Nufenen Pass

After responsible provisioning in the Rhone Valley, the next challenge now presents itself. The Nufenen Pass is one of the highest motorable passes in Switzerland and connects the town of Ulrichen in the bilingual Valais with Airolo in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino (Ticino). The paved road of 14 km in length was constructed in the 1960s. Shortly before, an access road had already been built for the construction of the dam at the Griess Glacier, meaning that only two additional kilometers of road had to be constructed to reach the pass height. The road rises on average by almost 9% and even has a short gradient of 11½%. After conquering 14 hairpin bends and 1135 meters of elevation gain, you have reached the highest point of this 3-pass tour and the first half of the tour is over. With beautiful you have from the pass height at 2478 m.ü.M. a beautiful view over the Bernese Alps. In the 24 km descent you will overcome 1323 meters of elevation. Above the tree line there are 8 vicious hairpin bends with a gradient of 11½% for 1 kilometer. After 14 kilometers of descent, the biggest challenge is completed and a slight decline remains. So a great time to recover, have something to drink and eat. Due to its high location, the road often only opens in June and is closed again in October.

Rieno ✅ Routes