Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe
A glacier view.
Karsten Würth (@inf1783) inf1783 — CC0 · Wald1siedel — CC BY-SA 4.0 · PantheraLeo1359531 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · PantheraLeo1359531 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · PantheraLeo1359531 — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Grossglockner High Alpine Road is the highest surfaced mountain pass road in Austria, linking Bruck in the state of Salzburg with Heiligenblut in Carinthia. Its main viewpoint, Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe, lies about 28 km south of Zell am See and 85 km south of Salzburg in a straight line. The road is named after the Grossglockner, Austria's highest mountain. The road climbs through numbered hairpin bends to the Fuscher Törl at 2,428 metres and the Hochtor Pass at 2,504 metres, with a short branch to the Edelweissspitze summit at 2,571 metres. It was built in the early 1930s and opened in 1935. The viewpoint at 2,369 metres was named after Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth, who visited in 1856. The road winds between green pastures, rock walls and snowfields that last into early summer, and from the viewpoint the pyramid of the Grossglockner rises above the Pasterze, Austria's longest glacier. Marmots often appear on the slopes near the car parks. The road is usually open from early May to early November, depending on snow, and closed in winter. Driving it with stops takes most of a day, and in summer buses run from Zell am See and Heiligenblut. Start early, before cloud builds up in the afternoon.
A glacier view.
The highest viewpoint.
Near the car parks.
Between Bruck in Salzburg and Heiligenblut in Carinthia, Austria
Usually from early May to early November.
Yes, in summer from Zell am See and Heiligenblut.