Via Ferratas: 6 of the World’s Coolest Routes for Every Adventurer

Updated October 15, 2024 12:58PM

My knees shake and my fingertips cling to the rock. I can’t bear to move my laser-focused gaze anywhere beyond the metal rung that’s just out of reach. A moment before, I was climbing up a ladder, but now I feel like I’m hanging off the edge of a cliff (because, well, I am).

‘Why exactly did I think this was a good idea?’ I think to myself. A hike would have been nice.

It’s June, and I’m perched on a precarious ledge of granite 75 feet above the forest floor on the new Eagle Cliff Via Ferrata in the Shawangunk Mountains, just 90 miles outside of New York City. Though I’m currently frozen on this ledge, I somehow summon the grit to keep moving—sweaty palms and all. One hour and a few leaps of faith later, to my delight, I finish the via ferrata feeling accomplished and ready to jump into Lake Mohonk, beckoning from below.

A few weeks later in Italy, I’m ready to tackle another, much higher— although, surprisingly, less physically taxing—via ferrata in the Dolomites.

I climbed my first via ferrata on Whistler Peak’s a decade ago, when I was younger and more fearless. But in trying out some of the world’s most spectacular ferratas since, I always come to the same realization: they are as fear-inducing as they are exhilarating and rewarding. That’s why I keep signing up for more.

What Is a Via Ferrata?

A via ferrata (Italian for “iron way”) is a protected climbing route with fixed steel cables, metal rungs and ladders that make traversing steep and rocky terrain accessible, but certainly not without challenge. The beauty of via ferratas is that you can experience the highs rock climbers do without needing technical experience.

While there are numerous via ferratas around the world you can climb on your own, I recommend going with a guide as it’s not only safer, but supports local tourism economies—and perhaps you’ll learn a thing or two about where you are. And as long as you’re reasonably fit, and you don’t have a paralyzing fear of heights you’ll survive, and you might even enjoy it. (Some level of fear is okay, too. It keeps you vigilant.)

While via ferratas are most common in Europe, with a majority in Italy and Austria, they are growing in popularity around the world—especially in the United States, where private landowners, resorts, and cities are building routes through incredible terrain. And though this is not a definitive list of the world’s best, we’ve hand-selected a few spots that are ideal for most adventurous people looking to climb via ferratas. Think: locales as far flung as the Middle East and Kosovo, to well-known meccas like the Dolomites, and a few classics, new and old, here in the U.S.

If you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. This supports our mission to get more people active and outside. Learn more.

Piccola Cir Via Ferrata, Dolomite Mountains, Italy

Best For: Travelers who want to try multiple routes in the via ferrata motherland

There’s no better place to try a via ferrata than in its birthplace. The roots of via ferratas come from World War I, when climbing routes were strategically created by the Italian army as a way to evade attacks and traverse jagged peaks in the Dolomite Mountains. Over the decades, these paths were reinforced with metal rungs, and today they’re used for recreation and sport.

In the Dolomites alone, there are over 600 via ferratas. I tried one of the popular and more beginner-friendly ascents this summer, Piccola Cir. While the 2.3-mile loop trail is relatively short for the Dolomites, it’s still a challenge at spots because of its sheer height alone.

The reward? Totally worth it. When you reach the top at 8,504 feet, a sweeping 360-degree view of the Dolomites awaits you: the Sella massif and the entire Val Gardena valley stretches out below. I also loved seeing the summer panorama of the famous Sassolungo peak, which I skied down earlier this year.

🥾 🚴🏽‍♀️ More Adventures Nearby: Dolomite Mountains, a four-seasons adventure company, arranges guided, multi-day via ferrata trips featuring some of the most classic routes in the range (from roughly $1,400, depending on duration and number of people in your group). The company also offers multi-sport trips mixing via ferratas with hiking and biking (prices vary).

Eagle Cliff Via Ferrata, New York, U.S.

Best For: Travelers who want a convenient mountain escape from the city

New York’s new via ferrata, buried in the Shawangunk Mountains (better known as the “Gunks,”) is the northeast’s first resort-based route. It’s located at the 155-year-old Mohonk Mountain House, and sits just 90 miles from New City City, making it a convenient and accessible way to experience one of the top rock climbing spots on the East Coast. I climbed the Eagle Cliff Via Ferrata this summer soon after it opened in May, and while it’s not as high as its West Coast rivals, I found it physically and mentally challenging—and beautiful, to boot. The Nature Conservancy even designated this mountain range as “one of the last great places on Earth.”

Securely connected to cables, you’ll traverse nearly a half mile across rocky landscapes and quartz ledges. The secluded route then follows the natural features of the conflated rock, and showcases views of Lake Mohonk and verdant forests below. Climbing it in autumn brings a glorious array of the northeast’s famed fall foliage, too. (Book guided via ferrata tours with Mohonk from $295 per person.)

🎿 🚴‍♀️ More Adventures Nearby: 85 miles of trails within Mohonk Mountain House’s grounds provide idyllic hiking, biking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing. And if you’re working your way up to the via ferrata, try the less challenging and also new Pinnacle Ledge Tour (from $75 per person), which features an aerial bridge walkway. Note: you’ll have to stay at Mohonk to book via ferrata and Pinnacle Ledge tours (rooms from $695 per night, including meals, most activities, and wellness classes).

Panorama Via Ferrata, the Balkans, Kosovo

Best For: Travelers looking for adventure and culture further afield

While many parts of Europe battle overtourism, one of the Balkans’ most unexplored mountain ranges beckons outdoor adventurers who ache to get off the beaten path.

Last summer, I trekked portions of the newly established High Scardus Trail, a 225-mile-long route that connects three former conflict countries: Kosovo, Albania, and North Macedonia. My trekking guides, Taulant Hoxha and Arian Krasniqi, the owners and co-founders of SuperXplorers, grew up in Prizren during the Kosovo Conflict in the late 90s. And later, they helped develop both this trail and several new via ferratas around it, deep in Kosovo’s Sharr Mountains.

Before we started hiking the High Scardus, we warmed up on the nearby Panorama Via Ferrata. This 1640-foot climbing route that’s less than three miles long sits just outside the historical city of Prizren, and overlooks the ridges of Sharr Mountain National Park and the Lumbardhi River. It only took us two hours, but SuperXplorers can take you on much longer and challenging routes as well.

🥾 🧗🏽‍♀️ More Adventures Nearby: Go the distance and take a 9-day guided hike of the High Scardus Trail with SuperXplorers (from $1270), or ask about the company’s 5-day via ferrata tour through these less-trodden mountains and gorges.

Telluride Via Ferrata, Colorado, U.S.

Best For: Experts or those with nerves of steel

You might not want to make the Telluride Via Ferrata your first, unless you don’t mind hanging at 500 feet on an exposed canyon wall in southwest Colorado’s San Juan Mountains. It’s possible to go without a guide on this technical climbing route (it’s one of the only free and open-to-the-public via ferratas in the U.S.) but it’s highly recommended to opt for guided expertise.

Pam LeBlanc, an avid outdoors writer, recommends booking a tour with San Juan Outdoor Adventures (from $205 per person, depending on group size). The company provides gear, knowledge, and moral support, before taking you over a series of fixed cables, stemples, ladders, and bridges along the east end of Telluride canyon to the backdrop of stunning views of Bridal Veil Falls and the Telluride Valley below.

“It was terrifying, and I’ve got a fear of heights so clinging to a 330-foot sheer rock wall, nose pressed to gritty rock, knees clicking like castanets, made me want to curl up in a ball and sob. Or barf,” LeBlanc says. “But I was glad I did it, because I felt like a badass afterward.”

🎿 🥃 More Adventures Nearby: Telluride is a full-fledged, four-season town with lots of other fun outdoor activities. LeBlanc recommends ice climbing, as it’s less crowded than nearby Ouray, as well as mountain biking, downhill skiing, and fatbike touring through the snow. When you’re finished, warm up with a hot toddy at Telluride Distilling Company’s tasting room.

Al Jabal Akhdar Via Ferrata, Oman

Best For: Travelers looking for a far-flung luxury adventure

Sure, a luxury hotel in the Middle East might not seem like a place for a via ferrata. But surprise, surprise: there’s a stunning route that’s actually near two hotels, Anatara Al Jabal Al Akhdar Resort and Alila Jabal Akhdar hotel, located 6,500 feet high in Jabal Shams, the tallest peak in Oman.

This guided via ferrata (from $91 per person) traces the highest protected climbing path in the Middle East, and includes a traverse down a sharp vertical rock face and through a tiny cave to end on a tightrope wire cable bridge suspended 65 feet over the valley below.

Catherine Gallagher, co-founder of Women Travel Leaders, did this via ferrata in Oman and recommends going just before dusk. “It’s so cool,” she says. “The exposure, the sunset, the physical challenge, the mental challenge… When you finish, you top out at the bar where people are enjoying sundowners.” Or you can head to the cliffside infinity pool for a dip.

🥾 🏜️ More Adventures Nearby: Hike to Jabal Al-Nabī Shuʿayb, the highest peak in the Arabian Peninsula at 12,030 feet, take a geology walking tour to see 800-million-year-old granite rock features ($130 per person), or try Gallagher’s favorite: off-roading across the dunes in the Wahiba Sands desert—one of the world’s most beautiful places you’ve never heard of.

Whistler Peak Via Ferrata, British Columbia, Canada

Best For: Travelers who want to reach the peak of Whistler without skis

This mountain playground and home of the 2010 Winter Olympics might be most known for its world-class ski runs, but Whistler is an all-seasons resort with numerous adventure opportunities year round. While I love skiing on Whistler’s famed peak (one of North America’s highest mountains) it was my first experience climbing it that hooked me on via ferratas.

Departing from the top of Whistler Village Gondola at just above 5,905 feet, the Whistler Via Ferrata took us approximately four hours to climb over 2.5 miles of mountainous terrain, gaining 850 feet of elevation. What I loved most about this via ferrata were the incredible views of surrounding snowy peaks, and climbing in shorts and a tank top.

It’s open May through October (from $209 per person). Once you’ve summited Whistler Peak walk the Cloudraker Skybridge that hovers high over Whistler Bowl for 360 views of the still snow-capped Rocky Mountains.

🚠 🚴🏽‍♀️ More Adventures Nearby: Whistler has no shortage of high-adrenaline activities throughout the year such as downhill mountain biking, which is serious business here. (I took a beginner lesson for $193 on Women’s Night).You can also standup paddle on glacier-fed lakes, and cold plunge if you’re feeling brave.