There is nothing better than cycling in the Dolomites and every day is a good day for climbing Passo Gardena! Gardena Pass (Italian: Passo Gardena; German: Grödnerjoch; Ladin: Ju de Frara or Jëuf de Frea) is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 2,136 m above sea level, in the Dolomites of the South Tyrol in northeast Italy. It connects connects Sëlva in the Val Gardena on the west side with Corvara in the Val Badia.
It is definitely my favorite place, close to my heart. An amazing climb for a rest day when you don’t want to stay inside. There is nothing more relaxing than just climb there and stay longer at the top admiring the views. My opinion is extremely subjective but I haven’t heard about anybody who wouldn’t like this climb 🙂
You can cycle the Passo Gardena from Corvara on the east or Selva di Val Gardena on the west. Today Let’s have a look on the climb from Corvara.
| Distance | Elevation gain | Average grade | My opinion |
| 9 km | 600 m | 6,6% | 10/10 |
Strava segment: https://www.strava.com/segments/4504766
Passo Gardena is a part of the famous Sellaronda, in which four linked passes (Gardena, Sella, Pordoi, and Campolongo). It is very popular to ride all of them one after another. I will describe this route later here.
The climb starts very easily from Corvara and getting steeper in Colfosco. Be prepared for gradients to ramp up to 10%. There you get surrounded with the amazing views very quickly. The scenery is just breathtaking.
The slope of the entire route seems to me to be very constant with a few short exceptions. The steepest point is near 12%. I rate this climb as medium-difficult.
Remember that once you leave Colfosco, there is no possibility to refuel your bottle until the top of Passo Gardena.
The Gardena Pass is the fourth of seven Dolomite mountain passes which riders cross in the annual Maratona dles Dolomites single-day bicycle race.
Here is a short explanation why this place is so special for me 🙂
I said YES at the top of Passo Gardena in 2021!
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