Kaunertal Gletscherstraße (Glacier Road)

The approximately 26-kilometer-long route begins in the Tyrolean municipality of Feichten and leads up to the supposedly highest accessible point in Austria - the endpoint of the glacier road at the Weißseeferner with 2,750 meters of altitude. This "dead end" road has no winter closure, as it is kept open all year round as access to a well-known ski area. However, the best time to drive it is between May and October. Despite regular road maintenance up here on the glacier, a winter-proof vehicle, i.e. winter tires or snow chains, is definitely recommended in the autumn and winter months!

On many sections, the Kaunertal Glacier Road still follows the historic paths of the past, when it was expanded for skiing tourism up to 2,750 m between 1961 and 1980. Today, especially motorcyclists benefit from this extremely winding panoramic road with a gradient between 6 and 12 percent. While overcoming 1,500 meters in altitude with 29 hairpin bends, you can enjoy the unique landscape of the Ötztal Alps in peace. By the way, this route, along with the Jaufen Pass, the Timmelsjoch, the Brenner and Kühtai, was part of the "Alpentourer Saisonfinale" 2010, an international selection of a motorcycle tour magazine.

The Weißseeferner is the endpoint of the dead-end Kaunertal Glacier Road, which also leads to a popular ski area. On the way there, you pass the Gepatschferner, which is one of the largest glaciers in the entire Alpine region. The road itself is two-lane, continuously asphalted, and is also passable in the winter months. The toll fee for use is currently (as of 2014) €13 for motorcycles and €23 for cars (round trip). However, the fee is only charged for non-skiers, meaning the glacier road can be passed for free with a valid ski pass.

Above the Kaunertal Panorama Road, you can directly - and completely safely - look into the interior of a real glacier. The attraction is a well-secured, artificially created passage about 40 meters long, 3 meters high, and approximately 1.5 meters wide into the "eternal ice". Here you can directly touch ancient layers of ice that have migrated from the Weißseeferner to the glacier tongue over thousands of years. The well-signposted starting point of the short hike is about 300 meters from the glacier restaurant. Don't forget warm clothing!