Piz Boe is home to Italy’s most accessible 3000 metres mountain and Italy’s second-highest mountain hut, Rifugio Capanna Piz Fassa. This guide will tell you everything you need to know to get to and hike Piz Boe and have the best time possible in the Pordoi section of the Italian Dolomites!
Feel free to check out my other HIKING GUIDES or see what other adventures to have in ITALY.
Key Details
- Distance – 6.5KM Round trip from the gondola 10.5km without the gondola
- Days required – 1-2. Piz Boe can be done in 1 day however a stay in a hut is recommended for the full experience
- Total Incline – 250M from the Gondola. 850M from Pordoi Pass.
- Total Decline – 250M from the Gondola. 850M from Pordoi Pass.
- Highest Point – 3,152M (10,341 Feet)
- Difficulty – Easy from the Gondola – Moderate if hiking the whole way.
- Guide – Not Necessary
- Accommodation – A few options available. Rifugio Cappana piz fassa, Boe & Forcella Pordo
- Uncomfortable Factor – 4/10
What is Piz Boe?
Piz Boe is a mountainous peak in the western area of the Italian Dolomites. In winter the area is well known for the many ski traverses possible. In summer home to some of the world’s best hiking and the second-highest mountain hut in Italy, Rifugio Capanna Piz Fassa.
Where is Piz Boe?
Piz Boe is located in Northern Italy in the Italian Dolomites. The closest access point is Pordoi Pass. The two closest major airports are Venice in Italy and Innsbruck in Austria.
How to get to Piz Boe, Rifugio Cappana piz fassa, Rifugio Boe & Forcella Pordo?
The easiest way to get to Piz Boe is to hire a car in Venice or Innsbruck. You can also bus from the closest major town, Cortina.
Route to hike Piz Boe
The route is pretty straightforward, from the gondola you follow the 627 path along a very well-signed route. You should be able to see Piz Boe for your entire hike!
Cable Car vs Incline
Part of the reason Piz Boe is so accessible is its proximity to the Sass Pordoi cable car. A very speedy modern gondola that will take you up 600m of elevation in minutes.
If you choose not to take the cable car the hike up Salita alla Forcella Pordoi will take around 1-2 hours, becoming very steep at the end, finishing at the Forcello Pordo hut.
Gear Required to hike Piz Boe
Hiking Shoes – Most will do fine. I use Merrell’s.
Softshell pants – I use Arcteryx.
Base layers – Top and bottom. Only ever use Merino wool. It keeps you warm without overheating.
Sweat wicking top or fleece – It can get quite cold at the top.
Puffer jacket – Lightweight with a stuff sack. Most will be fine. No need to spend loads. This is a safety precaution.
Hard Shell Jacket – I use Arcteryx Beta.
Costs to hike Piz Boe
Gondola – 30 euro’s each for adults.
Accomodation – 60 Euro’s each.
Guide – Not Necessary.
Food and Drink – Up to you!!
Accommodation – Hut options for Piz Boe
There are 3 huts all very close to Piz Boe, one right on top of it!
Rifugio Cappana piz Fassa – Italy’s second-highest hut located on the top of Piz Boe. See my full guide here!
Rifugio Boe – Quite a big hut and very common for those on the Alta Via 2.
Forcella Pordo – Either way you walk up Piz Boe, you pass this!
Piz Boe elevation
The peak and turn around point to hike Piz Boe is 3152M (10,341 Feet) at Rifugio Cappana Piz Fassa.
Best time to hike Piz Boe
May to August is the main season. Outside of that the huts are closed and the landscape is far too icy for hiking.
Is it dangerous to hike Piz Boe?
Usually, Piz Boe is relatively safe. It’s very easily accessible and the risk of getting lost is low. There is some slight scrambling up ladders however not crazy enough to call it a via Ferrata.
When we went it snowed overnight, making the path down very icy and slippery. In these conditions, it definitely increased the danger level.
My experience Hiking Piz Boe and staying in Rifugio Capanna Piz Fassa
My partner Erin and I stayed a night in Rifugio Capanna Piz Fassa as part of a week-long Dolomites trip. This was our third hut so far and we were excited about the height and to be a bit off the beaten track. We had done the Tre Cime walk a few days earlier and were shocked by the amount of people around!
Knowing that you can only check in to the huts from 3 pm we chose to have a late start and spent our morning exploring the local towns.
Gondola Ride
Considering we had hiked 30+ km’s that week we opted on the gondola option. We were also early in the season so there was still quite a lot of snow around and not too many people.
Stepping off the gondola we found ourselves in a Martian-like landscape surrounded by fog and snow. Our visibility was so small we couldn’t make out any features, relying on the signs to show us the way.
The eerie fog also provided a pin-drop silence, adding to the mystery of what may be around us. We followed the path for a very short time, down a few rocky ledges to the Forcella Pordo.
We reached the hut as the weather started to clear up. Crossing paths with exhausted hikers that chose the long option as they made their way through the welcoming gates of compacted snow.
Forcella Pordo
Continuing on we could start to see the features of Piz Boe itself coming in and out of view in the fog and were quite shocked about how close it is. Crossing a few snow patches in the shadow of the surrounding peaks, we started up Boe itself.
Piz Boe Scramble
The path follows red and white markers the whole way and the climb is quite easy. Some parts are more of a scramble but it is also quite well protected with ladders and hand holds. There are some harder parts but nothing to the level of a via Ferrata.
This was the first time Erin had been at altitude and she started to feel it reasonably quickly. The short zig-zagging climb finishes at the Rifugio Capanna Piz Fassa hut and it is easily one of the most unique stays I’ve ever had.
Rifugio Cappana Piz Fassa
We spent the evening playing cards with a Canadian couple we met that night while being served our dinner of pasta and goulash while snow began to fall.
The next morning, we had a tight deadline to make it off the mountain and back to Venice for our flight. We set off at 8 am to a fresh half-foot of snow. The overnight dumping had made our path back extremely icy and slippery. Many points were spent on our hands and knees with me guiding Erin
If we had slipped in the wrong place, we definitely would have had a severe injury. Luckily everything was OK!
A fast trot back to the cable car and we quickly found ourselves amassed by throngs of tourists using the good weather on a Saturday to head up the cable car. Within 30 minutes we were down the bottom of the cable car and on our way.
Hiking Piz Boe and our stay in Rifugio Capanna Piz Fassa was one of the highlights of our Italian Dolomites trip!
