Grossglockner (South side, Part 2)
The Grossglockner High Alpine Road is like an ornament of ribbons located between green mountain pastures, colourful flower meadows, rocky rubble, ice and show. The mountain pass road with a total of 48 km and 36 turns leads deep into the centre of Austria’s largest national park with an area of 1,800 km² that extends across the provinces of Salzburg, Tyrol and Carinthia. The highest point of the mountain road is the Edelweissspitze located at just above 2,500 m. Several 3,000 m peaks open up to the wandering gaze, but the largest of them all is the Grossglockner. The striking mountain towers above the entire region at 3,798 m, and is at the same time the highest summit of the Alpine Republic. This second part of the south side of the Hochtor starts just before the town of Heiligenblut. From there, it is a steep ride to Kasereck, only getting easier for a short stretch at the mautstelle (toll booth). A short descent leads to a roundabout where you can go left to the Franz Josefs Höhe. Here the last hard 7 kilometers to the tunnel of the Hochtor start. From the Fuscher Lacke the road starts to climb again, with the final part to the Edelweisspitze being fantastic on the old cobbled road.
Region: Kärnten
City: Pockhorn
Distance: 25.83 km
Elevation Gain: 1758 m
Elevation Loss: 333 m
Difficulty: 1851 (Extreme)
FIETS Index: 7.87 FIETS
Avg Grade: 5.52 %
Max cat climb: HC
Min elevation: 1117 m
Max elevation: 2543 m
Ride Category: Epic Climb