Rifugio Padova - Cima Montanel (via Forcella di Crodon)

Access to starting point:
Access from Gorenjska: From Rateče or Predel we cross the border to Trbiž / Tarvisio and then we continue 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 in the direction of the settlement Belluno. Main road, that runs through the valley of river Piava we follow only to the settlement Domegge di Cadore. In the mentioned settlement we turn left downwards and then we follow the signs for mountain hut Rifugio Padova. The road after descent crosses the river Piava, after that soon starts ascending. The road which leads towards the mentioned mountain hut is quite steep and very narrow. We follow this road all the way to a parking lot in front of the gate near the mountain hut Rifugio Padova.
From Primorska: We drive on the highway towards Venice / Benetke / 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. Near Belluno the highway ends, and at the next crossroads we continue in the direction of the settlement Auronzo and mountain pass Passo Mauria. We follow this road to the settlement Domegge di Cadore. In the mentioned settlement we turn right downwards and then we follow the signs for mountain hut Rifugio Padova. The road after descent crosses the river Piava, after that soon starts ascending. The road which leads towards the mentioned mountain hut is quite steep and very narrow. We follow this road all the way to a parking lot in front of the gate near the mountain hut Rifugio Padova.

Path description:
At the gate where there is a crossing, we go left on a grassy slope and we ascend on a footpath which runs by the edge of the forest. The path quickly brings us to a marked crossing. Straight leads the path towards the bivouac Perugini, and we go left into the forest where signs point us to the mountain hut Rifugio Giaf.
From the crossing, the path is ascending through the forest and mostly runs in the direction towards the northeast. Later, the path slightly descends and brings us into a thinner forest mixed with dwarf pines. Here from the path already nicer views start opening up a little on surrounding peaks. Such a path then brings us to the signposts by the path where there is also a crossing.
On signposts is marked only path 346 towards the mountain hut Rifugio Giaf and mountain hut Rifugio Padova. And at the signposts we leave the path 346 and go left into the forest on a poorly beaten footpath. The beginning of the path is marked with a cairn.
From the crossing, the path slowly turns a little to the left and out of the forest brings us into dwarf pines. Next follows a short crossing and then we come to narrow lane of scree. Further, we are for quite some time ascending on the mentioned narrow lane of scree, which is surrounded with dense dwarf pines. Higher when we get closer to steep walls and scree passes into steep torrent gully blazes point us to the left into dwarf pines.
The path is then quite steeply ascending and for quite some time runs through quite overgrown dwarf pines. When we come out of the dwarf pines, the path for a short time flattens a little and it brings us to scree. The path further runs on the left side of the scree below the eastern slopes of the peak Crodon di Scodavacca. The footpath is here occasionally a little poorly visible and is marked with red dots. The increasingly panoramic path still runs on the scree and higher turns a little to the left. Next follows only the last ascent to the notch Forcella di Crodon.
On the notch, we continue on the northern side and we descend a little through the gully. The path here for a short time runs on the right edge of gully and then turns right on the ledge. On the ledge we then for some time cross an exposed slope towards the northeast. The ledge is otherwise quite wide but some caution is still needed, because there is a lot of gravel on the path. From the ledge then path brings us on the scree on which we descend. The path here turns to the left and on terrain, which is partly grassy soon brings us to a crossing.
At the crossing where from the left joins the path from the bivouac Montanel we continue right where also sign on rock points us to. From the crossing, the path runs towards the north and brings us on grassy slopes below the summit Montanel. Here the path turns to the right and starts ascending steeply on a panoramic grassy slope. The footpath is on this part poorly visible, but we get help from cairns so that orientation isn't demanding. When we come below the rocky slopes of the peak, the path becomes more demanding. Caption »cima« point us right on a narrow ledge on which we cross precipitous slope. The path then turns to the left and then follows some easy climbing to a narrow notch. From the notch then a very short more demanding ascent follows, which isn't exposed. The path then turns to the left and to the top follows only some very easy climbing.
We can descend on the ascent route or past the bivouac Montanel towards the mountain hut Rifugio Cercena. From the mentioned mountain hut we have then to the starting point at the mountain hut Rifugio Padova for approximately one hour of walking on the road.

On the way: Pra di Toro (1300m), Forcella di Crodon (2340m)