Remote
Alta Via 4 hut-to-hut: a remote 90 km Dolomites traverse from San Candido to Pieve di Cadore through the Popera, Cristallo and Sorapiss groups.
Alta Via 4, the 'Via Grohmann', is the quietest of the numbered Alte Vie and one of the most misunderstood. In broad terms it is still the eastern-Dolomites traverse from San Candido (Innichen) to Pieve di Cadore, but the practical line hikers now use is centered on Tre Scarperi, Tre Cime, the Cadini, Sorapiss, Galassi and Antelao rather than the older Cristallo-Lorenzi description that still appears in many guidebooks.
That matters because AV4 is not just 'AV1 with a ferrata set'. The huts are smaller, the gaps between services are longer, and the route feels more serious and more remote than AV1 even when the ground is only a mountain path. The protected sections around the Cadini and Sorapiss are a real part of the route, but the bigger difference is the overall commitment level once you are a few days south of Tre Cime.
Short approach day; path 105 along Val Fiscalina.
Paths 10/11/102/105; classic Tre Cime traverse. Locatelli = lunch stop.
Path 117 into Cadini di Misurina; ferrata grade A–B sections.
Path 116; short day; fast hikers combine with Day 3.
Path 120 to Misurina, SS48 + path 215 up to Vandelli. (Modern Cadini variant; old Lorenzi/Cristallo line is closed.)
Long day. Sentiero Vandelli ferrata grade C; Bivacco Comici is an emergency shelter mid-way (not a planned overnight).
Path 250; traverse below the Antelao group.
Paths 250/253 then road descent to town.
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Harder than Alta Via 1 and more committing overall. The modern AV4 line mixes normal mountain paths with protected passages around the Cadini and Sorapiss, plus longer gaps between huts and less forgiving logistics if something goes wrong. Strong hut-to-hut walkers who are already comfortable on exposed terrain usually find it manageable; first-timers generally should not start here.
Most hikers should plan on 8 days, which is the clean version shown here. Very strong parties sometimes compress the Cadini section into 7, while slower walkers or people padding in weather days often treat it as an 8- to 10-day route.
The standard modern chain is Rifugio Tre Scarperi, Rifugio Auronzo, Rifugio Fonda Savio, Rifugio Citta di Carpi, Rifugio Vandelli, Rifugio Pietro Galassi, and Rifugio Antelao. Some parties combine Auronzo and Fonda Savio or use a valley overnight near Misurina, but those seven stops are the cleanest hut-to-hut chain.
Because it sits in an awkward middle ground: more serious than AV1, less famous than AV2, and poorly described by older sources that still follow the historic Cristallo-era line. Smaller huts, longer days, and fewer clean bailout options keep casual walkers away.