Passo Gardena (Gardena Pass, or Grödner Joch), at 2,121 m6,959 ft, links Val Gardena and Val Badia. You can reach it by bus, on foot or by lift, and it is the starting point of the big hike to the Puez hut.
Where is Gardena Pass and what can you see from it?
The pass opens between the Sella massif and the Cirspitzen. As you climb to it on foot, the view widens over the Sella, the Cirspitzen, the Sassolungo, the Sassopiatto and the Fanes group.
How do you get to Passo Gardena?
By bus, Südtirol Mobil line 473 (Val Badia - Passo Gardena - Val Gardena) serves the pass in summer, every hour.
- On the Val Badia side, it starts in Corvara, where line 472 to Passo Campolongo also stops.
- On the Val Gardena side, it starts in Plan de Gralba, where line 471 leaves for Passo Sella; the first morning buses start from Ortisei.
- Season dates and timetables: Südtirol Mobil.
On foot from Colfosco, trail 650 (or trail 8 B, then 8) climbs to the pass in 2 hours: 7 km4.3 mi with 500 m1,640 ft of ascent. From Plan, in Val Gardena, trail 654 is shorter and steeper: also 2 hours, for 3.5 km2.2 mi and 516 m1,693 ft of ascent.
By lift from Colfosco, the Plans-Frara gondola drops you at the Jimmy hut, at 2,222 m7,290 ft. The pass is then 20 minutes away on trail 2, downhill (1 km0.6 mi, 101 m331 ft of descent). From Selva, the Dantercepies gondola, open from 12 June to 4 October in 2026, takes you to its top station, from where trail 654 leads to the pass.
By car, a traffic restriction is being prepared on the pass road: our article on traffic at Passo Gardena covers 2027. Two dates to know in 2027: the Sellaronda Bike Day on Saturday 5 June and the Maratona dles Dolomites on 4 July. Check traffic conditions with the organisers before heading up on those days.
What can you do from Passo Gardena?
The Puez hut by trail 2: the trail heads north-west through the alpine pastures, then climbs to the Cier passage (2,464 m8,084 ft) and the Crespëina ridge (2,531 m8,304 ft). It then continues over rolling ground to Forcella Ciampëi and the Puez hut, at 2,481 m8,140 ft.
The way back is by trail 4 and the Stella Alpina valley down to Colfosco, not to the pass: plan the end of your day accordingly. This is a high-altitude hike that rises above 2,500 m8,202 ft, not a stroll around the pass.
When should you go to Passo Gardena?
During the Dantercepies gondola season, when buses and lifts all run. Check the 2027 dates before counting on the bus or the lift.
Nearby hiking bases
Alta Badia and Corvara Hiking Guide
Alta Badia sits at the geographic heart of the Ladin Dolomites, with Corvara acting as a central hiking base. It covers the Alta Via 1 Fanes stages, Piz Boe access, and the best rifugi in the valley.
Updated 20 October 2026
Arabba Hiking Guide
A guide to hiking from Arabba, in the Fodom valley: the Campolongo and Pordoi passes from the village, lifts, the Viel del Pan, summer buses without a car, where to stay and when to go.
Updated 20 October 2026
