing, where we continue right in the direction of Piani di Lavaredo. The path which ahead runs on a mule track, descends past a smaller lake and then after crossing scree brings us to wide meadows, where we can mainly in the morning and evening time notice numerous marmots. Here poorly visible path branches off to the left, which leads on Monte Paterno, and we continue on a mule track, that starts ascending and after a short ascent, it brings us to a nice high mountain lake "Laghi di Cengia". And only a little behind the lake, the path starts ascending steeper and turns a little to the left. During the ascent from mule track mountain path branches off to the right in the direction of "bivacco de Toni", we still continue straight on the path which past the ruins and smaller well brings us on the next meadow, which we walk in a diagonal ascent towards the left. On the top of this ascent, the path brings us to a crossing, where we continue right (left Monte Paterno, straight downwards rifugio Locatelli). Panoramic path then past a cross brings us to a slightly exposed, but very wide carved ledge, behind which, the path turns left and after a short descent brings us to the mountain hut Pian di Cengia.

On the way: Rifugio Lavaredo (2344m), Laghi di Cengia (2324m)

Trip can be extended to: Croda Fiscalina di Mezzo / Oberbachernspitze ( 30 min)