A glacial lake at 1 925 m, reached by a 2-hour hike from Passo Tre Croci. The colour is unreal – and the trail there is exposed enough that timing matters.
Lago di Sorapis is a glacial lake at 1 923 m sitting in a stone bowl below the Sorapis massif, between Cortina d'Ampezzo and Lago di Misurina. The colour is the headline – pale milky turquoise from glacial silt suspended in the meltwater. The hike in is Trail 215 from Passo Tre Croci, about 5.5 km each way, 2 to 2.5 hours at a steady pace, with a few exposed ledges secured by fixed steel cables.
The lake itself is small. You can walk most of the shoreline in twenty minutes and every angle is a different composition. The classic angle puts the Rifugio Vandelli in the upper-left and the Dito di Dio rock spire centred above the water. The light works best mid-morning, once the sun has come over the eastern ridge to actually hit the surface – before that the bowl stays in shadow and the colour reads as flat grey.
Drag to compare · Lago di Sorapis, edited with Alpine 03
Two windows work for photography. June and October. Everything outside May–October is closed, frozen, or visually wrong – skip those months.
Both spots are on the shore opposite the trail entrance. Walk around the lake clockwise (5–10 minutes) until you can shoot back toward Rifugio Vandelli and the Dito di Dio spire.
From Cortina d'Ampezzo: ~15 min east on SR48 to Passo Tre Croci. The trailhead is signed.
Passo Tre Croci parking: Free, ~40 cars. Fills by 08:00 in July-August. Overflow at Hotel Passo Tre Croci 200 m east.
Capacity: Arrive before 07:30 or after 16:00 to find a spot in peak season.
Trail 215: 5.5 km each way, ~350 m elevation gain, 2 to 2.5 hours up at a steady pace. The first half hour is gentle forest path. The second half has narrow ledges with fixed steel cables and short wooden bridges over the rock face. Not technical, but exposure means it is not suitable in rain, ice, or for anyone uncomfortable with heights.
Rifugio Vandelli: 1 926 m, sits just above the lake. Food, drinks, summer-only. Open roughly late June to mid-October.
Loop option: Return via Trail 216 over Forcella Marcoira (2 307 m) for a 13 km loop. Much quieter on the descent, but the gravel slope down is steep, loose, and slow.
Every photo on this page was edited with a preset from my Lightroom Alpine pack. Six presets per pack, calibrated for high-contrast alpine light, real RAW files behind every preview. 30-day refund if it's not for you.
Photographer's guides to other spots I've shot, same treatment as this one.
Best in October · 5 min walk
GuideBest in September · cable car
GuideBest in October · cable car or car
GuideBest in September · 2 hr hike
GuideBest in September · 40 min walk + toll road
GuideBest in July · 1 978 steps
GuideBest in August · 2 hr hike
GuideBest in late April · 2 hr hike