Grimsel Pass

We weren't the only cyclists riding high mountain passes in the upper Rhône - we'd found out in days prior that the Tour de Suisse would be passing us, as the ride headed up over Gletsch Pass and onto Furka Pass. We headed out from our campsite along alpine meadows, arriving in Oberwald with enough time to climb up to Gletsch Pass before the racers passed. The ride was beautifully forested with awesome alpine views, and felt more wild compared to the hairpin turns of the Grimsel Pass climb taunting us from above. We settled into a high point overlooking the end of the climb, and watched the riders sprint past us, two or three times faster than our climbing speed. Our subsequent climb up to Grimsel Pass provided great views of the upper Rhône and the climb to Furka Pass. It is still a surprise for us to find hotels and restaurants in the alpine, but sure enough there were both when we reached the top of Grimsel Pass at 2164 m - the high point of our bike tour. We enjoyed lunch at the summit, then rolled over the other side past an array of hydro dams, down down down the long valley at top speeds. We ended our day in Meiringen, back down at 595 m of elevation, now in the watershed of the Rhine River.Read more