Spiz de Soforcela (2,484 m) in the Dolomites

Spiz de Soforcela (2,484 m a.s.l.) is a beautiful peak in the Dolomites, in the Dolomiti di Fassa group, located in close proximity to the well-known resort of Canazei. The mountain offers a gorgeous panorama of the monumental walls of nearby three-thousanders – including Piz Boè (3,152 m a.s.l.) and Punta Penia in the Marmolada massif (3,343 m a.s.l.). I summited Spiz de Soforcela quite spontaneously as part of a short evening trip. However, this anonymous peak enchanted me to such an extent that the sunset watched from it seems to me one of the most beautiful moments of my Italian holidays. Welcome to the report!

Table of Contents

1. The Challenge of Camping in Canazei
2. Spontaneous Ascent from Canazei
3. Spiz de Soforcela (2,484 m) – The Summit
4. Sunset and Return
5. Trip Map

Today begins with our last wake-up call at the campsite in Cortina d’Ampezzo. A quick breakfast, a sip of nourishing espresso, rolling up tents, and into the cars – time to set off for the next part of the expedition, in a different part of the Dolomites. The drive from Cortina d’Ampezzo to Canazei takes about two hours, leading through winding roads and high passes. The town is very crowded, but makes a very good first impression. Everywhere is clean and tidy, and the colorful facades of the buildings, decorated with beautiful floral ornaments, add a special charm.

A problem arises when we check in at the reception of the first chosen campsite – Camping Marmolada (1,440 m a.s.l.). Despite its considerable size, the entire campsite is full. Unfortunately, the situation is similar in other nearby campsites. It’s a disaster… We know we are in the Dolomites in the middle of the season, but for everything everywhere to be completely full? By the way, most local campsites do not accept early reservations. This means that when they are at full capacity, people wait by the entrance gate from the morning, looking hopefully at cars leaving the field. The demand for campsites in the Dolomites is enormous, incomparably greater than in all other places where I have practiced this type of tourism. After several failed attempts to check in, we return to Camping Marmolada in the center of Canazei. Thanks to a mixture of luck, pleas, negotiations, and the kind heart of one of the employees, our entire group of nine is let onto the field. It cost us a lot of nerves, but we did it!

At the new field, we pitch tents, prepare dinner on the burner, and surrender to the afternoon siesta. The sun is scorching today, and there isn’t a single cloud in the sky. In the late afternoon, when the rays have softened a bit, I decide to give today an active, interesting accent. My attention is caught by a majestic peak with a cross, towering directly above our campsite. I glance at the map, chart a route… Hmm… Looks good! No point in thinking long, time to act!

Taking advantage of the long day, I leave the tent at a quarter to 6 PM. The route from Camping Marmolada to the summit of Spiz de Soforcela is 6.3 kilometers long and requires overcoming 970 meters of elevation difference. I spend the first kilometer among the buildings of Canazei, jogging past the local swimming pool (“only” 20 euros for admission!) and crossing a bridge over the Torrente Avisio river.

I begin gaining altitude on a dirt road that climbs the northern slope of Spiz de Soforcela in wide zig-zags. The higher I go, the more interesting the view of Canazei and the monumental wall of Piz Boè becomes.

After a few hundred meters of exposed terrain, the road turns into a path and dives into a dense forest. I experience a moment of concern at an altitude of approx. 1,600 m a.s.l., due to a colorful yellow sign informing me of a prohibited entry due to forest work. Fortunately, I notice a legal detour nearby, thanks to which the further trip proceeds without unnecessary disruption. The intense green and density of the surrounding forest make me forget at times that I am in the Dolomites and not in our beautiful Beskids.

The first half of the trip is rather gentle: over a distance of three kilometers, I gain only 250 meters. However, realizing the altitude of my goal today, I suspect that the most difficult part awaits me after the halfway point. And indeed… as soon as the watch shows the three-kilometer mark, the incline starts to rise rapidly. For a few hundred meters, it’s still a muddy forest grind, but at an altitude of approx. 2,000 m a.s.l., the trees begin to thin out significantly.

At an altitude of approx. 2,150 m a.s.l., I am already above the upper tree line. The path continues to be brutally steep, but it fully compensates with an incredibly picturesque location. I walk through intensely green meadows, and panoramas of the imaginative peaks of the surrounding summits materialize around me. The sun also does its part, which, as it sinks toward the west, wraps the mountain slopes in warm, golden light. In this way, at an altitude of approx. 2,300 m a.s.l., I emerge onto a charming grassy ridge. From this point, only 200 meters of elevation difference remain to the summit over a distance of less than a kilometer. So let’s go! A solitary run through Alpine meadows at sunset has something magical and dreamlike about it. It’s just me, and around me is a beautiful world. A world that stands open before me, and it only depends on me whether I have enough courage to fully exploit the wonders it offers.

I check in at Spiz de Soforcela (2,484 m a.s.l.) at 7:40 PM, about two hours after leaving the campsite in Canazei. At the summit, there is a cross, a summit book for signing, and… a small solar panel.

I spend twenty charming minutes on the summit, delighted by the captivating panorama, vast spaces, and wonderful, soothing silence. The most impressive is the mighty Piz Boè (3,152 m a.s.l.), towering directly above the buildings of Canazei. To the right is the nearby Col Rodella (2,484 m a.s.l.) and the soaring Langkofel (3,181 m a.s.l.). To the east, the highest peak of the Dolomites, Punta Penia (3,343 m a.s.l.), and the Marmolada glacier covering its northern slopes are perfectly visible. Literally from every side, I am surrounded by a thicket of differently shaped, impressive summits. I get the impression that a lifetime would not be enough to conquer each of these mountains and traverse every one of these trails. And yet the Dolomites are only a small fragment of the vast chain of the Alps! How small man seems in such places!

I check in at the campsite gate about 40 minutes after starting the descent. The time seems like a fairly average achievement, but as it later turns out, it’s sufficient to appear on Strava as the author of the tenth best result on the local segment. The spontaneous trip to Spiz de Soforcela releases many positive feelings and huge amounts of gratitude in me. It’s incredible that sometimes such anonymous, unplanned little hills can give a person so much joy :D.

Date of the trip: August 13, 2025

Trip statistics: 12.5 km; 1,000 meters of elevation difference

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Trip Map