How to Hike the Cinque Torri Loop in the Dolomites
The Dolomites are home to some of Italy's most beautiful trails. You can hike to the top of mountains, bright blue lakes, or stunning viewpoints overlooking the surrounding mountains. Trust me, there is no shortage of hikes you will want to add to your itinerary.
As I was researching the best hikes in the Dolomites, I came across the Cinque Torri Loop several times. Not only does it have breathtaking views, but it is home to a WWI open-air museum. I love learning about the history of an area, so I immediately added the hike to our itinerary, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint!
If you want to hike to the Cinque Torri when you visit the Dolomites, you are in the right place! This guide has everything you need to know to hike the Cinque Torri Loop or extend the hike a little longer if you want to visit nearby rifugios.
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What is the Cinque Torri?
The Cinque Torri is a group of rock formations with 5 prominent towers. Although it is named after the five towers, as you hike around the area, you will notice many smaller rock formations within the five main ones.
This area was also prominent in WWI, and the trail has an open-air museum with bunkers and lookouts that were used during the war. The Cinque Torri Loop brings you throughout the open-air museum, allowing you to learn more about its history, walk through bunkers, and explore trenches.
On top of rock formations and an open-air museum, the Cinque Torri Loop offers breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains. We visited on a cloudy day, but the views were still stunning! I can only imagine how beautiful they are on a clear day.
How to Get to Cinque Torri
Cinque Torri is just under a half hour west of Cortina d’Ampezzo in the heart of the Dolomites, and there are several ways to reach it!
By Chairlift
The easiest way to reach the Cinque Torri Loop is by chairlift off of Passo Falzarego, just under 30 minutes from Cortina d’Ampezzo. The parking area for the chairlift is free and fills up quickly, especially midday during peak season.
The chairlift is open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm in the summer, and it is a quick ride to the top. The views along the ride up and down are stunning, giving you a sneak peek of what you will see at the top!
Once you reach the top, you will walk past Rifugio Scoiattoli and see Cinque Torri in front of you. The Cinque Torri Loop begins just after the rifugio, and once you are done, you can ride the chairlift back down.
By Hiking
If you would rather hike to the top instead of riding the chairlift, you are in luck! A 1-mile trail runs right underneath the chairlift, bringing you to the top near Rifugio Scoiattoli.
Although the trail is only a mile one-way, it is consistently steep the entire way, gaining over 1,000 feet of elevation. But the trail is easy to follow and a great way to save some money.
By Bus
If you would rather not worry about parking, or you do not have a car, you can take the Dolomiti Bus. The bus connects Cortina d’Ampezzo with the Cinque Torri parking lot, and from there, you can either hike or ride the chairlift to the top.
What to Pack for Hiking Cinque Torri
Hiking Boots: If you want comfort and support on your trip, hiking boots are the go to.
Hiking Socks: Having moisture-wicking and comfortable hiking socks are just as important for exploring.
Hiking Backpack: You need something to carry all your food, clothes, and anything else you need while adventuring, so having a supportive hiking backpack is crucial.
Hydration Reservoir/Water Bottles: While hiking or just exploring, it is important to have enough water! I always pack a hydration reservoir.
Jackets: The weather is unpredictable, so I always pack a rain jacket and insulated jacket.
Ten Essentials: The Ten Essentials are crucial for hiking!
Cinque Torri Loop Overview
The Cinque Torri Loop is a relatively short and easy hike if you start from the top of the chairlift. All these hiking stats will start from Rifugio Scoiattoli, so if you plan to hike instead of riding the chairlift, you will need to add about 2 miles to the total mileage.
Hiking Stats
Length: 1.3 miles (2 km) round trip
Elevation gain: 400 feet (122 meters)
Difficulty: Easy
Best time to hike: Summer (June through September)
Facilities: Rifugio Scoiattoli has toilets
Food: You can purchase food and drink at the Rifugio Scoiattoli
Webcam: I used this webcam to check the conditions before visiting.
Trail Map
This trail map shows the Cinque Torri Loop starting and ending at Rifugio Scoiattoli.
Hiking the Cinque Torri Loop
The Cinque Torri Loop was one of my favorite hikes in the Dolomites because of its breathtaking views and WWI open-air museum.
Since it is a loop, you can hike it in either direction. We hiked it counterclockwise to enjoy the views first before exploring the WWI open-air museum, and we really enjoyed doing it that way! This guide will review how to hike it counterclockwise, but honestly, it does not matter which way you hike it.
Always remember to leave no trace. It is crucial to pack out what you pack in and leave no trash. Some of these spots have trash bins, so you can easily throw your trash away. If they do not have trash bins, you can throw your trash away once you reach a trash bin.
Rifugio Scoiattoli to Cinque Torri
Once you reach Rifugio Scoiattoli, you will see the two trails leading towards Cinque Torri. Since this guide reviews how to hike the loop counterclockwise, you will continue towards the right side of Cinque Torri.
The views at the beginning of the trail are stunning of Cinque Torri and the surrounding mountains. Even though we hiked it on a cloudy day, the views did not disappoint!
As you hike towards Cinque Torri, you will come across a few intersecting trails. You want to stay on the right-most trail as it circles the base of Cinque Torri. Keep an eye out for rock climbers, too, because we saw so many when we hiked the loop.
The trail continues to gradually descend as it circles the base of Cinque Torri before arriving at the intersection of a trail leading to a road below. You want to continue straight on the trail and not descend via the switchbacks towards the road. We almost made this mistake, but luckily referred to our trail map.
Hiking Through Cinque Torri
Once you pass the switchbacks, the trail immediately starts to climb again around the Cinque Torri. At about 0.6 miles, you will come to an intersection where you can continue on the outer loop around Cinque Torri or hike through it.
We hiked through it, which was so fun! It is a great way to get an up-close and personal view of the Cinque Torri since it brings you to its base.
If you want to hike through it, you will turn left and continue to the base of the rock formations. And you will quickly be in awe of how massive they are!
Once you are at its base, the trail continues into a cool cave before ascending steep stone steps to the other side of Cinque Torri. The trail continues hiking through a few more rock formations before bringing you out to the main trail again.
Cinque Torri WWI Open-Air Museum
Once you are back on the main trail, you will start to see bunkers and trenches. This is where you start exploring the WWI open-air museum, and I recommend visiting each area to learn about its history.
Each bunker and trench had signs explaining its historical significance and what happened in the area during the war. It was really cool exploring them and learning about their history.
The museum continues back towards the rifugio and brings you to a really cool artillery bunker. The trail to this bunker ascends steep steps, and once you are at the top, you can see through the gates of the artillery bunker.
After this bunker, the trail continues to climb back to Rifugio Scoiattoli. And do not forget to look backwards toward Cinque Torri! This section of the trail is stunning.
Once you are back at Rifugio Scoiattoli, you can head back down on the chairlift, grab a bite to eat at the rifugio, or hike to two more rifugios.
Hiking to Rifugios Averau and Nuvolau (if you have time)
Since the Cinque Torri Loop is short and easy, you can add more rifugios to the hike to increase the mileage and difficulty. The views are stunning on a clear day of Cinque Torri and the surrounding mountains! Unfortunately, the clouds moved in quickly, so we did not get any views.
Once you pass Rifugio Scoiattoli, you can see the rifugios at the top of the nearby mountains. The trail is fairly easy to follow but gains over 500 feet to Rifugio Averau, making for a consistent climb. The views along the entire trail are stunning and help distract you from the steep trail!
Once you are at Rifugio Averau, it is a quick and steep ascent to Rifugio Nuvolau. Both rifugios offer breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains and are worth the hike up if you have time.
Once you are finished visiting the rifugios and taking in the views, you can hike back to Rifugio Scoiattoli and take the chairlift to the parking lot.
No matter which way you decide to hike the Cinque Torri Loop, you will quickly fall in love with the area! If you want to add it to your itinerary, this guide is the perfect place to start planning your hike because it has everything you need to know about visiting Cinque Torri!
Hey, I’m Nichole!
I am the creator behind Nichole the Nomad, the home of my explorations around the world, mountain hikes, and beautiful pictures taken along the way. I have a deep passion for capturing the world in a beautiful light and sharing my experiences.
I created this blog to share my travels, show how beautiful the world is, provide tips and tricks for traveling, and encourage you to explore. Whether you want to travel across the world or explore what’s in your backyard, I hope this blog inspires you to get outside and find your adventure!
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