Passo Valles is the quiet pass of the Dolomites, a ridge crossing at just over two thousand metres between Falcade and the high forests of Paneveggio, and it has none of the crowds of its famous neighbours. There are no cable cars, no big souvenir stalls and few buses, just a road that climbs steadily through spruce forest, emerges into open pasture and tops out in a landscape of grass and stone. A small refuge or bar is sometimes open near the top, but services are minimal, so bring what you need.
The road is a pleasure to ride. From the Falcade side it climbs in a rhythm of long bends, with enough hairpins to be interesting and enough straight to rest, and the surface is generally smooth and well-kept. The gradient is not extreme, and the pass is open to riders of all abilities who stay sensible. Look out for cyclists, cattle and mountain weather. Snow closes the road in winter, usually from late autumn until late spring, and even in summer the pass can be wrapped in cloud while the valley is sunny.
On the far side, the road runs down into Paneveggio, a forest of spruce that is famous in Italy as the wood from which violins were once made. The trees here grow slowly and evenly in cold conditions, giving the timber the tonal qualities that instrument makers prize, and local stories link the forest to Stradivari, though like most good legends it has more charm than evidence. The ridges of the Pale di San Martino rise to the south, and the pointed Cimon della Pala is sometimes nicknamed the Matterhorn of the Dolomites.
The nearest stations are in the Biois valley around Falcade and Canale d'Agordo, and the larger centres of Agordo and Sedico further south, and on the other side, Predazzo or Moena. Start with a full tank, because the stretch between is longer than it looks on the map.
It is a pass for early mornings and weekdays. If you arrive when the mist lifts from the forest and the light slants over the pastures, it will feel like the Dolomites before the world found them.