The Grimsel Pass links the Hasli Valley in the Bernese Oberland with the Goms district in the Valais. The road over the pass traverses a wild and barren mountain landscape where the main features are granite rock formations, reservoirs and power stations.

Innertkirchen in the Bernese Oberland is the starting point for two imposing pass roads. The Susten Pass leads eastwards to Central Switzerland and to the south, the road climbs upwards to the Grimsel Pass: at first the pace is leisurely, but soon the road traverses ever-narrower gorges of wild beauty, their walls clad with gigantic granite slabs. The Prospectors' Museum (Strahlermuseum) at Guttannen displays mountain crystals of all sizes. Handeck is the starting point for the world's steepest funicular railway: with a gradient of 106%, the Gelmer Railway takes you up to picturesque Lake Gelmer which you can walk around in two hours.

Hydroelectric power stations, high-voltage power cables and lofty dams typify the landscape on the northern side of the Grimsel, which has become the 'Electricity Pass'. The Räterichbodensee and Grimselsee reservoirs, with capacities of over 100 million cubic meters, are the most striking visual features. They are complemented by a vast system of underground power plants, storage basins and pressure tunnels extending all the way down into the valley. Annual energy production totals an average of 2350 GWh, sufficient to meet the needs of a million people. The KWO power station company offers a guided tour of the installations lasting several hours, including a visit to the unique crystal cavern of Gerstenegg deep within the Grimsel massif.

The Grimsel Hospice towers over a rocky peninsula in Lake Grimsel; nowadays it is a comfortable hotel with pleasant views of the Lauteraarhorn and the lake. An exhibition informs visitors about the use of water power to generate power. A Crystal Experience Trail leads back to Handeck from the hospice through one of the richest mineral regions of the Alps and across historic muleteers' bridges. The old hospice where the muleteers traded Swiss cheese and Piedmont wine, rice, maize and leather now lies beneath the waters of the reservoir.

A breathtaking panoramic view awaits you from the top of the pass at 2165 meters above sea level. The Rhone Glacier glistens in the distance, and the Totensee Lake reflects some of the most impressive peaks of the Bernese Alps including the Finsteraarhorn, the Schreckhorn and the Wetterhorn. Weary cyclists dismount from their steeds and motorbikes are arrayed outside the restaurants. As well as food and accommodation, the Grimsel Pass offers an artificial crystal grotto and an animal park. It is also the starting point for hikers and climbers to enjoy the mountain world high up in the Alps. On the Valais side, six impressive hairpin bends lead down to Gletsch in the Obergoms region (1759 m), with the turning for the Furka pass road and the Grand Hotel Glacier du Rhône where the ambience of the heyday of the Alpine passes at the start of the 19th century still prevails.

The Hotel Grimselblick on the pass has recently started opening in winter as well as the rest of the year, providing some new options for ski tour and snowshoe enthusiasts and tobogganers. Access is gained from Oberwald in the Valais via a prepared winter hiking route that is safe against avalanches.

Highlights

• Visit the power stations, guided tour of the underground Grimsel Power Station.


• Gerstenegg Crystal Cavern: mountain crystals in their natural setting, located at a depth of 1.5 km within the Grimsel Massif.


• Four Passes Route by PostBus: connections to the Nufenen, Gotthard and Susten Passes.


• Gelmer Railway: the steepest funicular railway in the world with a gradient of 106%.