Gardena Pass (Italian: Passo Gardena; German: Grödnerjoch; Ladin: Ju de Frara or Jëuf de Frea) is a high mountain pass in the Dolomites of the South Tyrol in northeast Italy. The scenic pass is a popular route to drive from western South Tyrol towns like Bolzano, Ortesei and Selva to the more remote towns on the eastern side of the Dolomites like Corvara, Alta Badia and Cortina D’ Ampezzo.
At an elevation of 2,136 m (7,008 ft) above sea level, the pass connects Sëlva in the Val Gardena on the west side with Corvara in the Val Badia. The road over it comprises part of the famous Sella Ring, in which four linked passes (Gardena, Sella, Pordoi, and Campolongo) encircle the spectacular Sella group. The route becomes busy with tourists, motorcyclists, and cyclists during the summer. There are tourist accommodations on the pass itself, and hikers visit the pass to access the dramatic Dolomite mountains.
One such accommodation and scenic viewpoint is the Rifugio Frara, nestled by the Sella Group mountains as shown in the pictures above and below.
One popular day trip idea in exploring the Dolomites and the scenic mountains on the Gardena Pass is to stay at one of the towns on the western side of the Dolomites like Kastelruth and drive through Gardena Pass stopping at Ortesei (Seceda) and Rifugio Frara (Sella Group). Then connect to the eastbound highway north past Corvara and explore the scenic lake of Lago Di Braies. From there, a return to Kastelruth is easy via major highway westbound via Brixen and Bozlano.
For a full visual experience of the drive through Passo Gardena watch the video below.
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