KMII's photographic journey through the Großglockner High Alpine Road offers a unique perspective on navigating this iconic pass during the shoulder season. His detailed account, enriched by stunning imagery, provides invaluable insights for enthusiasts considering a similar adventure. This article delves into the practicalities and unexpected joys of experiencing one of Austria's most famous driving routes under challenging, yet rewarding, conditions.
As some here might know I recently promised a weekend away from her brother to our daughter (she got to choose between Großglockner with dad or Zürich with mom and I won out 😂🤷🏻♂️). The journey had a fun element for dad (she enjoyed it too) - namely the alpine road - and lots of time spent doing things she liked.
So let’s get to the road. Located between Salzburg (federal state, not city) and Carinthia it’s possibly one of the more famous Austrian mountains passes, peaking at just over 2,5km. While it used to be a main transit route for a while, this is long gone and now it’s a panorama toll road, open largely from April till late October / early November - depending on the snowfall. Part of its renown comes from Zell am See, which is around the corner, where the Porsche family is originally from, part from the mountain visible from it - Austria’s tallest. And of course it’s famous for being a truly brilliant road to drive, but on that more shortly.
Approaching from the North, once you pass through the last villages prior to the toll road you already find a nicely flowing B-road with decent sightlines and frequent short straights, should the odd overtaking be necessary. The weather was not great - which didn’t do much for views but also nipped the traffic in the bud. Soon I was to find out why.
It didn’t do anything to diminish the pleasure of driving the road at this point. And on the odd occasion when the clouds allowed, there was a bit to see, too.
Sadly the sight at the toll station was less than encouraging. The pass was not closed but they required snow chains to let you through and wanted to see them, too. So a 1,5 hour detour back to the first place that was open and would sell them 🤦🏻♂️ But given how far we drove to get here not doing it was not an option. Still, the upside was that there were no cyclists and motorbikes allowed and that while cars were allowed (with chains) in principle, almost no one fulfilled the requirement and the weather made sure almost no one bothered.
So finally off onto the paid section. An administrative comment: you can pay a daily, three weekly or annual amount for the toll (attached to the license plate) and since recently a second day (any time within 12 months) can be added for a roughly 2/3 discount on the first day.
There are 19 switchbacks on the Salzburg side, I believe and each has a little road sign with name and altitude (a bit like at Kaunertal -
www.watchprosite.com
for a comparison).
The road is simply glorious for lack of a more appropriate word. It’s wide enough for two modern sized (read bloated) cars throughout allowing you to really flow with the road as opposed to have to squeeze through sections of it. While 19 switchbacks sounds like something like Stelvio it’s a completely different animal (here:
www.watchprosite.com
for more on that). They are generally quite far between and also do not require a braking to almost standstill to navigate. This means that while you will have regular changes in speed throughout these are more as part of a flow and not an impediment to enjoying yourself.
While the low cloud base and occasional fog lowered the visibility there was the odd spectacle of nature still to be seen and I am sure that on a sunny day the views must be spectacular.
As for the road conditions - while snow chains were far from being required ( they should probably have checked for winter tires first), they were deteriorating as you got further up. Generally no issue at all but with summer tires (fairly worn), a feedback happy daughter (to her mum at home) and no guardrails for most of the journey I decided on a reasonable rather than pulse raising pace. At some point Sport+ resulted in a mini slide out of each corner (with the rears worn down the car became more playful 😈), so it went back a notch.
Those having been here previously will recognize one of the hits below the top…
And here a view of the snakier section ascending towards the first, false peak. As fun as it looks 👌🏻
Reaching just below the first peak there’s a choice, sadly only one route was open to exploration.
And here the so called finish line, although not sure to what. One could apparently have superb views from here - given the visibility I will have to take their word for it.
At that point you go through a small downhill section before the final ascent to the second tunnel and the actual peak. Here some parked machinery - apparently an offspring of the Porsche clan owns these and many more, so there are frequent Porsche events in the area.
After this the road makes its final ascent to the peak, passing through two short tunnels on the way there.
While some sections had a bit of snow, none of it was even close to requiring chains, although some people were fitting them on the side of the road for some reason 🤷🏻♂️
Finally, the second tunnel and the passing into Carinthia. Unlike the first one, the second one is lit up and brings you to the shop / restaurant at the very top.
Here there was a tad more snow and between wind driven snowfall one or two moments where one could take a picture - just about.
Given the tires and the road grip levels (deteriorating) we decided to not fully explore the other side and to return instead. Giving me a good reason to return 😁
You also see some serious snow clearing equipment parked on the side of the road and in spite of this the road is still not passable for neigh on half a year.
The descent was more leisurely but still fun. The road flows beautifully in both directions and while it does not have that 3d rollercoaster quality it certainly offers full 2d thrills. The surface is also reasonably fresh and smooth, with no potholes or road imperfections impeding fun or progress.
As you can also see from the shots - unlike some other passes covered, this one really was traffic free on the day - something that probably changes drastically on a nicer weather weekend.
Slowly but surely we were back below the snow line and towards the end of the pass. While the daily ticket allows you to leave and reenter at will we decided to call it a day.
Bit with fresh winter tires on I am truly tempted for a follow-up weekend trip soon - one where I get to drive up and down on both sides as much as the daily opening times will allow.
Which also answers the question on whether the long journey there for the pass has been worth it - absolutely. Unlike Stelvio or Furka (here:
www.watchprosite.com
for more) this one is not only famous but truly epic to drive. It will allow fun in a very wide range of machinery (even with some traffic, as there are a couple of two lane overtaking sections lower down on the uphill lane) and even if there are no guardrails for most of the length, on a drier road you are never surprised to the extent of a heart on mouth moment.
So if you find yourself anywhere in the vicinity, it’s worth the ticket cost - and even the detour to organize some snow chains if so requested 😁
Enjoy your weekend rides ahead 👋🏻🏁
