FIVE REFUGES TOUR – CORTINA D’AMPEZZO
One of the most beautiful trails in the world, perhaps even "the most beautiful of all," was described as such back in 1995 by the American magazine Mountain Bike Action, one of the most authoritative publications in the field.
Many years later, thanks to its extraordinary high mountain setting and the alternating streams, waterfalls, pastures, meadows, clearings, forests, and rocks, the Five Refuges Tour remains one of the benchmark routes for two-wheeled hiking.
The entire route takes place within two UNESCO Dolomites Natural Parks: the Dolomiti d’Ampezzo Regional Park in Veneto and the Senes-Fanes-Braies Park in South Tyrol.
The loop trail mainly follows dirt roads, away from traffic, passing several mountain huts including Ra Stua Refuge (1668 m), Sennes Refuge (2126 m), Fodara Vedla Refuge (1980 m), Pederü Refuge (1548 m), and Lavarella Refuge (2050 m) — the five most beautiful and famous huts that give the tour its name — before finally returning to the starting point near Fiames, a few kilometers north of Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Breathtaking views, climbs fit for true climbers, and dirt roads with some rough downhill sections make up the essence of this route, designed for bikers with good technical skills.
