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5 out of 5 Rider Rating 5
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Gardena Pass - Dolomites

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By ToadMama (19 McR Points) on Jan 22, 2014

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Softail103
37 McR Points
March 28, 2022
Awesome ride. Beautiful scenery. Very enjoyable.
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Written Directions

Passo Gardena (Gardena Pass) is one of the must-ride passes in the Dolomites. It is located in the Trentino Alto-Adige/Sudtirol region of Northern Italy. Our route took us from Castelrotto (western end) to Corvara in Badia (eastern end) and back. Castelrotto is NW of Bolzano. Take note that this region uses both Italian (shown here) and German place names. Castelrotto = Kastelruth and Corvara in Badia = Kurfar; Passo Gardena = Gr'dnerjoch.

Scenery

Gardena Pass is an absolutely gorgeous route through Italy's Dolomites, otherwise known as the Italian Alps. The road winds through immense rocky mountains, through meadows, and among some trees. There are far more rocks/meadows to gawk at than trees, but you have to be careful not to take your eyes off of the switchbacks. There are lots of switchbacks.

Drive Enjoyment

The road is primarily curvy and loaded with switchbacks. They're not stacked one on top of the other like some of the passes, which provides a nice variety of steepness, direction changes, etc. The pavement is decent, but there were quite a few patches, as is to be expected on roads subject to extreme weather conditions.

Tourism Opportunities

There are amenities atop the pass (bathrooms, little store, cafe, etc.), and there may even be lodging. We stayed in Castelrotto, which is a LOVELY village. Along the route are ski resorts, hiking trails, villages with restaurants/stores/cafes, etc. I'm sorry I don't have more detail, but we were there to ride through the pass and enjoy the roads. There is lots to see and do in Bolzano, if you are looking for a place to entertain your family while you ride. The surrounding areas feature vineyards, castles, nature parks, etc. You could not possibly get bored in this region.

Motorcycle Road Additional info

We stayed for several nights at the Hotel Zum Wolf al Lupo in the heart of Castelrotto. The innkeepers were very nice and accommodating, the room was clean and spacious (ask for a mountain view), the breakfast buffets were plentiful, fresh, etc. There are several restaurants within walking distance, but we enjoyed pizza so much at Toni one night, that we returned the following night for a sit-down meal, which was also wonderful. I highly recommend Castelrotto as a jumping-off spot for your adventure. It is convenient to many amazing pass rides: Sella, Valparola, Giau, Campolongo, etc. Slide show I assembled of our Gardena Pass ride
 

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Softail103
March 28, 2022
37 McR Points
Motorcycle Type : Sport
Awesome ride. Beautiful scenery. Very enjoyable.
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