Dolomiti Bellunesi National Park

Which valley you drive into decides what the day looks like. The park spreads across 15 municipalities between the Cismon and the Piave, and its ranges stand well apart from one another: the karst benches and meadows of the Vette di Feltre, the wooded flanks of the Monti del Sole, the walls of the Schiara and the Talvena, the Prampèr and the Spiz di Mezzodì. Water is the other half of it. Except on the high karst the ground is full of springs and streams — the Mis, the Cordevole, the Caorame, the Ardo — and several of them run in canyons cut deep into the rock. Wildlife is the reason many people come: chamois and red deer on the open slopes, marmots on the scree, golden eagle and wallcreeper on the cliffs, capercaillie and black grouse in the forest. Rhododendron and edelweiss come with the alpine meadows. Villages sit in the valleys between all of it, and away from the roads the park stays quiet.

• Nothing at the access point. No toilets, no drinking water and no information point within 800 m — sort that out in Belluno or Sedico first.
• Livestock roams the valley roads. Drive slowly through the villages and be ready to stop.
• One park, several separate ranges. Vette di Feltre, Monti del Sole, Schiara, Talvena, Prampèr — choose one valley before you set off.
• Stream levels vary. Several watercourses run through deep canyons, and a dry bed is no place to camp or linger.
• Dogs are allowed and the site is listed as good for children; with livestock grazing loose, keep a dog on the lead.

Most people drive. The access point is reached from the SP2 on the Belluno side, with the nearest car park 1.9 km away and a second one just beyond it. Public transport gets no closer than 3.8 km, which makes a bus day a long one. Sedico, down in the valley, is within a ten-minute drive and works well as a base. Past the roads the terrain is karst benches, debris slopes and streams in canyons, so plan the day around one valley rather than trying to cross the park.

Better: a clear day, and Monday, Wednesday or Thursday if you need the SP2 site — those are the only days with an afternoon opening. Avoid: the weekend for anything that needs staff, since the site is closed on Saturday and Sunday and there is no information point nearby. The views are what the drive is for: on a sunny day the panorama runs the full circle from the ridges, and cloud takes all of it away. The same ground carries hiking, biking and wildlife watching as well as winter sports, so the season decides the activity rather than whether to come.