Hi all!

5 friends and myself are planning a trek through the Dolomites this July. We would like to do the Alta Via 2, because it's more remote and less crowded than the classic Alta Via 1. We have no Via Ferrata experience though, but are used to trekking.

The route is mostly done in 10 days, but we only have 8 days for trekking. That means we can only do a part of it. Can anyone give me some advice on which is the best part of the Alta Via 2? I heard the first part is more rocky and the second part more in meadows. So I guess it's best we skip the very first and the very last part, but that's just a random guess.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Hi! I'm curious to hear how your trip went - what 8 days did you choose? We are trying to hike a 4 day portion in September and are trying to figure out the best section. Right now we're leaning towards starting in Bressanone and ending at Marmolada.

(Also if you have any experience renting Via Ferrata I'd love to hear what you all did!).

Hi,

This response may be a little late for you but replying anyway. My wife and I hiked the Northern part from Brixen/Bressanone to Passo di San Pellegrino. It was absolutely beautiful! This took us 5 days (not 6 like the "official" staging) but we planned our days to suit our preferences.

I recently wrote an overview about our trip on my site: http://gohikealps.com/2015/10/walking-dolomites-alta-via-2/ - There will be posts on the individual days once I have a chance to write them up.

As for Via Ferrata gear, we had our own with us and needed to use it for safety in a snow storm on the Sella Massif... In better weather it would not have been necessary.