The Dolomites is an unbelievable national park which I would highly recommend going to if you haven't already been. Lago di Sorapis is a famous lake in the heart of the national park. The lake attracts massive numbers of tourists every year. As you can see below it's a stunning location so not surprising.
The hike itself is around 2 hours and is not for the faint hearted. With shear cliff drops along the way prepare yourself for incredible views and a reasonably tough hike. I would say it's medium in terms of how hard it is to do; you have to be fit and ready for some climbing to get there. As mentioned before the views are amazing and this is definitely a great hike to do for scenery lovers.
There is no way of driving to this location- you either have to hike or get a helicopter there. Well, get the helicopter if you've got a bit of spare cash! There's a mountain refuge right next to the lake which you can book to stay in here's the link to their webpage http://www.rifugiovandelli.it/english.html. The best place to park if you are going for the hike is on Passo Tre Croci if you look at the map below you can see the area- it is also possible to park on the road. This is a popular place so be prepared to potentially park a little further away!
If you look to the east you can see the footpath where the hike begins I have marked it below.
If you look at the hike on google to the lake it says about 1hr 20 mins, however I don't feel this takes into account the steepness and how tough some areas are to walk through. It took us 2 hours! Although it had been raining a large amount prior to our visit so everything was slippy. Let me know how long it took you, I'd be interested to know!
Once at the lake prepare yourself for some incredible views, potentially a swim if you visit in the summer. I'd recommend bringing lots of food and water for the hike and maybe having a picnic while you're there. The lake does dry up during the autumn and will freeze during winter. How dry the lake is in autumn varies a great deal. We visited in the autumn 2019 and it was mainly dried up. This didn't stop us taking some great photos and enjoying the views though!
As you can see there is a tiny dot of blue in the corner! This is how dry the lake was in October 2019. You can do some research prior to your visit on rainfall in the area and possibly find someone that has been recently to see how full it is. If you go in the summer this shouldn't be a problem.
Staying for sunset or getting there for sunrise is something well worth doing. The scenery looks even more beautiful (if thats even possible!). You can get some stunning photographs and enjoy the sun going down or coming up. The hike back or there in the dark afterwards isn't bad but you will need a torch for sure!
There's an action shot of us staying at sunset. This was just before the sun went down but as you can see from the first picture posted you'll also be able to capture some amazing colours at either of these times.
The scenery on the way there and back is incredible and you will be awestruck by everything going on around you. You can capture images like this during the blue hour on your way back.
Don't forget to get some shots on the way there too! The route is one of the best you will find for views!
If you have any questions about this post don't hesitate to contact me on my contact form above. I hope you enjoyed reading this and good luck with the hike!
Many thanks,
Joe
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