At the foot of the 2,725 m high Mt. Col de Puez there is the Rif. Puez mountain hut, located amidst the Puez-Odle Nature Park
Mt. Col de Puez can be found in the heart of the majestic Puez Group and the Puez-Odle Nature Park, surrounded by the two peaks of Mt. Piz de Puez in the north-west and the Forcella del Puez wind gap (2,517 m a.s.l.) in the north-east. The name can also be found in places in the vicinity, such as the Rif. Puez mountain hut and the Puez Alp.
The mountain tour to the 2,725 m high Col de Puez is classified as easy and is usually combined with the hike to the neighbouring Mt. Piz de Puez East (2,913 m a.s.l.). The starting point for this tour is the above mentioned Rif. Puez mountain hut in the Vallunga valley which is located - as well as the mountain - in the municipal area of the Val Gardena valley.
The original refuge was built in 1889 and replaced a century later by a larger mountain hut in close proximity, offering nowadays place to about 100 people. Also the Dolomites High Routes no. 2 (from Bressanone to Feltre in the Italian province of Belluno) and no. 8 (from Bressanone to Salorno, also known as “Panorama Path”) snake their way in this area. The name Puez probably derives from the pre-Roman term “bova” which means “debris caused by a landslide”.
