Hike from Passo San Pelligrino to Rifugio Mulaz

The hike from Passo San Pellegrino to Rifugio Mulaz is stage seven of the incredible Alta Via 2 multi-day hut-to-hut trek in the Dolomites, which starts in Brixen/Bressanone and ends in Croce d’Aune north of Venice.

This challenging but stunning hike is full of incredible scenery, where lush green alpine pasture turn into rugged rocky spires.

We started this stage of the hike on San Pellegrino, following the 658 trail up through the ski area towards Passo Valles. The trail was generally easy to follow, except on the odd occasion where it completely disappeared and we had to search for markers which were sometimes painted on rocks on the floor.

The trail leads down to the main road that drives over Passo Valles where there's a cafe for a quick bathroom and drink/snack break.

From here, you cross the road and follow the 751 trail which already is signposted to Rif. Mulaz. We hiked this trail in mid June, and had received word from the hut that we were the first visitors of the season and that there was still a lot of snow on the trail. They advised us to take the 710 trail rather than the 751 for the final part of the ascent to the hut, as that had already been hiked a little more.

The last section up to the hut was steep and challenging, especially in the deep snow, but the views were spectacular. We made it to the hut just as a huge storm rolled in, but woke up to clear skies and amazing alpenglow the next morning, allowing us to complete the hike up to the summit of Mulaz before descending back down to Passo Rolle.

If you plan on doing this hike before mid-July, be prepared to hike through some snow in the higher sections. I recommend trekking poles and micro-spikes for the steeper sections, as well as gaiters to stop the snow soaking through to your boots and socks.