Via ferrata Small Cir

This mountain is easily accessed from the Gardena Pass. From the peak, you can enjoy a wonderful outlook on the surrounding Dolomites. An excursion to Small Cir can be perfectly combined with the ascent of its big brother – Gran Cir – for a full-day trip.

From Val Gardena

Coming from the Autostrada del Brennero (A22) highway, drive through Val Gardena (SS242) until Plan de Gralba. From there, turn left at the junction and drive up to Passo Gardena (SS243). On top of the pass, you’ll find a parking lot right after the “Frara” guesthouse (subject to charge).

In summer, the mountain passes in the Dolomites are excellently served by public transportation. Line 471 departs from Val Gardena (Ortisei) and Val Badia (Corvara) to Passo Gardena every 30 minutes. For detailed schedules, see SüdtirolMobil.

From Selva, it’s also possible to take the Dantercepies cable car to reach Passo Gardena even faster. The mountain station is located higher than the pass, which shortens the access time to Small Cir by about 20 minutes. Just follow trail 12A all the way to the starting point.

From Val Badia

From Val Badia it’s possible to take the Frara cable car from Colfosco until Passo Gardena. Once you step outside at the top, you’re already very close to the Small Cir. Follow trail 12A to the starting point.

From Passo Gardena you have a nice view of the peaks to the north. The largest one is Gran Cir. Small Cir is located to its left (to the west).

Starting from the parking lot, follow the trail upwards through the meadows until you almost reach the Dantercepies mountain station. Then, turn right and follow the path along the mountains. Follow the signposts and the red dots on the boulders until you reach the start of the via ferrata.

After ascending a metal ladder, you will reach a ridge and walk along it. The first part of the climb is relatively easy, but after a while it gets more challenging. After overcoming a huge boulder, the fixed rope route ends, and you’ll be walking for a little bit. The last part is the most exciting: a ramp leads all around the peak, until you finally reach the top of the mountain from the backside.

The way down follows the northern part of the mountain into a nick. It is secured by the fixed steel rope until that point. After it, you’ll have to descend through a channel until you reach the starting point of the via ferrata. From there, you can take trail nr. 12A to get back to the parking lot, or walk back to the Dantercepies mountain station.

The via ferrata Small Cir may be short, but it’s far from trivial and represents a great opportunity to practice and prepare for longer and harder climbs.

Even on days when there is a chance of bad weather in the afternoon, it should be no problem to pay Small Cir a quick visit in the morning.

If you haven’t done a via ferrata yet, we recommend that you start with Gran Cir, located right next to its small brother. If you can climb that one without difficulties and have enough time left, feel free to go for Small Cir right after.

• Tabacco no. 05, Gröden-Val Gardena or no. 07, Alta Badia, Arabba, Marmolada. The Tobacco cards are also available via the app.
• AV-Karte no. 52/I

• "Klettersteige für Einsteiger Südtirol-Dolomiten-Gardasee", Christjan Ladurner, Tappeiner
• "Klettersteigführer Dolomiten-Südtirol-Gardasee", Axel Jentzsch-Rabl, Andreas Jentzsch, Dieter Wissekal, Alpinverlag