Grosse Scheidegg (1962 metres) is a mountain pass in central Switzerland linking Grindelwald and Meiringen. Located in the Berner Oberland, the climb is dominated by some of the highest mountains in Europe including the Wetterhorn directly above, and the renowned Eiger north face.
A 3D route video:
The top part of the road on both sides is “theoretically” closed to car traffic, but regular Post Buses do come flying up and down every now and then – as do some cars. I’ve written about Grosse Scheidegg quite a few times. I think it is one of the most beautiful high Alps climbs in Europe, both sides. Here I’ll just write briefly and show some photos, including a few with a drone.
For more routes in the Berner Oberland see here.
The plan today was simple. Start in Meiringen, climb the east side. Then descend the west side as far down as my legs were willing to climb back up — then return to Meiringen.
From Meiringen, it’s a couple of kilometres to the turn off to Grosse Scheidegg (see map at bottom). Then, it’s five very steep kilometres on a narrow road winding up through a forest. Just off from the route is the Reichenbach Falls, where Sherlock Holmes was “thought” to have died during his last fight with the evil Moriarty.
Once you survive this, there is a flatter section with views of the wonders to come:
You’ll ride by a couple of hotels and restaurants if hungry, then things really get fun. There is a brief killer stretch of a few hundred metres (five fast guys said hi, and sailed past me here), then the view are just to die for.
I had brought the drone but found it perhaps wasn’t suited for this environment. It was incredibly difficult to get the mountain (the Wetterhorn) and the road/cyclist in the same frame.
I think most of the better photos (like the very top photo) were taken with my portable camera.
At the summit, as usual, were quite a few cyclists, and a few hikers – all enjoy the views.
There is a road exactly at the summit that leads higher and soon becomes unpaved. See this link for a truly magical mountain bike loop up to the Bachalpsee from here.
The West Side:
I didn’t descend all the way to Grindelwald as I was a little tired after a few recent big rides. But I still enjoyed this stretch with the Eiger North Face nearby dominating the views.
As I summited for the second time, I took one last drone photo:
It’s easy enough to make a big loop. Descend to Grindelwald, continue to Interlaken, ride beside the lake and head back to Meiringen. But I like climbing both sides of this special climb.
A simple route, on steep, very quiet roads, with exceptional scenery. Fun.
5 Comments
Did the same climb on last Tuesday (after reading about it on your website), fantastic ride! when did you do it?
Well done, I was there Sunday.
Grosse Scheidegg (both sides) is my most favourite climb/s. I travelled to Switzerland from Australia in June 19 just to ride most of the giant climbs, but both these rides will live in my memory forever. I must say though that the climb from Meiringen was very special, it has everything. Thankyou Will for all your effort in sharing your experiences and knowledge on your great website, it’s a invaluable source of information and inspiration
Please remind me what brand and model drone you use. I have looked everywhere and cannot see reference
DJI Spark. Make certain to get the combo pack that includes a remote control. Only using a phone as a remote causes never-ending disconnections.