This post will show a lot of photos of trees, sorry about that in advance 😅 But yes, I actually travelled to Italy to see trees. Specifically, golden larches. We chose Lago Federa because it’s one of the best places to see them in autumn. The plan was a 15-km circular trail with about 900 metres of elevation gain, supposedly doable in 5.5 hours. (Spoiler: it took us seven.)
On the Way to the Trailhead
The day started early, with the sun rising between the ridges as we drove toward our starting point at Ponte de Ru Curto. Even the drive itself was scenic, with winding roads, sleepy valleys, and the first golden hints of autumn light.
The Circular Trail Around Lago Federa
The trail began steep right from the start, climbing quickly through the forest.
We stopped often (well, I stopped often, my boyfriend had endless energy as always). Partly to catch our breath, partly because I needed an excuse to take out my camera. Every few turns revealed a new view of the surrounding peaks.
Soon, the golden larches appeared everywhere. At times it looked like it was snowing, but it was just the trees letting go of their needles, swirling through the air. If you’re not into trees, feel free to skip straight to the lake 😄
Right before reaching the lake, we met a random hiker with a drone who said this was the perfect spot to fly. He was right, we sent ours up too, and the view over Lago Federa was unreal.
Finally, we reached the lake. Still, mirror-like, and surrounded by larches so golden it almost looked staged.
Croda da Lago towered above it, reflected perfectly in the water.
Toward Croda da Lago
From here, the trail turned challenging again, as we needed to climb toward Croda da Lago, the peak we’d been seeing all along.
We didn't know yet that once we got there, we'd have to circle around the massive rock wall on the right side of the lake, then loop behind it to descend from the other side.
From the top, the view was spectacular. The light shifted every minute, the landscape changing shape with each step.
Across the Ridge
But we weren’t done yet. Another 300 metres of elevation still separated us from the actual top.
On the other side of the ridge, it felt like stepping into another world, colder, quieter, and already covered in early snow.
The Slippery Descent
This was when we realized what we’d gotten ourselves into. The northern slope never sees much sun, so the whole path down was frozen solid and slippery.
Huge rocks, cracking sounds, snow, and ice everywhere. Time to put camera back in the backpack and use both hands on the trail. The 900 metres of descent turned into a full-body workout. Wish us luck! 😅
Back to the Valley
By the time we finally stumbled back to the car, exhausted but happy, the weather decided to remind us what autumn in the Dolomites is really like.
Within minutes, we were caught up in a snowstorm, the same one we’d seen forming over the peaks now catching up with us in the valley. Luckily, we were already sitting in a warm car.
We were just glad the whole day had been clear and golden, making the long hike and slippery descent completely worth it.
