Switzerland Pragelpass East
Pragelpass East Bike Climb - PJAMM Cycling

17.6
PDI
13.1 mi
DISTANCE
3,481 ft
GAINED
5 %
AVG. GRADE
FULL CLIMB STATS
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Page Contributor(s): Helmuth Dekkers, NL

INTRO

Pragelpass East climbs 21.0 km (13.1 mi) from Riedern, just outside the town of Glarus, to the 1544 m (5066 ft) Pragelpass on the border between the cantons of Glarus and Schwyz. It gains 1061 m (3481 ft) at a 5.0% average and is currently ranked #1276 in the world in our database.

That 5.0% average hides a climb in three distinct parts. The first 6 km (3.7 mi) lift you about 345 m (1132 ft) out of the Linth valley to the Klöntalersee, with ramps near 10% on either side of an easier middle stretch. Then comes the reward: roughly 4.5 km (2.8 mi) of flat road along the lake, with the Glärnisch massif towering over the far shore. From the far end of the lake it is about 11 km (6.8 mi) at around 6.3% to the pass, steepening where the road leaves the stream and climbing past the inn at Richisau before the valley opens up for the final kilometer.

What makes this side special is the traffic rule. Since 1981, a roughly 2 km (1.2 mi) section of the Glarus side above Richisau has been closed to motor vehicles on Saturdays and Sundays, so on weekends the upper road belongs to cyclists, hikers and the occasional cow. As our friend and contributor Helmuth Dekkers put it after riding it from Glarus, the scenery is beautiful the whole way - you are cycling in Switzerland, after all.

The pass closes for winter, typically from early November until late May or June, so check current status before you go.

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Pragelpass East averages 5.0% over 21.0 km (13.1 mi), but the flat lakeside stretch in the middle pulls that number down - the actual climbing is noticeably steeper.

Riedern to the Klöntalersee (km 0-6): about 345 m (1132 ft) of gain at roughly 5.8%. Kilometers 2, 3 and 5 run at 6.7%, 7.9% and 8.3%, with an easier kilometer in between.

Along the lake (km 6-10.5): essentially flat at about 848 m (2782 ft) - a genuine recovery stretch.

Vorauen to the pass (km 10.5-21): about 693 m (2274 ft) of gain at around 6.3%. Kilometer 12 is the hardest on the climb at 9.7%, then the grade eases past Richisau before kilometers 16-20 settle in at 6.0-9.0%. The final kilometer eases to 2.4% as the valley opens up below the pass.

The steepest kilometer averages 10.2%, the steepest 5 km (3.1 mi) average 7.6%, and the steepest 100 m touch about 12.6%. Riders have reported a road sign warning of 18% near the top, but most find nothing close to that steep on this side.
Roadway: Paved the entire way and generally in good condition, with riders consistently rating the tarmac highly. The road is narrow, mostly a single lane above the lake, and tight in spots along the lakeshore too. The pass closes for winter, typically from early November until late May or June (the 2025 season ran 16 May to 3 November). In late autumn 2026 there are also roadworks with traffic restrictions on the Klöntalerstrasse below the lake, with a full closure planned from mid-November into early December - check the canton of Glarus road notices before an end-of-season ride.

Traffic: Moderate on the lower road from Riedern to the lake and along the lakeshore, especially on summer weekends, since the Klöntalersee is a popular day-trip spot with a campsite at its western end. Above the lake traffic thins out, and on Saturdays and Sundays a roughly 2 km (1.2 mi) section above Richisau is closed to motor vehicles, so there is no through traffic over the pass on weekends. Since 2026, the whole Klöntal has also gone car-free from 7:00 to 19:00 on the last Sunday of June, July and August (the "Slow Sundays"), with residents, overnight guests and public transport among the few exemptions - the best days of the year to ride this side.

Parking: There is no dedicated lot at the start in Riedern. Glarus, just below, has a train station and is the easiest place to arrive and begin. If you want to ride only the upper climb, the Rhodannenberg car parks at the dam on the eastern end of the Klöntalersee put you at the start of the lakeside flat, about 6 km (3.7 mi) into the climb.
Provisions: Stock up in Glarus before you start. Riders report several places to eat and drink along the way, and the Gasthaus Richisau, about two-thirds of the way up, has a shaded garden restaurant under maple trees that makes a natural stop. Above Richisau there is little until the pass, so fill bottles there.

Gear: The grades here are moderate, so a compact crankset with a 28-30 tooth largest cog is plenty. The summit is open and exposed and can be cold even in summer, so pack a wind layer for the descent. If you continue over the top toward Muotathal, the western descent is narrow and steep with limited visibility on the bends - good brakes and patience with oncoming traffic are essential.
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.
Glarus is a capital with a difference. Every spring the canton still governs itself by Landsgemeinde, an open-air assembly where citizens vote by show of hands on the Zaunplatz in the middle of town - it was the Landsgemeinde that voted in 2025 to make three summer Sundays car-free in the Klöntal. The same square has also served as the start of FreiPass, a cycling day when the road over the Pragel was closed to private motor traffic.

The Klöntalersee itself is worth slowing down for. The lake was formed by an ancient rockslide and raised by the Rhodannenberg dam in 1905-1908 to feed one of Switzerland's early hydroelectric plants. Ice was cut from it for cooling until 1953, and in 1799 the valley saw fighting between Russian forces under General Suvorov and the French, when Suvorov's army retreated over this pass into Glarus. The back of the valley around Richisau drew visitors to its whey-cure health resorts from the 1850s, and the inn at Richisau still offers rooms if you want to stay high.

Klausenpass East starts just up the valley in Linthal, and Helmuth suggests linking the two into a big loop: over the Pragel to Muotathal, down to Brunnen, along Lake Lucerne to Flüelen and Altdorf, then back over the Klausen to Linthal and Glarus - about 127 km (78.9 mi) with close to 3000 m (9843 ft) of climbing. To see other climbs nearby, or build a custom route from here, try our Routes in the Area tool.

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MEMBER RATING

Difficulty: Challenging
4/5
Road
5/5
Traffic
4/5
Scenery

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Feb 7, 2023
difficulty: Challenging
scenery: 4
traffic: 5
road: 4
Feb 7, 2023
scenery: 4
traffic: 5
road: 4
A nice quiet climb. It's closed to motorised traffic on Sundays above Richisau (just past the Klontalersee), so from there to the top on Sundays you'll encounter nothing but a few pedestrians and cyclists.
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CLIMB SUMMARY

Cycling Pragelpass East

Ride 21.1 kilometers gaining 1,072 meters at 5% average grade.

This is a very scenic ride on a mildly travelled narrow roadway past Lake Klöntalersee to Pragel Pass.  Pragel Pass is closed on weekends to motorized vehicles making it an excellent cycling experience.  This climb is located in the Glarus Alps, a subrange of the Alps located in central Switzerland.

Climb summary from PJAMM friend and contributor Helmuth Dekkers (NL).

I took the eastern ascent and hence started from Glarus. The kilometers that take you out of Glarus to Riedern (525m) are easy just 4% on average. From Riedern the actual climbing starts and you can look ahead to an impressive rockface. Just before it the road sweeps to the left to follow this rockface.

From Riedern it is 4km to the Klöntalersee (848m) with an average of 8%. But don't let that average value fool you as there is a 1.5km part in between of just 4% and prior to that and after that stretch it's around 10%!

The scenery is beautiful along the climb . . .

. . . well, you are cycling in Switzerland, after all . .

The Klöntalersee is a natural lake and the view on this blue lake with the mountains rising high up around it is very beautiful. Nice reward for the uphill part you just cycled. It's also nice that you cycle for 4.5km on a flat part along the lake though the road is quite narrow at places and there can be quite some traffic as there is a campsite on the western side of the lake.

From the end of the lake there are still some 10.5km left to the actual pass with an average of 6.6%. But note that there is a flatter piece of ~4% after 3km and the parts before and after are steeper and then there are also some steep ramps in there with a lot higher gradient and so it's not an easy ride to the pass! The increase of the gradient and ramps coincides with where the road turns away from the torrent. The last kilometer the valley opens up and this enhances the view on the surrounding mountains so the view on the summit is really nice.  

Please note it is possible to descend down to Brunnen and then to cycle along the Vierwaldstattersee to Flüelen and then on to Altdorf to cycle up via the Klausenpass to Linthal to get back to Glarus. This is a 127km loop with close to 3,000m difference of level.