Grisons · Switzerland
Umbrail Pass
559Santa Maria to Bormio
Switzerland’s highest paved pass road, hairpins up to the Stelvio.
The Umbrail Pass (2,501 m) is the highest paved through-road in Switzerland, climbing from Santa Maria in the Val Müstair on roughly 34 hairpins to join the famous Stelvio road on its descent toward Bormio, a few kilometres below the Stelvio’s own summit. Fully asphalted only since 2015, it is far quieter than the neighbouring Stelvio yet shares the same high-alpine drama. The 13 km climb averages about 8.5% and touches 14%, with narrow unguarded sections, steep drops and a strictly seasonal opening from roughly June to October.
Scenery
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Where it runs8.1 mi · point to point
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Character
More hairpins than 9 in 10 roads · the highest road in Switzerland, by our count in the catalogue.
Corners
busiest around mile 2Elevation
under 4%4–8%over 8%1,377.4 – 2,498 mFrom the road
Points of interest3 stops
- Via d´Umbrail (Stein in der Felswand)Landmark2.7 mi in
- Pass Umbrail – Giogo di Santa MariaViewpoint8.1 mi in
- MarthahütteLandmark7.9 mi in
Hazards
- Narrow unguarded sections with steep drops
- Closed by snow roughly October to June
- Tight steep hairpins force use of full road width
Is Umbrail Pass open? Typical season and live summit weather ›
Sources
“The climb is spectacular, and the road features 35 hairpin turns. It's, at times, quite narrow.”
Verified route: mapped from real road geometry and fact-checked by a human editor. How roads get checked
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