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Passo di Gavia

SP29 · Bormio → Ponte di Legno · Italy

Length
16 miles
Drive time
1 h
Type
Technical road
Region
Europe

Before you go: ⚠ Closed Oct–Jun; narrow single-track sections with big drops

The Stelvio's wild sibling: narrow, unguarded in places and utterly magnificent, climbing to 2,621 m past the Lago Bianco — for confident drivers who like their passes raw.

Bormio to Ponte di Legno on the SP29: 2,621 m, narrower than Stelvio, unguarded in places, Lago Bianco near the top. This is the raw sibling. Single-track sections, big drops, and a surface that is more patched than the SS38. Rifugio Bonetta at the summit does pasta in season (roughly late May to late September). Lago Nero on the Ponte di Legno side is a lay-by with a tarn. Fuel at the Eni in Bormio; nothing on the sixteen miles.

Closed October to June. When it is open it is still not a coach road in the Stelvio sense, which is why people prefer it. Weather turns fast. If you do not like unguarded drops, stay on Stelvio.

The Giro has been over it in ugly weather, which is history, not a prompt. Pair with Stelvio and Umbrail from Bormio the same day if the window is clear.

Lights, low gear, and no sightseeing from the middle of a shelf. The lake is the photograph; the drop is not. From Ponte di Legno the first kilometres are easier; the unguarded shelf comes later and feels narrower than the map. Do not meet a bus by hoping. Bormio is the civilised end with fuel and food; start there if you want an easy abort. If Stelvio is a zoo, Gavia is the release — still closed the same months, still not a shortcut in cloud. After rain the inside of the tight bends collects grit. Walk to Lago Bianco from the summit rather than stopping on the shelf for the same picture.

Highlights of the Passo di Gavia

Where to stop on the Passo di Gavia

Drive the Passo di Gavia

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