Ferrata Fiamme Gialle

This is a very picturesque route on spectacularly solid stone (for the Dolomites) located south of Allege and north of Agordo. It is off the beaten path and takes 2 hours or so to approach with a fairly difficult and exposed descent requiring another 2-3 hours. You will probably need about 7-8 hours to do the route unless you move very fast uphill. The result is a rarely traveled route. Given the great rock quality and low traffic on this route – the holds are still sharp and usable for actual climbing - it is a good choice to climb on the rock while using the cable only for protection rather than to pull on the cable. It might be a good choice for a solo day when everyone else is tired.
The route starts easily up a cabled section through stone with many trees and bushes for about 20-30 minutes. Then follow the winding path up through multiple sections of ledges, pine and occasional cabled section towards the more prominent cliffs above. Somewhere in this ledge section is a sign directing you back down the easy way (facile) which is the only easy way off other than down climbing the route. The final 1000 feet of the route is quite spectacular in terms of views and rock quality. Climb up the steep rock for 500-600 feet then traverse left into an amphitheater and hike up to the final section(s) of cable. One is labeled “difficile” – or difficult – do it, not the “facile” section. After another 200 feet or so you will be on the summit of La Palazza Alta which is a ridge line whose western side is steep cliff and eastern side gently slopes through forests down into the valley and trails that run below Civetta and Moiazza. You should get to the summit in 4-6 hours from the car. The summit of the ridge line – Monte Pelsa - lies a fair distance north.

Parking: Drive south from Alleghe or north from Agordo on SS203 to the town of Cencenighe. Drive into town and go left (north) following signs for a village called Bastiani. I recall that most of this road is single lane, tar with pullouts for oncoming traffic. Drive up to the small village and park in one of the very few car spots.
Approach: Park in one of the very few spots (7 total) in the village of Bastiani (be sure to get here early to get one of these spots as you cannot really access the approach unless you want to add many additional hours of walking up and down a tar track to get to this village). Walk out of the village up and to the right along a road that has signs indicating the direction to the Ferrata. Be VERY cognizant of when to break away from this obvious road and head up left on the marked trail – the break off is after 20-30 minutes of hiking. There is a small settlement – 1-2 houses with a map on an initial building after 30 minutes – if you see this settlement you walked 50-100 meters past the trail (if you miss the sign for the trail you can walk for hours and be unaware of your error – we did). Turn up the marked trail and head unremittingly uphill through a beach forest for another hour or so until the ground becomes very steep and there is a big rock with “ferrata” painted on it. Traverse right (south) and somewhere quite soon you will need to climb up over and around a big chunk of limestone outcropping, then head right again for a considerable distance – 15-20 minutes - along the hillside (some up and down here) on a faint path that occasionally has a cabled section. After 1.5 to 2 hours of mostly uphill hiking you finally will arrive at the ferrata.
Descent: I found the standard descent to be more difficult and more exposed with higher injury risk than the route. If I did it again, I would just down climb the ferrata as it is spectacular and safe. But for those who want a different path down, the standard descent is interesting and exposed and takes 2-3 hours. Do not do this descent with a newbie – it is too dangerous for them. From the summit head north down the ridgeline on a trail through the thick brush that parallels the cliff top. After 15 minutes or so you come into an opening / low spot on the ridge with a gap dropping down to the left (west) into a gully. It is marked as the descent / trail 562. The trail descends this steep gully hugging various side of the slot with some exposed traverses. Keep your eye out for red dots painted on the rock to help find your way down this complicated route. Eventually it heads up and left then steeply down into an adjacent gully. Descend this and then you are pushed out onto a very steep, very long, brush covered slope with a fair amount of unprotected 20-40 foot down climbing sections. Descend this in a winding fashion for 20-30 minutes. Eventually and thankfully you will hit the traversing trail near the route start and you can descend back into the woods and eventually to the road and back to your car.

Helmet, gloves, Harness, Ferrata rigging