Scoglio San Marco and Croda de l’Arghena

The hike to Scoglio San Marco and Croda de l’Arghena is a lesser-known route leading to two rarely visited summits, despite being located in an area where mass tourism is now very much present.

Scoglio San Marco has little in common with a classic Dolomite peak.
It is more of a rounded hill covered in dwarf pines, but still worth visiting for several reasons: very few people, a wild atmosphere, strong historical character, and relatively easy access.

If combined with the ascent to Croda de l’Arghena, the crossing of Col di Mezzo, and the descent through Val de l’Aga, the result is a rewarding loop hike away from the crowds, with beautiful views of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo.

Croda de l’Arghena itself looks far less dramatic than the surrounding Dolomite walls. Seen from the toll gate on the road to Rifugio Auronzo, it appears as a twin-peaked summit covered in dwarf pines.

Route overview: Scoglio San Marco and Croda de l’Arghena

This is a loop hike starting from Lago d’Antorno. It is also possible to start directly from the toll gate on the road to the Tre Cime. In spring, however, the road above Lago d’Antorno is often still closed.

It is one of those hikes best suited to springtime, when snow at higher elevations still limits many other options.

I would avoid this route during hot summer days, as much of the trail winds through dense dwarf pines, where the air barely circulates and the heat tends to build up, making the hike surprisingly uncomfortable, especially around midday.

Autumn is not ideal either. During that time of year, dwarf pines become a favourite habitat for trombicula mites, the annoying parasite I described here.

The first objective is Scoglio San Marco, a strategic point already during the time of the Venetian Republic.
It marked one of the northernmost outposts toward Tyrol. Later, during World War I, the area was fortified with trenches still visible today, a small tunnel carved into the rock, and a military observation point on its most exposed side.

From Scoglio San Marco the route continues to Croda de l’Arghena (or Arghéna in Ladin). Croda de l’Arghena also played an important role during World War I, as shown by the remains of military structures still scattered across the mountain.

From here, the panorama stretches from the Tre Cime di Lavaredo to the Cadini di Misurina, from Sorapìs to Cristallo, all the way to the Rondoi-Baranci group. From Croda de l’Arghena we then continue toward the Col di Mezzo plateau and its pass.

To complete the loop, from Forcella Col di Mezzo (Col de Mèdo in Ladin) we descend through Val de l’Aga until reaching the paved road, which leads back to Lago d’Antorno.

Route description

From Lago d’Antorno to Scoglio San Marco

From Lago d’Antorno we follow the paved road up to the toll gate. Here, on the left, we take the obvious track leading toward Malga Rinbianco. Before reaching the hut, a trail sign 📷 points us in the right direction: trail 108a.

We continue along the old military road, which soon begins descending to an elevation of 1718 m, where another sign 📷 confirms the correct direction. From here begins the path to Scoglio San Marco, originally built during World War I, later rediscovered and dedicated by the CAI section of Auronzo to Silvano De Romedi.

For a while the trail continues slightly downhill, which may feel a little strange, considering that Scoglio San Marco lies above us. In reality, the climb begins shortly afterwards.

Indeed, not long after, the trail starts gaining elevation, and after about one hour we reach a junction close to the summit. Once again, a helpful signpost 📷 shows the way.

We turn left and within a few minutes reach the summit of Scoglio San Marco.

From Scoglio San Marco to Croda de l’Arghena

After exploring Scoglio San Marco, we retrace our steps for a few minutes back to the junction reached earlier.

From here begins the least comfortable part of the route: the old wartime trail to Croda de l’Arghéna winds through dense dwarf pines, which in places partially cover the path, making the track less obvious and requiring a bit of attention. In uncertain weather, it is better to skip Croda de l’Arghena and return the same way.

Below us 📷, we leave Scoglio San Marco behind and continue climbing.

From the junction, it takes about 40 minutes to reach the broad summit of Croda de l’Arghena. The panorama here is remarkable, and the view of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo is truly impressive.

From Croda de l’Arghena to Forcella Col di Mezzo

After a well-deserved break, we continue toward our next objective. Following a short zigzagging descent, we cross a small rocky step of about ten metres, the most delicate section of the entire route (easy scrambling, grade I).

A little further on, an old yellow sign 📷 marks the possibility of visiting a few wartime positions. Reaching them requires traversing a narrow and friable ledge, only partially equipped with cables. Attention: this short detour is not suitable for everyone, and via ferrata equipment is required.

Continuing downhill, more remains of World War I can be seen: trenches, ruins, and military structures scattered along the slope. About 30 minutes from the summit of Croda de l’Arghena, we reach Forcella de l’Arghena and shortly afterwards another trail junction.

Here it is also possible, if necessary, to turn right (south) and descend directly through Val dell’Arghena.
We instead follow the signs toward Col de Mèdo and Val de l’Aga, guided once again by the familiar trail markers 📷.

We then climb the trail dedicated to Paul Grohmann, the Viennese mountaineer who first climbed Cima Grande di Lavaredo in 1869 together with the Sexten guides Franz Innerkofler and Peter Salcher.

The trail, steep at first but soon gentler, leads us onto the summit plateau of Col di Mezzo and its pass.

If conditions allow, a short detour along trail 105 is highly recommended: in about 10 minutes it reaches an excellent viewpoint overlooking the north faces of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo.
After enjoying the view, we return to the pass and begin descending through Val de l’Aga.

From Forcella Col di Mezzo back to Lago d’Antorno

The trail remains clear and well marked in this section as well 📷.
We follow it as it gradually loses elevation, until the descent becomes steeper. A little lower down, a group of stone buildings appears beside the trail, probably connected to World War I military activity. Today they seem to be in relatively good condition, suggesting some kind of restoration work in recent years.
If anyone has more precise information about their origin or purpose, I would be glad to hear from you.

Beyond the buildings, the trail continues descending, first alongside a rocky wall and later through the forest. Numerous switchbacks quickly lead us down to the paved road.

From here, we simply follow the road back to Lago d’Antorno, completing the loop hike between Scoglio San Marco and Croda de l’Arghena.

Practical information

Difficulty
The hike described above is suitable for experienced mountain hikers (EE).
If you also want to visit the “historic trail”, via ferrata equipment is required (EEA).

As already mentioned, the trail climbing from Scoglio San Marco to Croda de l’Arghena is currently, in part, overgrown by dwarf pines, and the track is not always obvious.
It will probably be cleared again in the future, but for the moment it is something to keep in mind.

Best season
Walking through dense dwarf pines during hot summer days can be uncomfortable and unpleasant.

Spring is the best time to explore this area. The route develops mostly on south-facing slopes at moderate elevation, so snow melts earlier here than in many other parts of the Dolomites.
Avoid very hot summer days and, if possible, autumn as well, unless you want to become an easy target for trombicula mites.

Variants
You may choose to hike only to Scoglio San Marco and return along the same route.
If instead you continue to Croda de l’Arghena and descend on the opposite side, before climbing toward Col di Mezzo you will have the possibility of descending directly through Val dell’Arghena.

While descending from Croda de l’Arghena, it is possible to spot a few wartime positions.

I also recommend a short detour from Forcella Col di Mezzo toward Malga Langalm, to admire the impressive north faces of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo.

As a final variant, from Forcella Col di Mezzo you can reach Rifugio Auronzo (about 10 minutes away) and from there descend briefly along the road before joining trail 101 back to Lago d’Antorno.

To help with navigation, you can download the GPX track of the route here.
The GPX track does not replace route-finding skills and should always be used with good judgement.
👉 Download the GPX track

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