43.4
PDI
11.5 mi
DISTANCE
5,404 ft
GAINED
8.9 %
AVG. GRADE
FULL CLIMB STATS
Page Contributor(s): Bill Coppobianco (Laguna Beach, CA, USA); Ties Arts, Netherlands; Erwan Trequier, Brittany, France; Ard Oostra, Montreux, Switzerland.
INTRO
The Grossglockner High Alpine Road (Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse) is Austria's most famous mountain pass, and the climb from Fusch is the classic way onto it: 11.5 miles and 5,404 feet of gain at an 8.9% average grade, finishing near the Edelweissspitze turnoff at 2,571 meters, the highest point on the paved road network in Austria. This is a Top 100 World Climb (World Rank #73) and is widely considered the poster child for Austrian roadway perfection - a wide, smoothly engineered two-lane highway carved through the Hohe Tauern National Park with more than 30 hairpin turns.
What sets this climb apart is the scenery: the road tops out with views of the Grossglockner itself, Austria's highest peak at 3,798 meters, along with the Pasterze glacier and a string of 3,000-meter summits along the Hohe Tauern range. It was built between 1930 and 1935 specifically as a scenic touring road rather than a transit route, which is why the gradient stays so consistently rideable for a climb of this size.
The road is seasonal, typically open from late April or early May through late October or early November depending on snowfall - it opened for the 2026 season on April 25. It's tolled for motor vehicles, but cyclists ride through the toll gates for free.
PLAN YOUR ROUTE
We've partnered with Sherpa-Map.com to bring you the best route planning tool. With a PRO Membership you can use this climb as a reference when creating your route. 8.9% average grade. 8% of the climb is at 0-5% grade, 51% is at 5-10%, and 41% is at 10-15%. The steepest 500 meters and kilometer is at 11.6% which is a testament to the smooth gradient of the road.
See more details and tools regarding this climb's grade via the “Profile Tool” button.
Roadway: Two-lane highway in excellent, smoothly engineered condition with no shoulder for most of its length; the road reopened for the 2026 season on April 25 and is well maintained throughout the summer. It's a toll road for cars (about €38 in 2026), but cyclists ride through for free via a dedicated gate to the right of the car lanes - no ticket or payment needed.
Traffic: Moderate to heavy, and worth planning around - this is one of Austria's most-visited roads, with roughly a million visitors a year and no dedicated cycle path. The road's own operators recommend riding before 8:00am or after 3:00pm, since around 80% of traffic clusters in the late-morning/midday window, especially in July and August. Early starts are noticeably quieter and safer.
Parking: Fusch an der Grossglocknerstrasse is a small alpine village right at the base of the climb. We stayed at and parked near Hotel-Restaurant Lampenhäusl, about 2.6 miles north of the climb start (Map); there are also a handful of pull-offs and side-road spots to park right at the start of the climb itself (Map).
Provisions: The Edelweisshütte mountain inn sits right near the finish at 2,571 meters, open daily with hot food, drinks, and a sun terrace - a welcome stop after the climb (Google Map + Reviews).
Before heading out on any cycling adventure check out our Things to Bring on a Cycling Trip and use our interactive check list to ensure you don't forget anything.
We stayed in Fusch at Hotel - Restaurant Lampenhäusl, which had a nice breakfast and dinner, was a comfortable place to stay, was close to the climb start, and was reasonably priced. Consider also climbing the other side of this roadway - Grobglockner Pockhorn to tunnel and Franz Josefs Höhe (Heiligenblut), both on the far side of the pass, through the tunnel at the top. We drove around to the other side to do these climbs rather than ride through the tunnel.
Consider timing your trip around the Glocknerkönig, a one-day cyclosportive held annually on the first Sunday of June, starting on the north (Fusch/Bruck) side of the pass.
Use the "Routes in Area" button on the menu bar to see other bike climbs in this area.
ROUTE MAP
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Velopura
A nice, steady long climb with magnificent views of the nearby peaks. There was a lot of traffic when I went, including motos. Very busy at the top.
Johanna
The Edelweissspitze is a fun destination, however the real Grossglockner top, the Kaiser-Franz-Josef's Hoche is further down the road (~24 more miles) and gives you a 10.000' out and back climb from Fusch.
EmanuelBacigala
beautiful but a lots of dengerous motorbikers,
DrBullet
I tried to climb Grossglockner from Zell am See on a fully-laden MTB with knobbly tires in the summer of 1990...my first cycle touring adventure (I knew nothing!). My legs were cramping so badly by ~2000m that I knew I could not make it to the top...but had great fun on the descent, especially the cobbled corners. One day I will have to go back and finish the job!
