Lake Sorapiss

Lago di Sorapiss is a small lake with an improbable colour, set in a stone amphitheatre of the Dolomites above Cortina d'Ampezzo. At about 1,925 metres, under the north faces of the Sorapiss group, it is fed by meltwater from the little Sorapiss glacier, and that water carries a fine powder of ground dolomite rock. Suspended in the lake, the particles scatter the light and turn the water a milky, almost opaque turquoise, a shade that looks artificial until you stand at the shore and see the pale scree and grey walls from which it comes.

Above the water rises the slender rock tower known as the Dito di Dio, the Finger of God, at 2,603 metres, one of the most recognisable silhouettes in this part of the Dolomites, and next to the lake stands the Rifugio Vandelli mountain hut. The surroundings are as much a part of the place as the lake itself: a circle of cliffs and scree, and the lake lying in the bottom of the cirque like a pool of coloured glass. Its appearance changes over the year: by late summer the level can drop dramatically, and from autumn to late spring the basin is buried under snow.

The lake can only be reached on foot, and the walk is part of the experience. Trail 215 leaves the road just east of the Passo Tre Croci, at about 1,800 metres, and runs for around five kilometres along the flank of the mountain, with some narrow and exposed passages secured by steel cables and metal ladders. No climbing equipment is needed, but sure footing is, and most walkers take around one and a half to two hours each way.

Getting there

Cortina d'Ampezzo lies about 12 km from the lake; the city of Belluno is about 42 km away, and the nearest airport is Treviso (TSF), about 97 km away. From Cortina the road SR48 climbs to the Passo Tre Croci; in summer Dolomiti Bus line 51 (Cortina – Passo Tre Croci – Misurina) serves the pass, which is the easiest way to avoid the crowded parking at the trailhead. From the pass the lake is reached only on foot along trail 215.