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We will be staying in Badia in South Tyrol at the end of May this year. I realize that it's the off season and lots of things are closed between winter and summer, but I can't seem to find any details on what the weather and conditions will be like.

I don't expect snow on any of the passes or roads in May, but will the area be muddy/dry/snow-covered then? We're not to do any major hiking but we were thinking of taking a gondola or two up the peaks to take in the view and walk around a bit.

Just wanted to know if we should plan to do these at lower elevations, or stick to a trip to Cortina and Canazei to take in the towns there instead of trips up the mountains.

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    Gondolas are actually among the things you should expect to be closed off-season. – Relaxed Feb 16 '16 at 22:21
  • @Relaxed I understand that... but perhaps not all of them. After all, they open in the summer for hiking and this is the end of May, just before summer opens. – Armstrongest Feb 16 '16 at 22:34
  • My experience in ski/mountain resorts in the Alps is more like a winter season ending in April, a break and a short summer season in July-August. But I don't know much about the Dolomites specifically and I obviously don't know each and every resort. – Relaxed Feb 17 '16 at 0:15
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I was in the Dolomites late April / early May 2003.

In the lower valleys, it's essentially summer. Places like Bozen/Bolzano can be well over 20°C and reaching 30°C. If you're fine hiking in the valleys, you'll have no problem at all.

Higher land will be covered in snow. You won't be able to hike there. Where the snow starts varies on the slope and the season. You might find patches of snow below 1600 metre, or you might find that you can hike well above 2000 metre. 2003 had an extremely warm spring, so snow was mostly gone.

You should not expect any fresh snowfall in May.

In summary, May is a good time to hike in the Dolomites, just don't expect you can do the hikes you would do in summer. Details will vary from year to year.

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  • Exactly what I needed to know! By any chance, did you notice if trams/gondolas were open/closed? – Armstrongest Feb 18 '16 at 17:52
  • @Armstrongest I don't know if they are open or closed. You can probably find that information on the internet. We didn't take any, because we're interested in hiking and most gondolas lead to spots at high elevations where hiking trails are likely still blocked by snow. – gerrit Feb 18 '16 at 17:58
  • Thanks, I'll do more research. We have two grandparents coming along this time. Hiking for them is... more challenging. – Armstrongest Feb 18 '16 at 18:01
  • @Armstrongest All the more reason to take a stroll along a lake in the valley and look up at the mountains from below… – gerrit Feb 18 '16 at 18:03

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