Austria – Oetztal – Timmelsjoch
The Timmelsjoch High Alpine Road is a toll road that connects the Ötztal (Austria) and the Passeier Valley (Merano – Italy). The highest point of the Timmelsjoch is 2509 m.
The Timmelsjoch has an elevation gain of 1800 m. On the Austrian side in the Ötztal, the Timmelelsjoch High Alpine Road begins at Hochgurgl. The Timmelsjoch – High Alpine Road is only open in the summer months from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. In the winter months, the Timmelsjoch is completely closed to motorists. The closure depends on the prevailing snow conditions, but usually lasts from mid-October to April of the following year.
Even in spring and early summer, you can get an impression of the sometimes huge masses of snow that have fallen in winter. Snowdrifts of 6 to 8 meters are not uncommon. The road over the Timmelsjoch winds in several hairpin bends on the well-developed Austrian side up to the main Alpine ridge. Once you have exceeded this at 2509 m, the Italian side goes down the valley in tight curves. The view of the Southern Alps from up here is tremendous in good weather.
It is not uncommon for the weather to change quickly at this altitude. Especially in the autumn months, it can happen that high fog suddenly occurs. Then absolute caution is advised. We have already had trips over the Timmelsjoch where you couldn’t see your hand in front of your eyes. Even the ride at walking pace then became an adventure with an uncertain outcome.
Even at the end of September and beginning of October, temperatures can drop within a very short time and thus lead to heavy snowfall at higher altitudes above 1,500 m. Turning back is then usually no longer of any use. We had such conditions on a crossing, where rows of cars without all-wheel drive slipped into the slopes off the road.
The high alpine pastures in the Timmelstal are particularly beautiful in summer and autumn, when there is no snow yet. The descent to St. Leonhard im Passeier leads over bold serpentine buildings and through romantically old tunnels. In glorious sunshine at the beginning of October, there was already a 20 cm to 30 cm thick layer of snow. View from the Timmelsjoch to the three-thousand-metre peaks of the Northern Alps. View back on the descent into the Passeier Valley.
