04Experiences

A day on the pass

Driving the High Alpine Road

Visiting Grossglockner on foot is not the same as visiting by road. The High Alpine Road is paved and is Austria’s highest pass road of its kind. It starts in Bruck in Salzburg state and reaches Heiligenblut in Carinthia. It passes Fuscher Törl at 2,428 metres, then Hochtor at 2,504 metres. Named for the mountain, it was built so the place could be seen, not as the shortest line between two towns. A toll applies. The toll changes with the season; the official site lists the current price. Give the road a full day. The hairpins are slow, and stopping at the glacier platform is part of the route, not an extra break. If the weather on the summit differs from the valley, turn back before the light narrows. The summit itself is 3,798 metres; the road does not put you on the final rock, but low enough beneath it to see pyramid and ice together. Do not mix this day with a Nordkette walking day: each fills its own timetable.

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Hochtor (m)

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Fuscher Törl (m)