The Dolomite Lakes and Lake Antorno
It’s autumn, the weekend is approaching — time to figure out where to go. The Italian Dolomites are beautiful in any season, and seeing them in autumn is guaranteed to impress. Decision made. I woke up early Saturday morning, quickly packed my backpack, tossed it in the car — and hit the road.
Just under 4 hours later — around 11:30 — I made my first stop near the small church of Chiesa Santa Maddalena. A good time for a snack, second breakfast, a bit of stretching, and soaking in the scenery.
Heading further south, I stopped by Toblacher See, Dürrensee, and Misurina, but the real gem turned out to be Lake Antorno. A peaceful lake, sunny weather, fragrant forest, and clear signs of the approaching autumn. All this framed by the massive, rugged peaks around. It all made for a slow, almost hour-long stroll around the lake. Naturally, I couldn’t resist hiding a small geocache in such a perfect spot.
Lake Delle Baste
Enough lounging — time to move. A friend recommended Lake Delle Baste for an overnight stay, which can be reached by a short hike from the Passo di Giau pass. After a short drive, I arrived at the trailhead. Packed my backpack, grabbed a bite — and off I went. Autumn had only just begun at the foot of the trail, but the hike was still lovely. A steady climb to a saddle point rewarded me with an incredible view.
As evening approached, I descended to Lake Delle Baste, set up camp, and spent some time capturing the sunset.
Day Two: Lake Federa
The plan for the next day was to reach Lake Federa, then decide what next. Looking at the map, it seemed doable as a loop. The idea of dropping 3–4 kg of gear was very appealing, so I stashed my gear under a rock and set off lightly toward the next saddle. I had woken up early and was lucky to catch the sunrise. Despite moving easily, I did trip and twist my ankle a couple of times — too distracted by the scenery. Fortunately, my boots did their job, and I kept going. The sun caught up with me from the other side of the mountains, and things warmed up quickly. As usual, only a few early birds out — I met the first person almost two hours later, approaching Lake Federa.
What a beautiful place! No wonder it’s considered one of the jewels of the Dolomites. A perfect spot for a break. I had second breakfast, refilled my water (there’s a hut by the lake with a tap), and hid another geocache.
And then the real adventure began. I decided the hike was too easy, so instead of returning the same way, I circled around the mountain massif. It started fine — the trail dipped into the forest. But then… a sharp 200-meter descent followed by a brutal 600-meter climb. And that climb, despite my light pack, was tough. Four hours later I finally returned to the saddle I’d crossed in the morning. Celebrated with a break and some dried apples I’d forgotten about (highly recommend — dried fruit hits the spot!). From there to camp and then the parking lot, I was running on fumes. I reached the car just before sunset — tired but happy. Took one last detour to a nearby mountain switchback to watch the sunset, then headed home.
Technical Details
Trip dates: October 12–13, 2019
Day 1: From the parking lot to the lake and campsite took 2 hours — about 4 km distance and 300 m elevation gain.
Day 2: Easy 5 km hike to Lake Federa with ~200 m descent. Then 2 more easy km, followed by a steep 200 m descent and a 600 m climb — plus another 200 m descent. Wouldn’t recommend it — better to keep it simple and return the way you came.
Not many good tent spots right next to the lake — it’s marshy in the low areas and uneven higher up. But you can usually find a small patch of flat ground. Worst case — walk a bit further out.
