After wrapping up the first leg of our trip through the Brenta Dolomites and descending from Rifugio Agostini into Bolzano, Forrest and I crossed over into the Rosengarten group for our second week on the trail.
While the Brenta route had us focused on big vertical climbing days and long via ferratas, the Rosengarten week saw more weather and route adjustments as we dealt with rifugio availability and rainy days. Instead of trying to recreate a step-by-step trail guide, I wanted to share the photos from that week as a visual diary of the route.
We started our trek hiking up to Gardeccia Hut to spend our first night on the mountain. The next morning, we geared up to climb the Kesselkogel via ferrata. The climb takes you right up to the highest peak in the Rosengarten group, alternating between steep scrambles, iron ladders, and exposed ledges with cables. Standing at the summit cross with 360-degree views across the valley before descending down toward Grasleiten Pass was incredible, especially with clear morning weather on our side.
After descending down a brutal scree field, we made our way over to sleep at Rifugio Bergamo. Bergamo was a last minute addition because the other huts were full but it turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip!
From Bergamo, we hiked to Alpe di Tires, where we spent the night and caught an incredible sunrise lighting up the peaks the next morning. Starting early gave us the perfect window to tackle the via ferrata Laurenzi. The route is notoriously long and exposed, following a knife-edge crest of jagged limestone with huge drops on either side. It requires steady nerves and constant attention on the unprotected scrambling sections between cables, but the ridge views made all the mental focus completely worth it before we descended down to sleep at Rifugio Vajolet.
Mountain weather always gets the final say. Rain rolled in and fell steadily on our route from Rifugio Vajolet to Roda di Vael, forcing us to cancel our planned via ferrata for the day. Having an unexpected rainy afternoon inside a warm hut, drying gear, playing games, and sharing a warm meal ended up being just as memorable as the sunny trail days.
The rain continued off and on as we moved along the route, but we got lucky with a clear enough window to complete the Passo Santner via ferrata. We finished out the week staying at the new Santnerpass Hut, tucked right against the sheer rock walls. While it rained for much of the time we spent at the rifugio, we were treated to some incredible breaks in the clouds that opened up dramatic, moody views across the peaks before we finally made our way off the mountain.
Rosengarten was filled with incredible adventure, dynamic mountain weather, and challenging terrain. And I can’t wait to go back.
Field Notes: High alpine weather in the Dolomites shifts fast, going from bright midday glare on pale rock to heavy cloud cover and pouring rain in minutes. When shooting limestone peaks under grey or rainy skies, skip the wide vistas that wash out against flat white clouds. Look instead for tighter framing where wet rock, saturated scree, and colorful rifugio roofs give you natural contrast.
