5 Best Snowshoe Hikes in the Val Aurina
Author : Lara Ehmler
18th September 2025
Snowshoeing is one of the big attractions in the Val Aurina, South Tyrol, and here we bring you the 5 best snowshoe hikes in the area. Loomed over by magisterial 3000m peaks, many of which form Italy’s border with Austria, this is a destination of heart-warming snowy landscapes, where white pastures glisten in the winter sun and enchanting woodland trails wend their way between Tyrolean villages and hamlets. Often, the winter silence is overwhelming, whilst the pure cold air generates joy and energy under deep-blue skies.
We are delighted our partnership with the Hotel Drumlerhof in the valley’s principal village, Campo Tures, provides our guests with a magical winter adventure in a destination largely free of downhill skiing. In this article, we tell you a little more about this special winter holiday, with a particular focus on our Top 5 snowshoe hikes in Italy’s most northerly valley.
What is snowshoeing?
Simply speaking, snowshoeing is an easier way to negotiate walking on soft and/or deep snow. In many countries with long winters, it is a necessary means of getting from A to B. Inevitably, in recent years, it has caught the eye of outdoor enthusiasts, and is now the perfect winter activity for hikers.
Snowshoeing has a very low impact on the environment, boosting its sustainability credentials. If carried out with good preparation, it is a safe and stunning way to explore mountains, forests, and winter pastures.
Tuition is barely necessary with snowshoeing, which makes it easy to participate in, unlike many other winter activities. It is also a very inexpensive pastime, as most trails radiate from mountain villages, making infrastructure, such as cable cars, surplus to requirement. Finally, like walking, it is a low-risk pastime with significant health benefits, simultaneously providing the added bonus of venturing into spellbinding winter landscapes.
Where is snowshoeing popular?
Snowshoeing is popular in most high-altitude destinations, which can expect significant annual snowfall. At Collett’s, we believe the Val Aurina in the South Tyrol is among the best locations in the Alps for this invigorating activity.
With the help of our friends at the Hotel Drumlerhof, we have identified the Top 5 intermediate/harder routes and the Top 5 easier routes – and there are more to choose from. With excellent waymarking, route notes, our smartphone navigation app and support from the hotel team, all itineraries can be self-guided, but there is the option to be guided (free of charge) up to 4 times a week on the intermediate/harder options.
Many of these excursions involve snowshoeing to a mountain lodge (rifugio), where you can enjoy refreshment and hearty food, either outside on panoramic sun terraces, or inside amidst warm and cosy Tyrolean hospitality.
Flexibility is at the heart of this holiday and ultimately, day-to-day, you decide whether to self-guide or join a guided snowshoe itinerary. Should you decide to take a break from snowshoeing during your stay, other options in the area include cross-country skiing, winter walking and downhill skiing.
Discover The Holiday
Guided Snowshoeing
Your holiday includes 4 guided snowshoeing excursions. Weather permitting, these are generally provided on Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays by the hotel’s hiking guides, usually Stefan, owner of the hotel. Simply sign up the evening before. Typically, the first guided excursion will be relatively leisurely. Thereafter, they are likely to be more moderate in grade, as the shorter routes are easier to self-guide. Below, you can get a taste of what a moderate itinerary might entail in terms of ascent, distance and duration. Snowshoes are available to hire at the hotel at about €6 per day.
Supplementary Guided Options: Just 200m from the Hotel Drumlerhof, the local tourist office also organises daily guided snowshoe hikes, working in close collaboration with Stefan and his team. So, if you should seek something a little different from what is being offered at the hotel, Stefan and his colleagues will sometimes be able to steer you to an alternative itinerary provided by the tourist office. As a guest of the Drumlerhof, you will only pay about €15 for one of these excursions.
Self-guided Snowshoeing
A key priority of our holidays in the Val Aurina is to make self-guiding easy and hassle-free. At the Hotel Drumlerhof, you will be provided with everything you need to enjoy many blissful self-guided days out. This includes comprehensive route notes, map sections and the daily support of the hotel’s team, who are connoisseurs of all the routes.
Furthermore, via our Holiday Handbook and smartphone App, Collett’s provides easy navigation of Stefan’s Top 10 Snowshoe Hikes and Top 10 Winter Walks in a destination, where waymarking and trail maintenance is excellent.
Discover The HolidayTop 5 Snowshoe Hikes
During this holiday, our detailed holiday handbook provides you with a selection of 20 different itineraries comprised of our 10 favourite snowshoeing routes (5 x Easier / 5 x Moderate Harder), and our 10 favourite hikes (5 x Easier / 5 x Moderate Harder).
So, to give you a flavour for snowshoeing in the Val Aurina, here are 5 short overviews of our personal favourite snowshoe hikes.
Kofleralm
Ascent: 600m
Duration: 4hrs 30mins
Walk Type: Out & Back
Distance: 8kms
A breathtaking hike through the snow-covered forests of Riva di Tures; on reaching your destination be prepared for wondrous mountain views.
Klammljoch
Step into Austria!
Ascent: 700m
Duration: 6hrs
Walk Type: Out & Back
Distance: 12kms
A hidden gem for snowshoe hikers, rife with seclusion and tranquility. At your destination, you are greeted by a magical winter landscape towered over by magnificent peaks.
Pircheralm
Ascent: 550m
Duration: 3 – 4 hrs
Walk Type: Out & Back
Distance: 8kms
The Pircheralm has a panoramic sun terrace under shimmering white mountain peaks and delicious culinary specialities from the region. The most energetic part of the day is yet to come: the descent of a perfectly groomed toboggan run. You can avoid this by hiring a toboggan from the hut back to the start!
Sonnklar
Ascent: 480m – after cable car ascent
Duration: 4hrs
Walk Type: Out & Back – with Circular option
Total Distance: 7.5kms
The hike unfolds above the tree-line before reaching a summit with majestic views that span from the Dolomites to the blanketed peaks of Austria’s Zillertal and Hohe Tauern National Park. Cable car & chairlift used to good effect. For a shorter alternative with the same start and finish, have a look at Kleiner Nock (Distance: 3.8kms, Walking Time 2 – 3 hrs, Ascent/Descent 189m) which visits Speikbodenalm.
Schlafhäuser
Ascent: 650m
Duration: 4 – 5hrs
Walk Type: Out & Back
Distance: 6kms
Originally a shelter for families farming the valley, Schlafhäuser provided somewhere to cook meals and sleep. Marvelling at the Zillertal’s 3000m peaks is a mesmerising highlight of the day.
