A brutally steep (23%) road to Turracher Hohe pass in Austria

Turracher Höhe is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 1.802m (5,912ft) above the sea level located on the boundary of Carinthia and Styria states of Austria. The road to the pass hits a 23% of maximum gradient.

Turracher Höhe

How steep is Turracher Höhe?

Set high in the Nock mountains, in the western part of the Gurktal Alps, the road to the summit, also known as Turracherhöhe, is totally paved. It’s called Turracher Road (B95). The road to the pass was, for a long time, the steepest Alpine road in Europe, with a gradient of up to 34% at kilometre 60. With this slope, the road was sometimes a test stretch of Porsche. The road is "only" 23% today on a short section on the Carinthian side.

How long is Turracher Höhe?

Located in the southern part of the country, the pass is 34.5 km (21.43 miles) long, running south-north from Patergassen to Predlitz. To drive the road without stopping will take most people between 35 and 45 minutes.

Is Turracher Höhe open?

Access to the pass is typically open all year round, but winter weather may cause restrictions and closures due to dangerous weather conditions. The road is well cleared in the winter and only has to be closed very rarely.