Lago di Sorapis Hike: Is It Worth the Crowds?

A spectacular turquoise lake reached by a beautiful but extremely busy trail with some exposed sections.

The short answer: Yes. Lago di Sorapis is magnificent. The hike was not especially demanding for us aerobically; the challenge came from narrow, exposed sections made harder by heavy two-way traffic.

Parking was already almost gone at 7:45 a.m.

We arrived around 7:45 a.m. and got one of the last roadside parking spots. Later arrivals were walking a significant extra distance just to reach the trailhead. Our advice: go very early, or consider a later start when the morning rush has eased—while still accounting for daylight and weather.

The crowds were the biggest negative

This was one of the most crowded hikes of our trip. Much of the route is narrow, so hikers traveling in both directions can make passing awkward.

Narrow rocky trail on the Lago di Sorapis hike

Hard for a different reason

We did not find the hike particularly hard from a fitness standpoint. The difficulty was more technical: narrow trail, some exposed sections and places where the route feels close to the cliff face. If exposure bothers you, that matters more than the mileage.

Walk around the lake

Once we reached the lake, we walked all the way around it rather than simply taking the classic photo and turning back. We were glad we did. There is also a rifugio near the lake with an incredible setting.

Our verdict

Worth the crowds. We would still do Sorapis again. We would just make crowd avoidance the priority: earlier than we went, or strategically later.