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Rating 4.4

Adrenaline 65%

Road Type Mountain Pass

The Klausen Passs

The Klausen Passis the first "major" alpine pass you reach driving south from Zurich, in fact, using the highway you can be at the foot of the pass in a little over 1 hour - it really is a passage directly into the heart of the Alps.

The great thing about the Klausen pass, unlike some other passes in the Alps, is there is a highway alternative, therefore the traffic on the pass is really restricted to locals or driving enthusiasts, so never gets busy despite it's proximity to Zurich.

Klausen Pass in Lotus Elise Racer

Some History first.....the Klausen Pass is home of the legendary Klausen Run (Klausenrennen), a 21.5 kilometer pre-war hill climb. More recently a vintage event is run every 4-5 years, the last race taking place in 2006. The race (and of course the pass) consisted of 136 curves with a difference in altitude of 1237 meters (bottom to top). In 2006 the race was labelled by far the craziest mountain motor race in Europe with over 40’000 spectators and was honoured in Stoneleigh Park with the prestigious “Speed Event of the Year" award.

Enough about the event - for those not planning on entering in their vintage car, here's a brief run down of what is one of the most beautiful and unspoiled Alpine Passes in Switzerland.  On entering the start of the Klausen Pass at Glarus you drive a short stretch along the original pass cobbles. The Klausen Pass then quickly winds up through a forest section, taking in several high speed sweeping turns, before a series of tight switchbacks. You then continue through through several small tunnels, with another straighter stretch through the forest - a fantastic adrenaline rush. Keep your wits about you though as this stretch is rather tight, and some of the cambers on the old cobbled stretches can catch you out, especially if you a running very low suspension.

As the road starts to level, you suddenly burst through the forest and onto a 5 km long Alpine Plateaux, Urnerboden. Here to your right are some of the most spectacular sky-scraping granite peaks you are likely to see anywhere in the Alps. Drive this plateaux taking in the sights, but again be mindful of the undulations.

At the end of the plateau, at what then appears to be a dead end to the valley (granite walls all around you) are several nice waterfalls (most powerful in late spring / early summer) that you can park up nearby then walk directly up to. However, you are certainly not stuck at a dead end! Look right and you will see the next stretch of the hill climb, literally carved into the rock face, up and out of this basin. Something like around 40 turns later you are at the top of the Klausen Pass - once here we recommend that you stop at the Klausen Cafe for a coffee and to catch your breath.

The ride back down the Klausen Pass is not as spectacular, and needs to be taken with caution as there are several sections near the top with flimsy barriers and sheer drop offs! However, once though this stretch you are back to some great sweeping turns, then once again into the Alpine forests. Lower down the valley there is an unbelievable waterfall across the valley that drops several hundred meters into the green abyss, rare these days as most are tapped for electric power generation. The descent to the foot of the Klausen Pass finishes at Burglen, birthplace of William Tell and worth stopping at for a quick wander around, there's a museum dedicated to his legacy.

You are now in the heart of the central Swiss Alps, drive south and you are shortly on the Susten/Furka/Grimsel combination - another drive not to be missed.

Check out the road on our short video from a few years back