Glaubenbielen Pass, an iconic Swiss road

Glaubenbielen Pass is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 1.615m (5,298ft) above the sea level, located on the border of Obwalden and Lucerne cantons in Switzerland.

Glaubenbielen Pass

Nestled in the Emmental Alps, the road to the summit, also known as Glaubenbühl, is totally paved. It’s called Panoramastrasse. It’s pretty narrow and steep, hitting a maximum grade of 12 percent through some of the ramps. Due its narrowness in parts, are large chance you'll get stuck behind a slow driver.

The pass is 29.3 km (18.20 miles) long running from Giswil (a municipality in the canton of Obwalden) to Flühli (a municipality in the district of Entlebuch in the canton of Lucerne). The fairly narrow road over the pass was built by the Swiss military and finished just after WW2. This route has generally good surface, and great views of the Bernese Alps.

The pass has been featured in the Tour de Suisse race. There are 2 routes to reach the summit. Starting from Giswil, the ascent is 13.4 km long. Over this distance, the elevation gain is 1.126 meters. The average percentage is 8.4 %. And starting from Flühli, the ascent is 15.6 km long. Over this distance, the elevation gain is 728 meters. The average percentage is 4.7 %.

 

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