The Dades Gorge (Gorges du Dades) is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Morocco. The Affenpfoten near Ait Ouglif is a crowded tourist hotspot and the road through the gorge is mainly used by tourist taxis (vans, cars), rental cars and the typical shared taxis from the locals. The asphalt is mostly acceptable, partly damaged. It wasn't clear to me at all what the Dades Gorge is supposed to be and what it includes and where the pass road to Tizi n'Ouano begins. So I just drove everything. For cyclists you can probably define Boumalne as the southern point of the gorge; from Souk Lakhmis Dades, for example, you would have to take the national road RN10 and that would be no fun. In the north the gorge runs at the level of Iminouarg or perhaps 1-3 km further north like M'Semrir. The further north you go, the fewer tourists there are and the more you have the road and landscape to yourself. In the south near Boumalne the gorge is extremely wide and full of palm trees. The great pictures of the hairpin bends only make up a tiny piece of the impressive gorge. My recommendation: North of the "Affenpfoten" near Ait Oudinar, for example, to climb towards Tizi n' Ouano. It's about 150km to the summit and back. The construction work is expected to be completed by 2025/2026 and the pass will be completely asphalted. I rode the pass in 02.2024 with 25mm tubeless and it was doable, even if it wasn't great in terms of riding technology in a gravel construction site. But the view on the way to the 2,900m makes you forget the "road" surface. As soon as the work is completed, there will also be tourists who will disturb us cyclists there with cars, vans or motorhomes ;) A little further east from Tinghir to the north there is the equally spectacular Todra Gorge, which could also be turned into a great circular route.
Unknown, remote and spectacular. Not even locals know the name of this pass. Let alone the right height. It reaches, according to a local racing cyclist of 2600 m, to 2900 m; What Google Maps believes to be right. No matter. The Dades Gorge is sometimes narrower, sometimes wider, sometimes stony and sometimes smooth. Only one adjective describes the complete route: spectacular.