Susten Pass Switzerland

On route 6 & route 11 there are 26 bridges and tunnels and the average grade is about 5.8% with the maximum being about 9%. Seems steep doesn’t it? Yet we continuously saw bicycle riders headed up & down this highway! The peak of the pass is at 7,414 feet above sea level and even now, I cannot believe that those bicycle riders were able to cross that pass at that altitude and not just keel over from lack of oxygen!

The steepest grade on the Susten Pass in Switzerland varies depending on the route, but it's generally in the range of 7–15.3%:

NOTE: For a great video of the drive from Grindelwald to Lauterbrunnen click here -- Many thanks to 7ze3 Travels for this great video.

• Innertkirchen: The steepest quarter mile of this climb is 15.3%, and the steepest continuous mile is 10.9%. The average grade is 5.7%.
• Wassen: The climb is consistently hard, with grades of 7–9%.
• MyCols: The average grade is 5.6%, with a maximum of 7.5%.

The steepest quarter mile of the Susten Pass is 15.3% and steepest continuous mile is 10.9%. 2.5 miles of the climb is at or above 10% grade.

This drive showcases the natural beauty of th Switzerland region, with every mile providing a new postcard-worthy view. It's a perfect blend of serenity and adventure, allowing travelers to soak in the tranquility of the Swiss countryside while experiencing the thrill of navigating mountain roads. Whether in summer or winter, the Grindelwald to Lauterbrunnen drive is a must for those seeking an immersive encounter with Switzerland's stunning alpine landscapes.

These are the types of views you get as you ascend to the top of the pass, the road that you just came up displays it's switchbacks and incredible geography. This route might not have the amazing switchbacks of the Stelvio Pass, but the ascent is steep and the curves are challenging!

NOTE: Image # 1 is the property of Epik Drives

Click here to visit the "Epik Drives" Website as their images and narrative about various European Drives, is very good. This link will bring you to their Stelvio Pass page.

We had stopped here as they were doing some repairs to the tunnel on the left in this pic. So since we could not continue to drive further until they allowed traffic to use the single lane tunnel, we decided to stretch and take some more pictures.

This glacier at the top is slowly melting into Stein Lake at the bottom of that hill. And just to point out how others have also found this area to be unique, the James Bond movie "Goldfinger" was filmed in the Furka Pass area of this highway.

Click this image to view a video we made as we drove across route 11 to Lake Como, Italy. The switch-backs and views we encountered on this highway are amazing!

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As route 11 descends from the summit and on one of the final major curves, we come across the Restaurant Sustenbruggli. Since most of our drive had been "white knuckle driving" we decided to stop and get something cold to drink and maybe a light lunch.

See where the highway swings away to the left? That is route 11 headed up to the summit and that is the corner of the building where we got a table. And the entire time we sat there, there were numerous bicycle riders headed up the Susten Pass towards the summit and making good speed! However, you can see by the large number of motorcycles parked here how popular this route is for that community !

After we finished lunch, we got back onto route 11 until it merged into Switzerland route 2 and headed south to the Gottard Road Tunnel - the deepest auto tunnel in the world! At 16.9 kilometers in length, it is an amazing engineering achievement & the fifth longest auto tunnel in the world.

There are a number of web cams in & around the Gotthard Tunnel, click here to see a list of them.

IMAGE CREDITS Both images are the property of the Restaurant Sustenbrüggli.