Romantic Lago di Braies (Pragser Wildsee in German) could easily be called the most beautiful lake in the Dolomites. It boasts deep emerald-green waters bound by bleached shingle beaches and sheer cliffs that plunge into the cool depths. Lying at the foot of towering 2810m Croda del Becco, which is reflected on the still surface, it owes its existence to ancient rockfalls that barred the valley. The name Braies may derive from the Celtic bracu (a marsh or swamp). Another theory is that it may have originated from the Ladin brage (trousers), as the eponymous valley forks evenly into what look like trouser legs.
Located at 1489m above sea level and covering 31 hectares, the lake is fed by both alpine streams and underground springs. Trout live in the lake’s chilly depths, which plunge to a maximum of 36m, while the surface temperature rarely exceeds 14°C. As a rule it ices over in late November, not reverting to liquid form until May. As motor-propelled craft are forbidden – the area is part of the Fanes-Sennes-Braies Nature Park – it is always peaceful.
A marvellous, rambling establishment adorns the northernmost end – the grand grey stone hotel, which has developed from the modest refreshment point it started out as 130 years ago. In the 1960s it hosted meditation sessions with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the Beatles’ personal guru at the time. Although it has seen better days, it is still a marvellous place to stay, as its old-style furnishings have been retained – even down to the antique toilet chains! Meals are taken in the magnificent and spacious Art Nouveau dining rooms.
This delightful walk consists of an easy anti-clockwise stroll round the lake (alternating waterside strolling with paths through the wood) and a negligible ascent and descent. For a longer, more demanding route, see Walk 2.
Hotel Lago di Braies
Walk
From the bus stop and car park, go R past Hotel Lago di Braies (1494m) to a clutch of path signposts. The start of the ‘Giro del Lago’ (n.1/4) is here. A wide, level path at first, it strikes out S past a chapel along the western edge of the lake, and is shaded by towering pine trees and brightened by alpenrose shrubs. Where the forestry track veers R (W) up Val di Foresta, leave it and take the path alongside a shingle beach backed with dwarf mountain pines. A little further on, ignore the branch S for the climb to Rifugio Biella and keep to the open lakeside, below remarkable rivers of scree flowing from eroding gullies on the face of Croda del Becco. Directly opposite the hotel now at the halfway point on the walk, this is a marvellous spot for a dip on a sultry summer’s day, although, due to the water temperature, only for the courageous!
Rounding the lake’s corner for the northward leg, you soon find yourself in light deciduous wood beneath the rocky mass of the Piccolo Apostolo. You reach a modest waterfall, then a series of steps and raised timber walkways lead round a picturesque rocky point below the Grande Apostolo, to give a lovely view over the lake.
The path round Lago di Braies
Soon, the path loops round a slender outreached finger of shallow marshy backwater edged by thick yellow marsh marigolds. You then pass the landing stage with rowing boats before returning to Hotel Lago di Braies (1494m). As a suitable follow-up, either embark on an exploratory scull over the water in one of the lovely hire boats, or treat yourself to tea or an aperitif in the hotel garden.
WALK 2
Rifugio Biella and Croda del Becco
| Start/Finish | Hotel Lago di Braies |
| Distance | 16.5km/10.2 miles |
| Ascent/Descent | 950m (add an extra 450m for Croda del Becco) |
| Grade | 2 (Grade 3 for Croda del Becco) |
| Time | 5hr 30min (add 2hr for Croda del Becco) |
| Maps | Tabacco n.031 scale 1:25,000 |
| Access | See Walk 1 |
If an excursion is made to Ausser Brags, a noble view is presented of the massive square-edged wall of the See Kofel, impending over a small lake, and rising to a height of 9,200 feet. Its upper beds belong to the Jura formation, and are stained with red, as are portions of many of the neighbouring peaks. Its dark form, as seen from Cortina, when backed by storm clouds, looks marvellously like a gigantic elephant uprearing itself.
J Gilbert and GC Churchill (1864)
You climb the ‘elephant’ itself in the course of this walk, which starts out from the ‘small lake’ Lago di Braies. It is a memorable picture-postcard alpine lake, with turquoise-emerald waters fringed with peaceful beaches and sheer cliffs.
This is the Fanes-Sennes-Braies Nature Park, something of a haven for wildlife. Although bears, wolves and lynx were effectively wiped out in the late 1800s, there are still plenty of animals to see: playful marmots, chamois grazing on open rocky hillsides, roe deer in the cover of the woods and a range of trout in the lake. Chances of encounters with the stately ibex are good for those who venture up Croda del Becco (also known as Seekofel in German and Sass dla Porta in Ladin).
The walk itself is an exciting circuit, but it is lengthy and tiring, so plenty of drinking water and sun protection is needed. It follows the opening stage of the popular long-distance path Alta Via 1 (AV1) as far as Rifugio Biella, which is a great spot for lunch and the start for the optional ascent of Croda del Becco. Highly recommended and extremely rewarding, although unsuitable for inexperienced walkers, it entails a further 450m climb on a partially exposed and aided route.
Rifugio Biella is also visited on Walk 4, which approaches from the S.
The aided climb en route to Rifugio Biella
Walk
The start is the same as for Walk 1, so from Hotel Lago di Braies (1494m) head S on the broad track (signed for n.1 and Rifugio Biella) along the western shore of the lake, past the chapel and through shady pines. Ignore the turn-off W for Val di Foresta near a shingle beach that gives access to the lake and awesome views of massive Croda del Becco. It’s not far to the key fork R, where path n.1 (also AV1) breaks off SSE (30min) and where Walk 2 leaves the route used for Walk 1. Continue on the path to cross extensive scree flows where dwarf mountain pines and alpenrose have taken root. You climb steadily, nearing the eastern flanks of Croda del Becco, with zigzags taking the sting out of the slope and the odd bench providing relief. A reinforced wooden walkway and chain allows you to round a crumbling cliff face then, after a rise, you reach a 2034m junction with path n.4, which is the return route. Keep straight ahead on n.1.
Croda del Becco from Forcella Sora Forno
The wood is much thicker and shadier now, and the lake is left well behind as you penetrate the inner silent valleys. As an imposing rock barrier is surmounted on a zigzag path aided by fixed chains, the going is relentless. Ignore a fork L (2186m, path n.3) before the path enters the forbidding corridor aptly named Forno, which is a ‘furnace’ on scorching summer days when the towering rock flanks block out any hopes of a breeze.
You eventually emerge at the minor pass Forcella Sora Forno (2388m, 2hr 50min), which overlooks a refuge on the edge of a vast plateau. This is the start point for the optional but highly recommended ascent of Croda del Becco.
Croda del Becco (2hr return time)
If you feel up to a further 450m climb, this entails a partially exposed aided stretch, which may feel more difficult in descent. For anyone with a head for heights and an appreciation of spectacular views, it is essential on a good weather day. You zigzag up the steep southeastern corner of the mountain and soon reach fixed chain, where the path is a little exposed along near vertical rock strata. The top