Why this ride
A 75 km loop that starts and ends near Canazei, about 1 h 37 of riding. It goes by way of Passo Sella, Selva di Val Gardena, Passo Gardena and Corvara. The highest point is about 2,250 m. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Sella Ronda Road Loop from Canazei
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 75 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 37
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Great Dolomites Road
12 km on Great Dolomites Road.
Rider note
Check the pass is open before you commit to it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 12 km
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Canazei
Canazei is a small Ladin town at the head of the Val di Fassa, and the first impression is of towering rock. The Marmolada, the highest peak in the Dolomites at 3,343 metres, rises to the south-east with its glacier, while the cliffs of the Sella group fill the northern horizon, huge walls of pale dolomite that glow pink and orange at sunrise and sunset. The Dolomites were declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2009, and no one who stands here is likely to wonder why.
Read the complete Canazei write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Canazei is where the day begins. Next is Passo Sella.
2. Passo Sella
Passo Sella is the pass that puts you in the middle of the Dolomites rather than at the edge of them. At 2,240 metres it connects the Val di Fassa with the Val Gardena, and it sits in a saddle between two of the great massifs of the range. To the north rises the huge, flat-topped block of the Sella group, a fortress of pale rock with vertical walls, and to the south, almost close enough to touch, are the pointed towers of the Sassolungo, called the Langkofel in German, which look like the fingers of a stone hand raised to the sky.
Read the complete Passo Sella write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Passo Sella comes up about 12 km into the recorded legs. Nothing on this route is higher. Next is Selva di Val Gardena, mostly downhill.
3. Selva di Val Gardena
Selva is the top of the Val Gardena, a long, green valley in South Tyrol that cuts into the heart of the Dolomites, and it is the place where winter sport, woodcarving and the Ladin language all meet. The village lies below the Sella massif and the jagged spires of the Sassolungo, and its houses are strung out along the stream, with meadows climbing to the forest on either side. It is known in German as Wolkenstein, after a castle ruin up the valley, and in Ladin as Sëlva, and the three names on the signs tell you something about the place before you have left the bike.
Read the complete Selva di Val Gardena write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
At least about 23 km into the recorded legs you reach Selva di Val Gardena. Next is Passo Gardena.
4. Passo Gardena
Passo Gardena, at 2,121 metres, links Val Gardena with Alta Badia, and it is one of the four passes that circle the Sella massif. It does not have the drama of the Stelvio or the fame of the Pordoi, but it has a distinctive character: a wide, open crossing of grass and scree between the Sella on one side and the jagged Cir peaks on the other, with the road threading through a landscape that feels more intimate than grand. The Italian name is Passo Gardena, the German Grödner Joch, and in Ladin it is Jëuf de Frara.
Read the complete Passo Gardena write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Passo Gardena, about halfway at 2121 m. Next is Corvara, mostly downhill.
5. Corvara
Corvara is the heart of Alta Badia, a village of tall chalets and church spire in a bowl of meadows with the Sella massif looming to the south and the Puez-Odle range to the north. It is one of the most popular ski resorts in the Dolomites and, in summer, one of the best bases for riders, because four passes meet within a short ride. It is also the start and finish of the Maratona dles Dolomites, a famous one-day cycling event, and on race weekends the whole village fills with cyclists in bright kit. Ladin is the local language, and signs are often in three languages, which gives the place a distinctive, mixed identity.
Read the complete Corvara write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Corvara sits at 16 km, about halfway. Next is Passo Campolongo.
6. Passo Campolongo
Passo Campolongo is the low, easy member of the Sella Ronda family, at 1,875 metres, and it is the one that most riders cross without much ceremony. It joins Corvara in Alta Badia with Arabba in the Livinallongo valley, and the road climbs through meadows and spruce, with views of the Sella to one side and, on a clear day, the glacier of the Marmolada in the distance. The name means long field, and it describes the pass well: a broad, gentle grassy saddle rather than a sharp notch in the rock.
Read the complete Passo Campolongo write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Passo Campolongo comes up about 49 km into the recorded legs. Next is Arabba, mostly downhill.
7. Arabba
Arabba is a small village in the heart of the Dolomites, and a crossroads of passes. It sits at about 1,600 metres on the upper Cordevole river, at the foot of the Pordoi, the Campolongo and the Fedaia, and its position makes it the natural halfway point of the Sella Ronda, the circuit around the huge Sella massif. The mountains here are the pale, jagged towers that make the Dolomites famous, and the whole range was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009.
Read the complete Arabba write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 54 km into the recorded legs you reach Arabba. Next is Passo Pordoi.
8. Passo Pordoi
The Pordoi Pass is the highest on the Sella Ronda, at 2,239 metres, and the road from Arabba climbs it in thirty-three hairpins that are among the most photographed in the Alps. The road is wide, the surface is generally excellent and the bends are well graded, so it is one of the most enjoyable climbs in the Dolomites, a place where you can find a rhythm and let the bike dance. At the top you come out beneath the vertical cliffs of the Sella, with the Marmolada glacier shining to the south-east.
Read the complete Passo Pordoi write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Passo Pordoi, late in the day at 2239 m. Next is Canazei, mostly downhill.
9. Canazei
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Canazei write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 75 km.
Leg by leg
Canazei to Passo Sella
Canazei → Passo Sella is 12 km. This is the part worth slowing down for - look through the bends and use the pull-offs.
Passo Sella to Selva di Val Gardena
Passo Sella → Selva di Val Gardena is 11 km. Brakes and eyes forward; the views are behind the corners, not in them.
Selva di Val Gardena to Passo Gardena
Selva di Val Gardena → Passo Gardena is 12 km. This is the part worth slowing down for - look through the bends and use the pull-offs.
Passo Gardena to Corvara
Passo Gardena → Corvara is 9 km. Brakes and eyes forward; the views are behind the corners, not in them.
Corvara to Passo Campolongo
Corvara → Passo Campolongo is 5 km. This is the part worth slowing down for - look through the bends and use the pull-offs.
Passo Campolongo to Arabba
Passo Campolongo → Arabba is 5 km. Brakes and eyes forward; the views are behind the corners, not in them.
Arabba to Passo Pordoi
Arabba → Passo Pordoi is 9 km. This is the part worth slowing down for - look through the bends and use the pull-offs.
Passo Pordoi to Canazei
Passo Pordoi → Canazei is 13 km. Brakes and eyes forward; the views are behind the corners, not in them.