Glossglockner High Alpine Road

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If Carlsberg did roads !

A tourist built road high in the Alps, we made it in our 4,100 kg motorhome without having to buy the Go Box and lied when we paid the 33 eurosish to use this toll road. It is slightly more for over 3,500 kgs than under but they didnt check so a money saving lie was required. She didnt believe me but i havent lost any sleep over it.
When you get over to the other side you can also get to whereever you want to go without the vignette or go box.
There are stopping points every 400 m or so and we went up in late May so the road was clear but occasional high snow on the side (up to 10 feet) but the lake wasnt frozen. It is a Motorbike road as well, plenty of them, nobody hammering it as you take in the views.
It was possible to stay the night up here if you get to Franz Josephs hut where there is a restaurant but they closed that for fear of avalanche overnight when we were there so we didnt get to stay and I have heard you cant stay there overnight anymore but if you can it has to be worth it.
Allow loads of time to stop and take photos.
The last part of the road is not motorhome friendly. It is for less than 3500 kgs only and if you do decide to drive up it you have to hope there is parking for you and you have t turn round and you have to come back down. Walking would be an option I would have considered for this part if I didnt have the trusty 110 cc motorbike which I got out and armed with my white socks and Jesus sandals we rode up it to the absolute horror of all the serious bikers on their 1300 cc BMW tourers who I just parked in front of and took the photo of us under the sign at 8,000 feet and I m quite sure some of them thought we were touring like that !
A road that just has to be done, we have 200+ photos somewhere from that day so make sure phone is charged and SD card ready
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Glad you had fun, we did too, taking our 6.4 metre pvc over the pass. We did it in early June. (y)

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Have idea of doing it in our Moho. Did it in 1993 and again in 1999 on my GT750A solo (both late May) and again with my wife on the BMW 1150GS in 2006.

Always a nice photo to be had. Even the marmots at Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Hohe.

Maybe next year.... ;)
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Wow got to see the top after a good few years. I did it in an MG but had to turn round as the air got too thin for me to breathe.
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Comments

Great photos!
I wanted to do this on my trip earlier this year, but it doesn't open until early/mid May (for good reason!)
I'll just have to go back and do it another time, along with the Eagle's Nest visitor centre above Berchtesgaden which was similarly shut (due to renovation) and was shrouded in low cloud and drizzle too.
 
We went up there in our MH last year while on a trip to Oberammergau to see the Passion Play. Going down after the summit of that pass took over three hours of constant driving. Full lock left, full lock right, full lock left, full lock right and so on. Most of the dash cam footage shows the scenery in front of the windscreen travelling horizontally left and right, hardly any of the road ahead!
 
Nice. I remember doing that road as a student in ‘95 in a 1977 Bedford CF with no brakes and a 1973 Sherpa BMC 1800 diesel welded in with a home made prop shaft. The extra bit to the visitor centre/restaurant right on the top was quite hairy.
 

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Alan Kerr,
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Rhino Installs
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