Untere Valentinalm - Monte Coglians (Hohe Warte) (via Wolayer See)

Access to starting point:
From Trbiž/Tarvisio we head onto the highway towards Videm/Udine. At Carnico, we leave the highway and first follow the signs towards Tolmezzo, then the signs for Austria and the mountain pass Pso di Croce Carnico / Plöckenpass. On the mountain pass, we descend to the Austrian side past the mountain hut Plocken Haus. Soon, the road towards the mountain hut Untere Valentinalm branches off to the left, where there is also a smaller parking lot.

Route description:
At the mountain hut, we head onto the mountain road following the signs for Ob. Valentinalm and Wolayer See. The road is quite flat and closed to public traffic. Soon we leave the road and head right onto a footpath, which later crosses the road several times and brings us to the hut Obere Valentinalm in less than an hour, from which there is a nice view of Rauchkofel (2460m) and the northern wall of the mountain Kellerspitzen (2769m).
From the hut, we continue on a well-marked footpath past the mountain pasture where livestock grazes in summer. At the end of the mountain pasture, the path turns a little to the left, where we begin to ascend through the valley below the mighty walls of Coglians. The path through the valley, which occasionally runs across grassy slopes and occasionally across slopes strewn with rocks and boulders, brings us to the junction at the saddle Valentin Torl (2238m) in about an hour. To the right the path leads to Rauchkofel, to the left a very demanding climbing path to Monte Coglians. We choose the middle path, which starts descending from the saddle and brings us to Lake Wolayer See in about half an hour, from where there is a very nice view of Monte Coglians and Monte Capolago. By the lake there is also the mountain hut Wolayerseehütte.
At the lake, we head left towards the Wolayer Pass, which is just a few minutes' walk away. From the pass, where there is the Rifugio Lambertenghi Romanin hut on the Italian side, we descend slightly and soon reach a junction, where we head left following the signs for Rifugio Marinelli (Sentiero Spinotti path); the right path leads down the valley to the Tolazzi hut. From the junction, we first cross scree beneath the western walls of Coglians for a short time, after which the path becomes much more demanding. With the aid of fixed protections and a ladder, we climb up an almost vertical narrow gully. Then the path ascends quite steep rocky slopes, where steel cables occasionally assist us. The path becomes a little gentler for a short time and turns slightly to the left, then steeply ascends rocky slopes again until we reach the grassy slopes on the south side of Coglians. The path becomes easier and soon joins the path from the Marinelli hut across meadows and scree. Here we begin ascending slightly slippery scree, which becomes quite steep in the upper part. In the final section, the path turns left and follows a steep ascent with some easy scrambling to the very panoramic summit.

Along the route: Obere Valentinalm (1540m), Valentin Torl (2238m), The lake Wolayer See (1951m), Wolayer pass (1974m), Rufugio Lambertenghi Romanin (1955m)

We recommend: trips from the same starting point, similar trips, panorama, GPS track