Piani Eterni from Sagrón

This unprecedented yet spectacular hike, starting in the Mis Valley, at the foot of the Dolomites of the Cimonega Group, will take you to one of the most beautiful places in the heart of the Dolomiti Bellunesi National Park: Piani Eterni. The location of Piani Eterni is typically reached from Val Canzói, in the Province of Belluno, on one of the national park’s most famous itineraries.

The route starts from the hamlet of Pante di Sagrón (1,025 m asl), in which you can conveniently park your car. After following the asphalt road downhill for a few hundred meters, at the height of the hamlet Casère, the itinerary takes a gravel road on the right towards Forcella dell’Omo / Forzèla del’Òm. The trail – which traces in its first part the thematic trail “Intrecci del Tempo” – becomes less and less visible and, after a passage descending gently in the forest of Val de le Móneghe and the ford on the Pezzea Torrent (regional boundary and border of the National Park), enters the gully of the Val Mandrisset to begin an ascent of about 1,000m of elevation gain that leads to the saddle. The signposts are visible, but it is useful to pay attention since the trail is not particularly known. The ascent of the gully leading to the saddle of Forcella dell’Omo is the most challenging part of this whole itinerary and, although it does not have particularly challenging or exposed sections, it is not recommended for inexperienced hikers. With the constant foreground view of the imposing summit of Piz de Sagrón (Cimonega), once the vegetation is left behind, the ascent becomes very spectacular.

Once at the saddle of Forcella dell’Omo (1,946 m asl), located between the peaks of Corno del Comedón and Monte Brandòl, the most tiring part of the hike will be behind and the view of the vertical dolomite walls of Piz de Sagrón gives way to a grassy ridge overhanging the High Valley of Canzoi. From the saddle, the route follows the path of the Signpost No. 851 to the left and climbs a little more than a hundred meters until it reaches a second saddle (1,995 m asl), beyond which a wide basin opens up that radically changes the sight, featuring a typical karst environment with soft soil, pastures and limestone rocks. The route continues along the Signpost No. 851, which descends to the center of the basin surrounded by a paradisiacal environment, along the meadows and streams of the location of Laghetti, heading straight toward the hut of Malga Errèra, visible in the distance.

Once at Malga Errèra (1,708 m asl), the vast karst plateau of the Piani Eterni opens up; a place of rare peace and beauty, striking from the first glance for its extensive surfaces of gray limestone. From the Malga, the itinerary proceeds slightly uphill along the beautiful mule track of the Signpost No. 802 towards California / Campotorondo, in a common stretch with the “Alta Via Tilman” trek, connecting Falcade to Asiago and retracing the route taken by British Major Harold William Tilman in 1944. Once crossed the gap of Forcella Pelse (1,847 m asl), the trail continues downhill towards Campotorondo until it reaches the hut named Casera Campotorondo (1,763 m asl), used as a bivouac and which, with the basin of Busa del Toro behind it, represents another glimpse of infinite beauty.

From the Casera, the trail continues along Signpost No. 802 “Alta Via Tilmann”, starting a long section of the itinerary (about 5 km and 1,000 m elevation loss) that descends the Campotorondo Valley until it reaches the location California di Gosáldo. Caution is advised during this descent; although the mule track is wide and not technically difficult, it is often wet and slippery in places (the valley is particularly wet and not very exposed to the sun).

After the long descent you reach, just before arriving at the bed of the Mis Torrent, the location of i Sált (Gosaldo, Belluno), where you take the path on the left of the thematic trail “La montagna dimenticata” (tr. the forgotten mountain), which discovers the old gold and mercury mines of the Mis Valley, crossing numerous ruins of old houses and abandoned pastures. Although the path has recently been improved, the marks are not the best, so it is useful to pay attention when taking the path towards Vallalta / Sagron. After passing the shelter at Vallalta (868 m asl), the path passes some remains of the mines and, crossing the Pezzea stream, re-enters the territory of Trentino with an interesting passage at the old customs house (now a private dwelling). From the old customs house, a slightly uphill asphalt road that climbs the orographic right of the Mis Valley begins, leading first to the hamlet of Marcói (941 m asl), then to the one of Casère and finally to Pante di Sagrón.

It is advisable, once this beautiful itinerary is over, to check for the presence of ticks. The pastures of Piani Eterni are quite notorious for the presence of ticks; nothing particularly dangerous, but a safety check doesn’t hurt anybody!

Paths

• From the hamlet of Pante di Sagrón (1,025 m asl), descend along the main road for a few hundreds meters to the hamlet of Casère, then take the gravel road to the right towards Forcella dell’Omo / Forzèla del’Òm [2h 30],
• From the saddle of Forcella dell’Omo (1,946 m asl), follow the path of the Signpost No. 851 to the left towards Malga Errèra [3h 00],
• From the hut of Malga Errèra (1,708 m asl), proceed along the mule track of the Signpost No. 802 “Alta Via Tilman” in the direction of California / Campotorondo, crossing the gap of Forcella Pelse (1,847 m asl) [3h 45],
• From the hut named Casera Campotorondo (1,763 m asl), descend along the Signpost No. 802 towards California di Gosáldo, until you reach the crossroads at the location of i Salt [6h 00],
• From the crossroads at i Sált, take the track on the left side of the thematic trail “La montagna dimenticata” towards Vallalta / Sagron, passing through the location of Vallalta (868 m asl) [6h 20],
• After crossing the Pezzea Torrent, from the old customs house, continue along the paved road towards Sagrón, leading first to Marcói (941 m asl), then to the Casère and at last at Pante di Sagron [7h 00]. ✓