Monte Pic Hike In Val Gardena: 3 Route Options

If you’re looking for a quieter hike in Val Gardena with huge views and nowhere near the attention Seceda gets, put Monte Pic on your list.

We’d already hiked up to Baita Seurasas before, but this July we finally continued all the way to the summit of Monte Pic with Emma.

And I was genuinely surprised by how little-known Monte Pic still feels considering what you can see from the top – Seceda and the Odle peaks, Sassolungo, Alpe di Siusi, Sella, and Rasciesa all spread out around you. We barely met any people on the hike compared to the more popular trails in the area.

The climb from Cristauta is properly uphill, but there’s nothing technical about the route we took (although some sections are a bit narrow or rocky).

Kristine did the straightforward out-and-back with Emma, while I also scouted two longer versions that continue toward Col Raiser, including one that takes you through Seceda.

If you like the idea of Seceda-level scenery without building your whole day around one of the busiest spots in Val Gardena, Monte Pic is very, very worth knowing about.

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Monte Pic Hike in a Nutshell

Family of three smiling together on a mountain viewpoint with dramatic rocky peaks, green valleys, and winding trails stretching across the landscape behind them. An adult man and woman wearing sunglasses embrace a young child in a pink jacket as they pose against a backdrop of rugged mountains and large white clouds in a blue sky.

Key details:

Trailhead: Cristauta parking lot
Length: 7 km round trip
Level: moderate
Elevation gain: 610m
Time: about 1 hour 45 minutes up and under 1 hour 30 minutes down
Trail numbers: 4 → 41 → 20 → 6

Those are the details for the base route, though.

Here are the statistics for the alternate routes and detours:

Crujeta viewpoint detour: +800 m | no significant extra elevation gain | about 15 minutes extra
Monte Pic to Col Raiser via Mastlé: 9.5 km total | 766 m up / 416 m down | about 4 hours
Monte Pic to Col Raiser via Seceda: about 10.5 km total | roughly 966 m up / 616 m down | about 4 hours 30 minutes

The simplest option is the 7 km out-and-back from Cristauta, which is the route Kristine did with Emma. If you’ve got more time, you can continue from Monte Pic toward Col Raiser instead, either through Mastlé or with the extra climb up to Seceda. Both longer routes finish at Col Raiser, so you’ll take the gondola back down to Santa Cristina rather than hiking back to Cristauta.

Either way, it’s a solid but manageable day hike from Santa Cristina where you get one of the best 360-degree panoramas in Val Gardena.

The Trail: Cristauta to Monte Pic

A woman and child pause on the Monte Pic hike in Val Gardena to look across green alpine meadows and forests toward dramatic Dolomite peaks. A bright blue sky and scattered clouds frame the wide mountain view near Baita Seurasas.

This is the main route we hiked from the Cristauta parking lot above Santa Cristina to the Monte Pic summit, passing by Baita Seurasas. It’s not the only one that exists – there are several other, many of them harder – but we found the effort-to-reward ratio on this one completely exceptional.

Cristauta Parking to Baita Seurasas

Parking area at Cristauta in Val Gardena with hikers and cars surrounded by tall alpine trees. This is a common starting point for the Monte Pic hike toward Baita Seurasas with Dolomite mountains visible beyond the road.

The hike starts at Cristauta parking, a small paid parking lot above Santa Cristina.

You can reach it by car, bus, or hiking up from Santa Cristina (although I wouldn’t choose walking myself).

Hikers follow a wide gravel trail uphill through green alpine meadows and tall larch trees on the Monte Pic hike in Val Gardena. Wooden gates and fencing mark the path as the route climbs toward Baita Seurasas with mountain views opening through the trees. — The hikers are following the trail towards Seceda and Col Raiser, while we’re on the trail to Monte Pic

From the parking lot, take trail 4 toward Col Raiser. Pay attention to the signs here because trail 4 also goes in the opposite direction toward Ortisei.

The first few hundred meters are open, with views back across the valley toward Sassolungo, and then you head into the forest. After about five minutes, turn left onto trail 41 towards Seurasas and Pic.

A man and child hike along a forest trail on the Monte Pic hike in Val Gardena. A wooden stile crosses the path in the foreground while the route continues uphill through tall trees and bright green grass.

It’s a wide forest road at first and gradually turns into more of a hiking trail as you climb. You’ll stay under the trees for most of this section, and it took us about 40 minutes to reach Baita Seurasas at a comfortable pace – plus however long it took to convince Emma to actually walk instead of complain about hiking.

Baita Seurasas

A child sits on a wooden heart shaped bench marked "Baita Sëurasas Hütte" with dramatic Dolomite peaks framed through the center. The scenic stop near Baita Seurasas is surrounded by green alpine meadows and forest along the Monte Pic hike in Val Gardena.

By the time you reach Baita Seurasas, you’ve already done a decent chunk of the climb, so it’s a good place to stop for a bit. Especially since the views toward Sassolungo open up again around the hut.

The hut itself is small, family-run, and much quieter than the better-known rifugi around Seceda or Alpe di Siusi. We’ve eaten here more than once, and everything we’ve had has been so good – local pasta, canederli, and cabbage salad included.

The family who runs it is lovely, and the owner is also a wood carver. He sells some of his carvings inside the hut, and we ended up coming home with a little wooden cat because, well, we have a cat. And, well… cat. Emma also bought earrings and a necklace from Mr. Runggaldier, and she absolutely loves them.

There’s also a south-facing meadow with sun loungers and a small playground right beside the hut, which makes this a very easy stop if you’re hiking with kids. Emma was perfectly happy here, which is usually a fairly reliable review system.

Baita Seurasas to Seurasas Junction

A woman hikes uphill with trekking poles through a grassy alpine meadow on the Monte Pic hike in Val Gardena. The trail opens to sweeping views of the Sassolungo and surrounding Dolomite peaks above the forested valley.

From Baita Seurasas, keep following trail 20 uphill. This section is steeper than the climb you did up to the hut, but it’s still very manageable. If you’re hiking with a kiddo, probably with a few stops – or some hiking games to keep them moving.

You’re out of the forest now and walking through open meadows, past a few of the little wooden huts that are still used for storing hay. And the higher you go, the more the views open up toward Sassolungo and Alpe di Siusi.

It took us around 20 to 30 minutes to reach the Seurasas junction. There, the route splits: trail 6 to the right takes you up to Monte Pic, while trail 6 to the left takes you toward the Crujeta viewpoint if you want to add the short detour first.

Optional Detour: Crujeta Viewpoint

Sweeping view over Val Gardena from the Monte Pic hike - Crujeta viewpoint - with forested slopes, green alpine meadows and villages spread across the valley below. Layered mountain ridges stretch into the distance beneath a bright blue sky with scattered clouds.

At the Seurasas junction, take trail 6 to the left if you want to add the short detour to the Crujeta viewpoint before heading up to Monte Pic.

It’s only about 15 minutes extra there and back, with basically no additional elevation gain, so I’d do it unless you’re really short on time.

There’s a cross at the viewpoint, and from there you get a different angle over Ortisei, Rasciesa, and Alpe di Siusi.

I did the detour while Kristine continued toward Monte Pic with Emma, and I still somehow made it to the summit before them. Make of that what you will.

Seurasas Junction to the Summit

A child hikes along a narrow dirt trail through a flower filled alpine meadow on the Monte Pic hike in Val Gardena. Sassolungo and the surrounding Dolomite peaks rise dramatically across the valley beneath large summer clouds.

Back at the Seurasas junction, take trail 6 to the right for the final climb up to Monte Pic. This is the steepest part of the whole hike, with about 250 meters of elevation gain left, and it’s also where you’ll encounter the narrower and rocky sections.

It looks a bit more intimidating from below than it actually is, though. We did it in dry conditions and didn’t have any trouble, although I’d be more careful here if the trail is wet, especially on the steeper and rockier bits.

A child climbs a steep rocky section of the Monte Pic hike using trekking poles as the narrow trail winds up a grassy alpine ridge. Red and white trail markings guide the route beneath a bright blue sky filled with large clouds. — One of the narrow parts

And don’t walk and take pictures at the same time – the narrower parts are sneakily narrow, and we don’t want any accidents, right? The drop on the sides is rather impressive.

Give yourself somewhere between 30 minutes and an hour for this last stretch, depending on your pace. We were very much in the “hiking with a child who may or may not currently be interested in hiking” category, so I wouldn’t treat the faster end of that range as a target.

Views from the Monte Pic Summit

A woman and child rest on a wooden bench during the Monte Pic hike with sweeping views across Val Gardena. The green alpine ridge drops away toward the valley while the Sassolungo and surrounding Dolomite peaks rise dramatically beneath large summer clouds.

Monte Pic has a grassy summit with nothing to block the view, no trees, nothing in the way, just a full 360-degree panorama of every major peak in Val Gardena and beyond.

In my opinion, this is one of the best views in the entire valley.

Starting from the north and moving clockwise, you can pick out Seceda, then Fermeda, Odle, the Puez altopiano, Stevia, Cir, and the Sella group. Keep turning and you’ll hit Sassolungo to the south, then Alpe di Siusi to the southwest with the Sciliar range and Punta Santner behind it, and finally Ortisei and Rasciesa to the west.

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It’s basically the entire skyline of Val Gardena from one spot.

We also found it much quieter than Seceda. There were other hikers around, obviously, but nowhere near the same kind of crowd you get at the more famous viewpoints in Val Gardena

There’s also a very conveniently located bench up there.

And yes, there’s only one, but if it’s taken, the grass works just fine.

Longer Monte Pic Hike Variants to Col Raiser

A hiker descends a narrow trail through rolling green alpine meadows on the Monte Pic hike in Val Gardena. A small mountain pond and scattered huts sit below while rugged Dolomite cliffs rise above the open landscape.

If you don’t want to retrace your steps back to Cristauta, you can keep going from Monte Pic and finish the hike at Col Raiser instead.

There are two ways to do it. The shorter one takes you through Mastlé, Pieralongia, and the UNESCO viewpoint before dropping down to Col Raiser. The longer one adds the climb up to Seceda first, then joins the same route again around Pieralongia.

Both are point-to-point hikes, so once you reach Col Raiser, you’ll take the gondola back down to Santa Cristina.

Variant 1: Via Mastlé to Col Raiser

Wide alpine panorama from the Monte Pic hike in Val Gardena with bright green meadows dotted with small huts and a mountain pond. Jagged Dolomite peaks rise across the valley beneath a vivid blue sky and scattered clouds.

This is the shorter of the two extended routes. I did this variant solo on our last trip, continuing from Monte Pic through Mastlé and down to Col Raiser, while Kristine and Emma descended back to Cristauta.

Monte Pic to Baita Daniel

Baita Daniel mountain hut in Val Gardena with a sunny outdoor terrace, lounge chairs and hikers relaxing beneath rugged Dolomite peaks. The rustic wooden hut is a scenic stop along the Monte Pic to Col Raiser hike.

From the summit, instead of retracing your steps on trail 6 back toward Baita Seurasas, continue on trail 6 northbound toward Seceda.

This brings you down to the Cuca saddle, the low point between Monte Pic and Seceda. The descent is moderate, nothing technical, and similar to what you climbed on the way up.

At Cuca, take trail 2 to the right toward Baita Daniel.

It’s a higher-end mountain hut, the sort of place where people are sitting down for an aperitivo or a glass of Prosecco. It even has its own rustic wine cellar with more than a thousand labels.

The terrace faces south, with views toward Mastlé, Sassolungo, and across to the Puez-Odle altopiano and Stevia.

Baita Daniel to Pieralongia

A winding gravel path leads hikers through green alpine meadows toward Baita Troier in Val Gardena. Steep rocky Dolomite slopes rise directly behind the mountain hut beneath a vivid blue sky and large white clouds. — Baita Troier under the Puez-Odle needles

From Baita Daniel, follow trail 1A for about a hundred meters, then take the signed but unnumbered path branching off to the left toward Baita Troier.

Don’t worry about the missing trail number – there are signs at the junctions, and it’s easy enough to follow along with a hiking map like Mapy.com.

Troier has its own charm, including an alpaca enclosure.

The views are similar to what I saw at Daniel, just from a slightly different angle, with Fermeda and Odle now looming right above me.

From Troier, another signed path leads to Malga Pieralongia, a small dairy hut. This stretch takes you right under Odle, and this part of the trail felt quiet, especially compared with the usually crowded Seceda nearby.

A narrow trail winds through green alpine terrain toward the distinctive Pieralongia rock formations in the Dolomites. Jagged limestone towers and scattered boulders rise around the path beneath a bright blue sky with white clouds.

Just past the hut, you’ll see huge rock formations called Pieralongia – twin rock spires roughly 60 meters high that look like they were dropped from the sky. The name roughly translates to “long rock” in Italian, and you can really understand why once you see them.

In addition to those twin spires, there are lots of other huge boulders scattered across the area.

I saw a few people standing on top of the spires, though I didn’t try climbing them myself, so I can’t tell you whether it’s an easy scramble or something more technical.

Pieralongia to the Mastlé UNESCO Viewpoint

Curved viewing platform at the Mastlé UNESCO viewpoint surrounded by pale rocks and overlooking rolling alpine hills in Val Gardena. Sassolungo rises dramatically in the distance beneath a bright blue sky with scattered clouds.

From Pieralongia, take trail 4A, then turn right onto trail 1 toward the Mastlé UNESCO viewpoint platform, which is one of seven viewpoint platforms in South Tyrol.

It’s a panoramic platform with a full 360-degree view and a metal plate identifying every peak in sight.

I was there late afternoon, around 4:30 p.m., and there was absolutely nobody around. Earlier in the day, around noon especially, it’s probably a lot busier – that’s generally how it goes in the Dolomites.

But now it was just me, the magnificent panorama, and total quiet, except for the animals around – like the two horses that I saw grazing nearby.

Two horses stand beside a rustic wooden fence at the Mastlé UNESCO viewpoint in Val Gardena. The viewpoint overlooks green alpine slopes and forests with Sassolungo rising prominently across the valley under a bright blue sky.

Mastlé to Col Raiser

From the viewpoint, stay on trail 1 until a signed but unnumbered path branches off to the right (rather than continuing toward Rifugio Firenze), which rejoins trail 4A and brings you to Col Raiser.

At Col Raiser, Baita Odles is right there if you want one more stop.

I didn’t stop this time as I was catching the last of the Col Raiser cable cars, but I had lunch there back in March, and the canederli were good.

There’s also a big outdoor terrace with views toward the Puez-Odle altopiano and Stevia. It’s proper al fresco dining with a view.

The Col Raiser gondola takes you down to Santa Cristina. In the high season it runs until about 5:30 p.m., though it closes earlier in the low season.

Make sure to check the schedule properly before your visit, as it changes year to year.

I got there with about fifteen minutes to spare, which was cutting a bit close.

From the bottom station, it’s a 15- to 20-minute walk into the center of Santa Cristina, or you can catch the local bus if the timing works out. I just walked.

Variant 2: Via Seceda to Col Raiser

Mountain landscape with jagged rocky peaks, grassy slopes, and patches of snow under a clear blue sky. Rolling hills and distant mountains are visible in the background.

If you want to reach Seceda on foot instead of taking the cable car up from Ortisei, this variant is your best bet.

It’s a genuinely satisfying way to arrive at Seceda, though it’ll cost you some sweat and sore legs first: the climb from Cuca saddle up to Seceda alone gains about 370 meters.

Cuca to Seceda

A hand holds up a bright pink kids hiking boot at Baita Sofie with the Seceda peaks and grassy slopes softly blurred in the background. The close up highlights the boot against the mountain view outside the window and the small label reads "waterproof and breathable". — Baita Sofie – from our October trip, not the Monte Pic hike

The route starts the same as Variant 1: trail 6 from the summit down to the Cuca saddle.

From Cuca, continue on trail 6 to the left. This stretch briefly overlaps with trail 2, so don’t worry if you see both numbers on the signs.

After another 200 meters or so, trail 6 branches right and continues upward, passing Baita Curona along the way. If you’re getting hungry or thirsty, it looks like a good place for a break.

Trail 6 eventually joins trail 1A, and the two run together the rest of the way up to Seceda.

Just before the summit, you’ll reach Baita Sofie. We stopped here as a whole family on a different trip and loved it.

It has a huge south-facing terrace with sun loungers and its own kids’ playground. It’s a great spot for a meal or an aperitivo, but since it’s the closest hut to the top of Seceda, it’s popular and you should expect it to be busy.

Like Baita Daniel, it’s a rather high-end mountain hut, with its own wine cellar holding around 900 labels.

I had beef goulash with canederli there and it was really good, with views every bit as splendid as you’d expect this close to Seceda.

A quick note on this stretch: I’ve done pieces of this route on separate visits, but not this exact connection from Cuca to Seceda in one go, so treat this section as a well-researched route rather than a fully lived one.

Seceda to Pieralongia

Jagged limestone rock spires at Pieralongia in Val Gardena near Seceda, surrounded by green alpine meadows and wildflowers under a bright blue sky with scattered white clouds. Two hikers stand on the pointed peak in the distance, emphasizing the dramatic scale of the Dolomite landscape.

From Seceda, continue on trail 6 toward Forcella Pana.

This is the most crowded part of the entire hike, since it’s where you’ll find the classic postcard views from Seceda.

Also, part of the land is privately owned, and the locals have installed turnstiles to help protect it from damage caused by the sheer number of visitors. It costs 5 euros to pass, and you can pay by cash or card.

If you’d rather skip the toll (though not the crowds, since the views are almost the same), continue instead on trail 1, which runs about 50 meters lower in elevation and gets you to the same place without paying.

Either way, you’ll rejoin trail 1.

At one point the trail branches off to the right toward Baita Troier and the UNESCO viewpoint, but instead of following that branch, continue straight ahead on the signed but unnumbered trail beneath Fermeda and Odle. That trail brings you to Malga Pieralongia.

From there, the route is identical to Variant 1: Pieralongia’s twin rock spires, the Mastlé viewpoint, and on to Col Raiser.

Where to Eat on the Hike

Summer view near Santa Cristina in the Dolomites with a traditional alpine hut at Baita Seurasas surrounded by green meadows and rolling hills. Forested slopes and rugged mountain peaks rise in the background under a clear July sky, showing a peaceful mountain hiking landscape.

You won’t go hungry on this hike because there are huts spread out along every variant of the route. All of them have outdoor seating with nice terraces, and on a good summer day, dining al fresco is honestly one of the highlights of doing this hike.

A general note before you go: most of these huts are open roughly 9a.m. to 5p.m., but hot meals are usually only served in a narrower window, typically 11a.m. to 3:30p.m. So don’t expect a full hot menu all day long. Check the opening hours before your trip, though, as they change depending on the year and the season.

Baita Seurasas – the first stop, about 40 minutes into the hike. Family-run and absolutely lovely, with local pasta and canederli with cabbage salad. The owner carves his own wooden souvenirs, and there’s a meadow with sun loungers and a kids’ playground. It’s my absolute favorite.

Baita Daniel – on the Col Raiser and Seceda variants, just past Cuca saddle. It’s one of the higher-end huts, with its own wine cellar holding more than a thousand labels and a south-facing terrace looking toward Mastlé and Sassolungo.

Baita Troier – a bit farther along the Col Raiser variant. It feels more low-key than Daniel or Sofie, but in a good way. We haven’t eaten here ourselves, but it looked worth a stop. There’s also an alpaca enclosure, with Fermeda and Odle rising right above you.

Baita Curona – on the Seceda variant, just past Cuca. We haven’t stopped here ourselves, but based on the menu and photos, it looks like a solid option if you want to eat before the final climb to Seceda.

Baita Sofie – just below the Seceda summit. It’s the closest hut to the top, so expect it to be busy. It’s another higher-end option, with around 900 wine labels, a huge terrace, and a kids’ playground. We had beef goulash with canederli and pasta here on a separate trip and loved it.

Baita Odles – at Col Raiser, right by the gondola station. It has a big outdoor terrace with views toward the Puez-Odle altopiano and Stevia, and the canederli are good too.

How to Get to the Trailhead

Summer mountain view near Santa Cristina with the Sella Group rising behind green alpine meadows around Baita Seurasas. Rolling hills, scattered trees, and dramatic rocky peaks create a wide open Dolomites landscape on a clear July day.

Getting to the Monte Pic trailhead is pretty straightforward, whether you’re driving or using public transport. The easiest starting point is Cristauta above Santa Cristina, but you can also begin from the center of town if you don’t mind adding some extra distance and elevation.

By Car

Driving to the trailhead means that you don’t have to worry about bus schedules – but it does limit you to an out-and-back version of the hike.

Park at the paid Cristauta parking lot, in the highest part of Santa Cristina. It’s not that big, so I’d get there early if you’re driving, especially in the peak summer months, or there might not be any spots left.

You can pay via the EasyPark app, which is the most convenient way to do it, or use the payment machine on-site if you prefer.

Make sure you stick to the roads where driving is allowed and pay for the parking – the police come and check the lot regularly.

By Bus

You can also take bus 358 from Santa Cristina up to Cristauta. It runs roughly every 45 minutes for most of the day, though there’s a gap around lunchtime, so check the timetable before you go rather than just showing up and hoping.

This is what we did on our most recent trip, and once we had the schedule sorted, the bus worked well. We didn’t need to worry about the parking, but on the other hand, it did mean that we were hurrying back to catch one of the last buses.

Starting from Santa Cristina

Malga Odles mountain hut sits in a green alpine meadow beneath the jagged Odle peaks in the Dolomites. The rustic wooden hut has an outdoor terrace and signs reading "Malga X Hütte ODLES" and "From Our Farm To Your Plate".

If you’d rather skip both the car and the bus, you can also start the hike directly from the center of Santa Cristina on trail 20 from Streda Dursan, near the town hall. Just know that this adds about 350 meters of elevation gain and 2 km one-way.

What to Pack and Wear

A woman and child rest in a wildflower filled meadow while descending from Monte Pic in Val Gardena. The grassy trail section sits just before the Seurasas junction with mountain pines rising behind them beneath a clear blue sky.

We did this hike in early July, on a beautiful summer day, around 20°C with a few clouds around.

I started in hiking pants and a T-shirt, but changed into shorts almost immediately at Cristauta because I was already too warm.

That said, conditions vary a lot up in the mountains. On a different day you might need long pants or a jacket even if it’s summer.

Whatever the forecast looks like when you set out, pack some extra layers with you. You’re climbing to around 2,400-2,500 meters, and wind or cloud cover can make it feel a lot colder up there than it did in the valley.

For footwear, I wore hiking shoes, Kristine wore trail runners, and Emma had hiking sandals on. The terrain isn’t technical anywhere on this hike, so you definitely don’t need heavy hiking boots unless you prefer the extra ankle support.

I also brought hiking poles and was very glad to have them on the descent.

Sunscreen and lip balm are worth throwing in your backpack too. And a bag for any trash you produce.

As for water, there are huts along the route, so you don’t have to carry everything you’ll drink for the entire day. For the longer variants, I’d bring around 2-3 liters, and less for the out-and-back to Monte Pic that Kristine and Emma did.

How much water you actually need will depend on the temperature, your pace, and how much you normally drink, so I wouldn’t treat the 2-3 liters as a hard rule.

Here’s the full packing list so you don’t forget anything

When to Hike Monte Pic

A child walks downhill with trekking poles through a wide alpine meadow while descending from Monte Pic toward the Seurasas junction. Sassolungo dominates the view across Val Gardena with scattered huts and forested slopes below.

Monte Pic sits at 2,363 meters, and if you push on to Seceda on Variant 2, you’re up at 2,519 meters. At that elevation, you really need the trail to be clear of snow, which generally means June through October.

But I wouldn’t treat that as a fixed hiking season because it shifts from year to year.

Don’t assume July guarantees snow-free conditions either. One summer, we saw fresh snowfall on Seceda one July morning.

It had melted by midday, but it’s a reminder that mountain weather doesn’t follow a strict calendar, even in the middle of summer.

The huts along the route generally follow a similar June-to-October season, although exact opening and closing dates vary, so check them before you go.

Where to Stay in Santa Cristina

Alpenhotel Plaza in Val Gardena with pale yellow walls, white balconies, and a restaurant entrance lined with colorful flower boxes, viewed from across a parking area. Green alpine hills and traditional mountain buildings surround the hotel under a dramatic cloudy sky, showcasing one of the hotels in Val Gardena.

If you want to hike Monte Pic without adding unnecessary logistics, Santa Cristina is the obvious base. You’re close to the Cristauta trailhead, the Col Raiser gondola, and the bus connections you’ll use for the longer route variants.

We stayed in Hotel Posta, and it’s a great pick for families, with a huge garden, heated pool, kids’ facilities, and genuinely good food.

Look at our favorite hotels in Val Gardena

Other Hikes and Things to Do Nearby

Kristine and Michal sit on a wooden bench with a sign reading “SASSOLUNGO” in front of the Sassolungo Group at Passo Sella in the Dolomites. Towering limestone peaks rise behind green alpine meadows, hiking paths, and cable car lines under a bright blue sky with scattered clouds.

If you’re staying in Santa Cristina for more than a day, there’s plenty nearby to add around the Monte Pic hike.

Monte Pana – just above Santa Cristina, with great views toward Sassolungo, a big playground, horse riding, and an amazing trail for kids Pana Raida.
Ziplining – a zipline runs from Mont de Seura down to Monte Pana, with panoramic views and speeds up to 90 km/h.
Sassolungo loop from Monte Pana – a good full hiking day if you want something more substantial nearby.
E-bike to Alpe di Siusi – another easy option from Monte Pana if you want a break from hiking.
Col Raiser and Seceda – obvious choices if you didn’t include them in your Monte Pic route.

Where Monte Pic Fits Into a Val Gardena Itinerary

View toward Monte Pic from the garden at Hotel Posta in Santa Cristina Val Gardena. Green lawns and hotel buildings sit below the grassy mountainside beneath a dramatic cloudy sky. — View of Monte Pic from Hotel Posta

Monte Pic is one of those hikes I’d happily do again. You get the huge 360-degree views, the route itself is straightforward, and it still feels much quieter than some of the better-known hikes around Val Gardena.

If you’re spending a few days in the area, it also fits really easily into a bigger Val Gardena itinerary alongside places like Seceda, Monte Pana, and the Sassolungo area without trying to cram everything into a single day.

There are also loads of things to do in Val Gardena, from hiking to adventure activities, so it’s very easy to end up with more ideas than days.

We’ve helped many of our travel planning clients with exactly this problem, haha.

Monte Pic Hike in Val Gardena: 3 Route Options