1132 hm
Ascent
13.7 km
Distance Ascent
13 %
max. gradient
8.3 %
ø gradient
Climb Goals: Pure Data Edition DIN A1 poster
Bucket-List Print: Nufenenpass
The Nufenen Pass connects the Goms in Valais with the Bedretto valley in Ticino, at 2,478 metres. That makes it the highest pass road lying entirely within Switzerland. It is also one of the youngest: the road only opened in 1969. From Ulrichen the Nufenen is a compact, honest high-mountain climb without a single recovery kilometre.
The Nufenen at a glance
From Ulrichen it is 13.7 kilometres and 1,132 metres of climbing, 8.1 percent on average, 13 percent at the steepest. Hors catégorie. At the top, Valais and Ticino part ways, and just east of the pass the Ticino river rises. The descent runs down the Bedretto valley to Airolo, at the foot of the Gotthard.
The climb from Ulrichen
After a short opening out of the Goms the road bites immediately. Kilometres three and four already work out above ten percent, in forested hairpins that hold the steepest section of the climb. At kilometre five a short flat stretch in the Ägene valley grants a pause, the only one.
From there the road climbs above the tree line at a constant eight to eleven percent: long ramps across the hillside, then the final serpentines beneath the rock face to the pass. At the top the view opens onto the Gries Glacier with its reservoir and wind turbines, and behind them the Bernese Alps with the Finsteraarhorn. Stark, vast, magnificent.
History and racing
The Nufenen is a child of the motor age: built from 1964 to 1969 and opened on 5 September 1969. There is no ancient mule track tradition here like on the Gotthard, but a modern, well-engineered road that quickly became a fixture for pass collectors.
The Tour de Suisse likes to use the Nufenen as part of its hardest circuit: Ulrichen over the Nufenen, Gotthard and Furka back to Ulrichen, ridden as the final stage in 2000 and 2005. In 2019 exactly this circuit stepped in at short notice for the cancelled Susten queen stage, and Hugh Carthy won after a long solo. In 2024, on the other hand, the race had to drop the Nufenen itself, snow in June. That too is part of a pass at 2,478 metres.
Practical tips
The season usually runs from June to October. There is no food or water between Ulrichen and the top, where a mountain inn awaits. The weather changes fast up here, and a wind jacket for the descent into the Bedretto valley is mandatory. If you want the big loop, continue on the Tour de Suisse classic over the Gotthard and the Furka, a good 100 kilometres with around 3,000 metres of climbing.
How does the Nufenen compare?
In the triangle with the Gotthard and the Furka, the Nufenen is the steepest and the loneliest. The Gotthard has the cobbles of the Tremola, the Furka has the Hotel Belvédère panorama, the Nufenen has the consistently hardest gradients and the fewest cars. If you want to know what Switzerland feels like at the very top, this is the most direct answer.
The Nufenen is immortalised on our 100 Climbs posters, in five styles.
Is the Nufenen Pass the highest pass in Switzerland?
The Nufenen is, at 2,478 metres, the highest pass road lying entirely within Switzerland. The Umbrail Pass is higher, but sits right on the Italian border.
How hard is the Nufenen from Ulrichen?
13.7 kilometres with 1,132 metres of climbing at an average of 8.1 percent, 13 percent maximum. After the short flat stretch in the Ägene valley the gradient rarely drops below eight percent. Compact, but without recovery.
When is the Nufenen Pass open?
Usually from June to October. Even in early summer, snow can block the pass, in 2024 even the Tour de Suisse had to reroute because of it.