Day 3 — Through the Puez Odle Nature Park: South Tyrol Dolomites Trail Running
June 24, 2026 — South Tyrolean Dolomites, Italy
Today the group traversed one of the most underrated corners of the Italian Dolomites — running point-to-point from one Dolomite valley into the next, hotel to hotel, through the Puez Odle Nature Park and along the famous Vallunga. Thirteen miles, 3,600 feet of climbing, two valleys, a rifugio refresh under colorful red umbrellas, and a final descent that earns the lunch.
Day 3 of our Dolomites and Slovenia trail running trip is one of the highlights of the whole trip. The photos and notes below are from today's June 2026 group, who are crushing it.
Today's Stats
- Distance: ~13 miles
- Elevation Gain: +3,600 ft
- Elevation Loss: −3,600 ft
- Region: Puez Odle Nature Park, South Tyrolean Dolomites, Italy
- Notable trail feature: The Vallunga traverse
- Mid-run stop: A classic Dolomite rifugio: your choice of panini, espresso, canederli, or lemon soda (apple strudel mandatory)
- Tonight's stay: 4-star wellness hotel in a green valley
- About the trip: Designed in 2020, run every summer since 2022. Multiple weeks a year.
Morning: along a river, then up
The day began the way the best Dolomite days do: a real South Tyrolean breakfast — eggs and yogurts, fruits and local cheeses, house-baked bread and jams, and a dessert bar (doesn’t everyone deserve a little more breakfast dessert in their life?). Pair that with espresso and tea, and then we were onto the trail.
The first miles cruised along a beautiful river through one of the prettier valleys of the South Tyrol. Gentle, runnable double wide gravel paths, the kind of legs-warming-up running that gets your camera out before your legs even know they're tired.
And then the first climb of the day, leaving the valley floor and gaining altitude into the Dolomite high country. About 4 miles in, the trail turned up and the conversation got quieter as everyone settled into climbing rhythm. When we say we hike the uphills of major climbs in the Dolomites, this is what we mean.
Into the Puez Odle Nature Park
The Puez Odle Nature Park is one of the lesser-known gems of the Italian Dolomites — a vast protected area in South Tyrol, with mountain trails connecting some of the most striking limestone faces in the entire range.
It's also home to some of the most iconic mountain huts in the region. The Puez Odle is dotted with classic Dolomite rifugios — Rifugio Puez, Rifugio Firenze, Rifugio Genova / Schlüterhütte, Rifugio Brogles — each with its own dramatic location, traditional South Tyrolean cuisine, and (importantly) apple strudel tradition. The high meadows are bordered by jagged peaks; the lower valleys offer some of the smoothest singletrack you'll find in Italy. Every direction you look, something is worth running toward.
For the next few hours, the group traversed beneath some of the most jaw-dropping limestone faces in the Dolomites — sheer vertical walls rising thousands of feet from the trail. The kind of scale that makes you stop mid-stride to look up.
Mid-run: the scenic rifugio for refreshments and snacks
About halfway through the day, the group stopped at one of our favorite rifugios in the area — a classic mountain hut with colorful umbrellas on the terrace, panoramic views, and the South Tyrolean staples: espresso, panini, and the occasional canederli (dumpling) order from anyone hungry enough.
These rifugios are part of what makes Dolomite trail running unlike anywhere else. You don't just run through the mountains here — you run between the mountain huts, stopping for real food made by real people who've been here for generations.
Final climb to lunch
After the refresh, the day's final climb to our lunch rifugio. Steeper than the morning's climb, but with the carb-load of strudel doing its job. Lunch was a hearty South Tyrolean spread — speck, mountain cheese, fresh bread, and pasta or canederli depending on who ordered what.
The Vallunga traverse and descent
"The Puez Odle is like nature's seven wonders. Ascending through switchbacks surrounded by majestic pines that lead to the magnificence of the mountain views from a hut that even the most vivid imagination cannot make more perfect. Yet that is the appetiser, as you climb up a track engulfed by jaw-dropping mountains before reaching the jewel of the run - the view of the picturesque long valley - Vallunga. The Grand Finale and a clear favourite for the downhill adrenaline junkies awaits, as you explode down down the path of phenomenal views while battling the mixed terrain and hikers that seek to enjoy the same enriching experience of this section of track. The final cherry on top is the amazing destination point, where the wellness area rewards the efforts of tired muscles and the views excite you for the next adventure that awaits. "
— Ben, Australia
The afternoon delivered what may be the most photogenic section of the entire trip: an epic traverse overlooking the Vallunga — one of the most beautiful long valleys in the Dolomites. From the high trail, the valley opens up below you in every direction, framed by the limestone walls that make this region instantly recognizable.
Trail runners on classic Dolomite singletrack through the Puez Odle Nature Park, South Tyrol Italy. Day 3 of Runcation Travel's South Tyrol Dolomites + Slovenia trail running trip — six days of point-to-point running across two countries.
The descent into the next valley was the technical reward of the day — fun, flowy, switchback singletrack, the kind that makes you grin while concentrating. The group strung out by pace, each runner finding their own line.
Short Strava flyover clip of the day's steep climb and flowy switchback descent through the Puez Odle Nature Park area, South Tyrol Italian Dolomites. Captured and shared by a participant on Day 3 of our South Tyrol + Slovenia trail running trip.
Quick flyover clip of the route, courtesy of Veena— thank you for sharing!
"As always, I loved the flowy techy switchback descent — with our guide as my rabbit!"
—Veena, U.S., Runcation participant
Tonight's stay
Tonight the group is at a 4-star wellness hotel in a green valley with the full Dolomite recovery package: pool, jacuzzi, sauna, full spa, and enjoying an aperitivo with local meats and cheeses to take the edge off 13 miles of climbing and descending. After today, that spa is earning its keep.
One thing that struck me from afar
Watching today's photos and notes come in from the team, what struck me most was how this trip works because it's hotel-to-hotel and valley-to-valley through the Dolomites. Every day you wake up in a new place. By the third morning of a point-to-point trip, your suitcase has already moved ahead to a new hotel in a new valley. You wake up with nothing to do but eat breakfast, lace up, and run across to meet it. There's a kind of momentum that builds over seven days like this — the landscape always moving forward.
I’m personally looking forward to the second half of this trip: the group will be traveling onward to Slovenia and experiencing a different kind of magic in the Julian Alps. We’ll be posting photos and videos of the runs there on our Instagram if your curious what Triglav National Park looks like from a runner’s perspective.
Want to run the Italian Dolomites and Slovenia with us?
The South Tyrol Dolomites + Slovenia Trail Running Trip is a guided, point-to-point, hotel-to-hotel adventure across two countries — the Italian Dolomites and the Slovenian Julian Alps in one trip. It's one of our favorite weeks of the year.
→ Learn more about the South Tyrol Dolomites + Slovenia Trail Running Vacation
→ Solo traveler? No single supplement on this trip — about half of every group are solos. Learn more