Hello, my gf and I are avid hikers (used to challenging terrain and long days) and have 3 nights in the Dolomites in the first week of October. I don't know where to begin finding the best place to stay and how to find the best hikes. Our other apartments are booked in Florence and Rome and we are leaving this time open to get out of the city and see some of Italy's countryside. I will be checking the weather while in Florence and deciding from there where to go. The Dolomite region is my first choice so I would like to have everything planned as it were a definite. We would like to do a very challenging hike and a not so challenging hike. I am thinking of the Val Gardena area as a base and I understand that only some of the lifts will be open but I don't know which one's we would need to use to get to some great hiking. This will be a challenge without a car. I'm counting on the wisdom of the fodorites to help me!

Hi mike,

Although I've never done what you are planning, i immediately thought of the cicerone guides which usually cover the walks in an area in some detail. there is one on the dolomites:

http://www.cicerone.co.uk/product/de...-the-dolomites

you could also contact the tourist office in Val gardena and ask for info from them. this is the link to their summer sports page:
http://www.valgardena.it/en/summer-sport/page399.html

and while I was there i found this:

http://www.escursioni-guidate.eu/

I think they do guided walks which you might be interested in for part of your trip.

have a great trip,

regards, ann

Mike, here is a page that shows opening dates for the lifts in the Val Gardena:
http://www.valgardena.it/en/lifts/page65.html

Some of the ones that appear to be open into the first week of October include Passo Sella/Forcella, Col Raiser, Seceda and various lifts to and on the Alpe di Siusi.

If you want a fun, challenging hike, we've detailed one from the Passo Sella lift in our trip report (look for the heading, "the flying telephone booths" posted on July 22 in the link below). The lift, itself, is interesting.

Also, the walk from Seceda over to the Odle peaks and then down to Col Raiser has great views and isn't quite as difficult. It is two days before the above hike in our report.

We didn't spend as much time on the Alpe di Siusi as others, but there are many options there as well.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...o-daughter.cfm

The Cicerone guide that annhig mentions is a good source, as is the Sunflower guide.

Another vote for the "flying telephone booths". That lift allows you to cut in half what would otherwise be a complete circuit around Sassolongo and Sasso Piatto. If you want a challenging hike, do the whole circuit----but then you'd miss the fun of the phone booth lift, and the eerie moonscape of the valley between the two peaks.

The hike up to Rifugio Bolzano from Alpe di Siusi is also very nice, especially if you spend the night there. I would not describe it as particularly challenging, but you could extend it and come down by a longer route.

Hi Mike - If you want a challenging hike you might want to check out the Vie Ferrate too -

http://www.dolomiti.org/dengl/cortin...ate/index.html

Steve