Dolomites Passes in Winter: Which Are Open and Which Close

Open in winter, but not every day

In the documents we read, only one of the sixteen passes in this guide has a fixed winter closure: the Passo delle Erbe on the Bressanone side. The other winter closures announced by the Province of Bolzano concern passes such as the Stelvio, the Timmelsjoch and the Staller Sattel, closed on 18 and 19 November 2024. In Trentino, the Province's notices list seasonal winter closures on roads such as the Manghen Pass and the Borcola Pass, not on the Dolomite passes.

All the other passes stay open, but when there is too much snow they close too. On 16 November 2019, in a single storm, the Province of Trento closed the Pordoi and the Sella from the edge of Canazei, the Fedaia between Malga Ciapela and Penia and the Rolle from San Martino di Castrozza to the top, while the San Pellegrino was closed on the Belluno side and the Costalunga on the South Tyrol side.

Closures are decided day by day: on 31 March 2024 Veneto Strade announced at 7pm the closures that took effect at 8pm. Reopening also depends on how the snow and avalanche situation develops, and it has no set date. That is why you check on the morning itself, on the road managers' websites listed at the end.

• Passo delle Erbe: closed in winter on the Bressanone side, reachable from San Martino in Badia according to the 2010 provincial notice
• Fedaia Pass: open, but it is the pass we found closed most often in official notices, on both sides
• Valparola Pass: open; in March 2024 the Belluno side was closed and reopened several times
• Giau Pass: open; three closures for snow and avalanches in March 2024
• Sella, Gardena, Pordoi, Campolongo, Falzarego, Tre Croci, San Pellegrino, Rolle, Costalunga, Staulanza, Duran and Cibiana: no fixed winter closure in the documents we read

Who manages which road

Before checking the status of a pass, it helps to know who manages it. Many passes have two sides and two road authorities, and each one only publishes its own stretch. Veneto Strade says so at the bottom of its tables: for the Valparola and Campolongo its information stops at the South Tyrol border, for the Pordoi, Fedaia and San Pellegrino at the Trentino border.

So a pass can be open on one side and closed on the other. On 25 January 2026 Veneto Strade reported the Trentino stretch of the Fedaia as closed, while its own stretch did not appear among the closed roads.

• Province of Bolzano: Gardena Pass (state road 243), Passo delle Erbe (provincial road 29), the Val Gardena side of the Sella (state road 242), the Corvara side of the Campolongo (state road 244), the San Cassiano side of the Valparola (provincial road 37), the South Tyrol side of the Costalunga (state road 241)
• Province of Trento: Rolle Pass (state road 50), the Canazei side of the Sella and Pordoi, the Val di Fassa side of the Fedaia (state road 641), the Trentino side of the San Pellegrino and the Costalunga
• Veneto Strade, in the province of Belluno: Giau Pass (provincial road 638), Falzarego and Tre Croci (regional road 48), Staulanza (provincial road 251), Duran and Cibiana (provincial road 347), and the Belluno sides of the Pordoi, Campolongo, Valparola, Fedaia and San Pellegrino

South Tyrol: Gardena, Sella, Campolongo, Valparola, Costalunga and Erbe

The Gardena Pass is open in winter and closes when needed: on 2 December 2009 the Province closed it by order because of avalanche danger, after heavy snowfall at the pass. All year round, on state road 243 between the Miramonti junction and Corvara, vehicles with trailers are banned.

The Sella Pass can be reached in winter too. The car park at the pass stays open and has 42 spaces, against 199 in summer; the published rate is 4 euros an hour for the first three hours, up to 20 euros a day. Between Plan and the pass, trailers are banned all year. The Canazei side is managed by Trentino: on 27 January 2021 it was closed for avalanche danger from the pass down to Pian Schiavaneis. The four-pass loop by car, with summer car park timings, is in the dedicated guide.

For the Campolongo, in September 2026 the South Tyrol bulletin shows no restrictions on the Corvara side, and in the Veneto Strade tables of 8 December 2024, 28 January 2025 and 19 February 2026 the Arabba side was open.

The Valparola has two roads: provincial road 37 from San Cassiano, in South Tyrol, and provincial road 24 from the Falzarego, in the Belluno area. On the South Tyrol side the Province closed the road for safety works from 16 September to 29 November 2024 and from 7 April to 13 June 2025, and reopened it on 19 November 2025, once the main works were finished. The Province justified the works with the landslides and avalanches that had repeatedly hit the road in recent years. On the Belluno side the closures for snow are documented: in March 2024 Veneto Strade reopened it on the 7th, closed it again on the 10th, reopened it on the 28th, closed it on the 31st and reopened it on 2 April.

The Costalunga is served by bus in winter: in the 2025/26 timetable, from 14 December, SAD line 180 passed the pass every hour between Vigo di Fassa and Bolzano. On 16 November 2019 it was closed on the South Tyrol side and could only be reached from Trentino.

The Passo delle Erbe is the exception. The Province of Bolzano closes provincial road 29 for the winter on the Bressanone side, between km 20+700 and km 29+150, until further notice: in 2010 the closure started on 11 November, in 2011 on the 18th. In the 2010 notice the road from San Martino in Badia up to the pass stayed open. There is no date yet for winter 2026/27.

Trentino: Rolle, Fedaia and the Canazei side

The Rolle Pass, on state road 50, closes for avalanches between San Martino di Castrozza and the pass: it happened on 16 November 2019 and 28 February 2024. On the evening of 21 February 2021 a large avalanche crossed the state road without hitting any people or vehicles, and the road stayed closed because of the risk of further slides.

The Fedaia is the pass that, in the notices we read, closes most often. On the Trentino side the Province closed it for avalanche danger on 27 January 2021 at Villetta Maria, on 11 May 2023, on 28 February 2024 at the dam and on 15 March 2026, when after heavy snowfall on the Veneto border the road was shut from the dam, at km 11.5, to km 14.2. Reopening depended on artificial avalanche release by helicopter, which the weather prevented that day. In winter 2025/26 Veneto Strade reported the Trentino stretch as closed in all its notices from 25 January to 5 February, and again on 17 March.

On the Canazei side, in Val di Fassa, on 16 November 2019 the Pordoi and the Sella were closed together, from the edge of the village. On 20 November 2025, with the first snow, the Province listed the Sella state road, the Rolle road and road 48 over the Pordoi among the snow-covered roads, urging caution. On 15 March 2026, with the Fedaia closed, the Pordoi Pass stayed open, including for reaching the Olympic venue in Cortina.

For the Trentino side of the San Pellegrino we found no closure notices. On the Belluno side the pass was closed on 16 November 2019, for avalanche danger and falling trees, and open in the three Veneto Strade tables.

Veneto: Giau, Falzarego, Pordoi, Fedaia, Tre Croci, Staulanza, Duran and Cibiana

The Giau Pass is open in winter: it was in the Veneto Strade tables of 8 December 2024, 28 January 2025 and 19 February 2026. It does close in heavy snow, though. In March 2024 Veneto Strade closed it three times: on the 6th between Fedare and the Posalz junction, because of heavy precipitation and the carriageway narrowed by snow banks; on the 10th from Pocol to the Posalz junction, also for avalanche danger; on the 31st again between Fedare and Posalz, for avalanche danger. It reopened on 7 March, 12 March and 2 April. On 20 January 2023 the pass table also showed it as closed.

The Falzarego, on regional road 48 above Cortina, was open in the same three tables. On 10 March 2024 Veneto Strade closed the stretch between the Piani di Falzarego and the pass.

On the Arabba side the Pordoi closes in the heaviest snowfalls: on 10 and 31 March 2024 Veneto Strade closed it between the pass and the Vauz bridge, and on 28 February 2024 the Province of Trento reported it closed on the Belluno side because of heavy snow. Between the pass and Arabba, every year from 15 November to 30 April, vehicles longer than 12 metres are banned.

On the Belluno side of the Fedaia there is a seasonal order: the one we read, for winter 2022/23, suspended traffic between Ciamp de Lobbia and Malga Ciapela, from 1 November to 30 April, only on the days when snow conditions required the temporary closure plan of the company Padon Marmolada, which triggers artificial avalanche releases. In winter 2025/26 Veneto Strade closed the stretch between Capanna Bill and the Trentino border for avalanche danger on 19 February, reopened it on the 24th and reopened it again on 17 March, after another closure.

Tre Croci (regional road 48, between Cortina and the turn-off for Misurina), Staulanza (provincial road 251, between Palafavera and Pescul), Duran (provincial road 347, between La Valle Agordina and Dont) and Cibiana (provincial road 347, between Venas di Cadore and Fornesighe) were open in all three pass tables. In the winter 2025/26 notices published on the Veneto Strade website, from 25 January to 23 April 2026, none of the Veneto passes in this guide appears among the closed roads, except the Fedaia. Three of these passes lead into the Val di Zoldo.

Winter tyres and snow chains: three different rules

On the Veneto passes managed by Veneto Strade the rule follows fixed dates. Under the order of 12 November 2025, from 15 November 2025 to 15 April 2026 all motor vehicles had to have winter tyres or carry approved snow chains or other anti-skid devices, ready to use. Motorbikes and mopeds could only ride with no snow or ice on the road and no snowfall under way. The order for winter 2026/27 has not been issued yet: the last three were dated 3 November 2023, 28 October 2024 and 12 November 2025.

The same order has a second list, annex A1, where the rule also applies outside those dates, until revoked, whenever it snows or ice forms. It covers the road stretches leading to the Valparola, Pordoi, Falzarego, Tre Croci, Campolongo, Staulanza, San Pellegrino, Duran, Giau and Fedaia passes. If it snows in October, winter tyres or chains are already required there. The Cibiana is not on the list: there only the 15 November to 15 April period applies. On the ANAS state roads in Veneto, such as the SS 51 Alemagna towards Cortina, the rule applies from 15 November to 15 April on the stretches ANAS lists, and it can be extended if bad weather continues.

In Trentino, from 15 November, all state and provincial roads require snow tyres or chains on board: the Province repeated this on 20 November 2025. In the 2013 order of the road management service, the latest whose text we found, the period ran to 15 April, and with snow or ice winter tyres or fitted chains were always compulsory, whatever the date.

In South Tyrol the date-based rule only applies on the Brenner motorway and in the city of Bolzano, from 15 November to 15 April, in any weather. On the Province's roads, and so on all the South Tyrol passes, the rule applies whenever the road is covered in snow or ice, even before 15 November, and the Province specifically mentions high mountain passes. In those conditions motorbikes and mopeds may not ride.

Some practical points from the Veneto order: chains must be compatible with the car's tyres and fitted at least on the driving wheels, while winter tyres are recommended on all four wheels. During the snowfalls of 25 January and 19 February 2026 Veneto Strade advised driving the passes above 1,200 metres with chains fitted, and fitting them off the carriageway so as not to block the snowploughs. On 19 February 2026 its roads could only be driven with snow tyres or fitted chains.

• Veneto passes: 15 November to 15 April; on the pass stretches in annex A1 also outside that period, with snow or ice
• Trentino passes: from 15 November on state and provincial roads, until 15 April in the latest order we read, and always with snow or ice
• South Tyrol passes: whenever there is snow or ice, even before 15 November
• Brenner motorway and the city of Bolzano: 15 November to 15 April, in any weather
• Instead of winter tyres: chains or other approved devices on board, to fit when needed
• Motorbikes and mopeds: on the Veneto and South Tyrol passes only without snow and ice

Where to check before you set off

Each road authority publishes its own stretch: check the right one, and for a border pass check both. For the Sella, Pordoi, Fedaia, Campolongo, Valparola, San Pellegrino and Costalunga you need two websites. The Province of Bolzano's traffic centre is staffed every day of the year.

Before driving up, check the avalanche danger too: it is the reason given in many of the closures we found. The basics, from equipment to calling for help, are on the mountain safety page; the emergency number is 112. To get there without a car, see the getting around page and the guide to the Dolomites without a car.

• South Tyrol: the Province's traffic bulletin, section on passes and mountain roads, updated Monday to Saturday from 6.30am to 8pm and on Sundays and public holidays from 8am to 8pm; phone +39 0471 200198
• Trentino: Viaggiare in Trentino, freephone 800 903606 (from Italy)
• Veneto: Veneto Strade notices for the province of Belluno, with the pass status table on snowy days; Belluno office +39 0437 868111
• ANAS state roads: the VAI app and 800 841 148
• Brenner motorway: 800 279940 from Italy
• Avalanches: the Euregio bulletin at avalanche.report for South Tyrol and Trentino, and the regional bulletins on the AINEVA website, which include Veneto