Grimsel Pass

The Grimsel crosses at 2,164 metres between the Haslital and the upper Rhone, and the landscape is unlike most Alpine passes: bare granite scoured smooth by ice, almost no vegetation, and a chain of reservoirs - Raterichsboden, Grimselsee, Oberaarsee - built from the 1920s onward for one of the country's major hydro schemes. The old Grimsel Hospiz, which had sheltered travellers since the thirteenth century, was submerged when the lake was raised, and a new one was built on the dam crest. Guided tours run inside the power station's tunnels, and the Gelmerbahn is on the northern approach. The Furka and Susten passes meet the same road, making a circuit that draws drivers and motorcyclists.

What you actually see

• Ice-polished granite - bare scoured rock with almost no vegetation.
• A drowned hospice - the medieval refuge submerged, rebuilt on the dam.
• A chain of reservoirs - the hydro scheme built from the 1920s.
• Three passes meeting - Grimsel, Furka and Susten on one circuit.

When to go

Mid-June to October. A day.

Honest expectations

The road closes for winter, usually from October. Weather at the top is harsh in any month. Reservoir drawdown leaves bare banks late in the season. Motorcycle traffic is very heavy on summer weekends.

Nearby

The Gelmerbahn is on the north side; the Furka and Rhone glacier are south.