Four routes in Val di Funes with real distances, height gains and timings, and the criteria I use to decide which to suggest: from the Sentiero delle Odle to the low loop at Santa Maddalena.
If you have a full day and want the north face of the Odle in front of you, the Sentiero delle Odle (Adolf Munkel Weg) is the right choice: about four hours of walking, modest height gain, two mountain huts along the way. If you only have half a day, or you are walking with small children, the low loop between Santa Maddalena and San Giovanni in Ranui gives you the same landscape for a third of the effort.
I have been taking groups into this valley for several seasons, and the question I get is almost never "which is the most beautiful trail". It is "which trail is right for me, today, with this weather and these legs". Those are two different questions. Below are the four routes I suggest most often, with the real numbers, and the criteria I use to choose.
Where Val di Funes is and how to get there
Val di Funes (Villnößtal) branches off the Isarco valley at Chiusa and climbs eastwards for some fifteen kilometres, closed at its head by the Odle group. The two main villages are San Pietro and Santa Maddalena; the surfaced road ends at Malga Zannes, at around 1,680 metres, which is also the gateway to the Puez-Odle Nature Park, inside the perimeter of the UNESCO World Heritage Dolomites.
- By car: A22 Brenner motorway, Chiusa/Val Gardena exit, then about twenty minutes along the valley road.
- By train and bus: Chiusa station on the Brenner line, then a local bus towards Funes and Santa Maddalena. This is what I recommend in high season.
- Parking: at Zannes and Ranui it is paid and fills early. In midsummer, car access to the valley floor may be restricted: it is always worth checking the current situation before setting off.
The four routes I recommend most often
1. The Sentiero delle Odle (Adolf Munkel Weg) — the classic
You start from Malga Zannes or Ranui and follow the belt of forest and mountain pine at the foot of the north face of the Odle, passing the Geisler Alm and the Gschnagenhardt Alm. As a loop it comes to about 10 kilometres and 450–500 metres of ascent, a good four hours of walking including stops.
Hiking grade, good surface, no exposed sections. What makes it special is not the altitude — you stay below 2,000 metres — but the point of view: you walk beneath the spires, with the Sass Rigais (3,025 m) looming a few hundred metres above. It is a relationship with the rock you do not get from higher up.
Practical advice: start early. Between noon and two the two huts are full and the light on the face is the worst of the day.
2. The Santa Maddalena and San Giovanni in Ranui loop — the most photographed
Barely six kilometres, around 200 metres of ascent, two comfortable hours. This is the circuit that takes in the little church of San Giovanni in Ranui, a mid-eighteenth-century baroque chapel standing alone in the meadow with the Odle behind it, and the famous viewpoint over the church of Santa Maddalena.
Two warnings that save disappointment. The Ranui meadow is private property: access to the shooting point is controlled by the owners and in season there is a charge — from the public path the church is still visible, just from a different angle to the postcards. And the Santa Maddalena viewpoint is not in the village: you reach it from the path climbing towards the head of the valley, ten minutes' walk further on.
This is the route I suggest for the first day of a holiday, with children, or when the afternoon weather is uncertain.
3. From Malga Zannes to the Genova Hut — for those who want altitude
About 11 kilometres there and back, 650 metres of ascent, five hours. You climb from the valley floor to the Genova Hut (Schlüterhütte), at 2,297 metres, on the ridge running towards Passo Poma and Val Badia.
Here you really do leave the forest: the last stretch is open, the ground is alpine, and on clear days the view runs from the Sass de Putia to the peaks of the Valle Aurina. The hut is generally open from early June to early October; outside that window it is normal to find residual snow in the shaded gullies, and the route changes character.
4. The circuit of the huts from Zannes — the half day
Five kilometres, 450 metres of ascent, about two and a half hours. The route linking the meadows and huts around Zannes, largely on a broad, even surface. The going is easy, but the metres of climbing are all there: this is not a valley-floor stroll. It is the circuit I suggest to people who want to see the huts without committing the whole day. For something genuinely flat, the nature trail also starts at Zannes: short, accessible and fine with a pushchair.
| Route | Length | Ascent | Time | Who I recommend it to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sentiero delle Odle | ~10 km | ~470 m | 4 h | A full day, trained legs |
| Santa Maddalena – Ranui loop | ~6 km | ~200 m | 2 h | Families, half a day, uncertain weather |
| Zannes – Genova Hut | ~11 km return | ~650 m | 5 h | Those after altitude and open views |
| Circuit of the huts | ~5 km | ~450 m | 2 h 30 | Half a day, to see the huts |
When to go
- June: the valley-floor meadows are at their best, but there can still be snow on the higher routes on north-facing slopes.
- July and August: everything open, huts in full swing, and a lot of people. Setting off before nine changes the experience completely.
- September: my favourite month. Low light, clean air, huts still open, half the people.
- October: the larches turn yellow and the valley is magnificent, but the days shorten and many huts close around mid-month.
- Winter: the valley is splendid and the tracks are beaten, but the routes are not the same: you need snowshoes or micro-spikes and an assessment of snow conditions.
What to put in your rucksack
- Boots or hiking shoes with a lugged sole. Trainers on damp ground are the number one cause of slips.
- A windproof and waterproof shell, even with a good forecast: above 1,500 metres the weather turns fast.
- A warm layer. At the huts, in the shade, August can feel cool.
- At least a litre and a half of water each.
- Sun protection and a hat: the radiation at altitude is another matter entirely.
- Poles, especially for the descent.
- Cash: not every hut takes cards.
- A map or a GPS track downloaded offline. There is no signal everywhere.
Three mistakes I see most often
The first is calculating time from distance rather than height gain. Ten kilometres on the flat and ten kilometres with five hundred metres of climbing are two different things.
The second is building the outing around a photograph. The Ranui chapel is beautiful, but if the plan is simply to reach the shooting point, you have driven an hour for a five-minute stop.
The third is not allowing for afternoon storms. In summer, at altitude, heat storms are the rule and not the exception: those who leave at seven get home dry, those who leave at eleven almost never do.
I take small groups on these routes, adapting the pace and the distance to whoever is there. Have a look at the tours on the programme or write to me and we will build the day together.
Frequently asked questions
How long does the Sentiero delle Odle take?
As a loop from Malga Zannes it takes about four hours of actual walking, for some ten kilometres and 450–500 metres of ascent. With stops at the two huts it is reasonable to reckon on five or six hours in total.
Is Val di Funes suitable for children?
Yes, if you choose the right route. The best one for small children is the Zannes nature trail (Naturerlebnisweg Zans): a short, almost level loop inside the Puez-Odle Nature Park that lets you discover the valley's fascinating flora and wildlife along fourteen information stations, some of them also in Braille. The surface is firm and takes a sturdy pushchair, and it was the first nature trail in South Tyrol passable by wheelchair as well. The Santa Maddalena and Ranui loop also works well. The circuit of the huts and the Sentiero delle Odle suit children already used to walking, roughly from seven or eight years old.
Do you need a guide for the Adolf Munkel Weg?
Technically no: the path is waymarked and has no exposed sections. A guide is useful for a different reason — reading what you are walking through, the geology of the Dolomites, the life of the huts, the wildlife — and for handling the weather and the group's pace so that you do not have to.
Can you reach Val di Funes without a car?
Yes. You take the train to Chiusa on the Brenner line and continue by local bus to San Pietro and Santa Maddalena, with services running up to Zannes in high season. In summer it is often easier than looking for a parking space.
When is the best time to photograph Santa Maddalena?
The first hour after sunrise, when the low light catches the face of the Odle and the valley floor is still in shadow. At sunset the church is backlit: lovely, but a different photograph.
If the rest of what I do interests you, on the blog you will also find a piece on Nordic Walking technique and one on birdwatching in the Po Delta, which is the other half of my territory.