Gemmi Pass
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Gemmi Pass is a high
mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human and animal migration t ...
across the
Bernese Alps The Bernese Alps are a mountain range of the Alps located in western Switzerland. Although the name suggests that they are located in the Berner Oberland region of the canton of Bern, portions of the Bernese Alps are in the adjacent cantons of Va ...
connecting
Leukerbad Leukerbad (, Walliser German: ''Leiggerbad'', although locally known as ''Baadu'') is a municipality in the district of Leuk in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. History The story of Leukerbad dates back to the 4th century B.C. Graves ...
(on the south) in the canton of
Valais Valais ( , ; ), more formally, the Canton of Valais or Wallis, is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of thirteen districts and its capital and largest city is Sion, Switzer ...
with
Kandersteg Kandersteg is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Frutigen-Niedersimmental (administrative district), Frutigen-Niedersimmental administrative district in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Bern (canton), Bern in Switzerland. ...
(on the north) in the canton of
Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...
. The pass itself lies within the canton of Valais, at a height of above sea level. The main trail reaches . The pass lies between the Daubenhorn () in the west and the Plattenhörner in the east. The pass is at the west end of the Aar Massif and at the east end of the Wildstrubel Massif. Near the pass is the Daubensee, which has no outlet above ground. The Gemmi Fault passes close to the pass. The pass is mentioned in the
Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...
story The Final Problem. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson cross the pass on their way to Meiringen, where Sherlock Holmes has his famous meeting with Professor Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls. The pass is described by Guy de Maupassant in his short-story ''L'Auberge''. The American writer
Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Fau ...
also visited the pass in August 1878, and described it in a letter to his wife.Albert Bigelow Paine, ''Mark Twain's Letters, Vol. 2,'' Harper & Bros. Publishers. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/3195/3195-h/3195-h.htm#2H_4_0003 Although the pass cannot be traversed by road, it is still directly accessible by cablecar from Leukerbad. Alternatively, the pass can be reached by a two-hour ''dramatic'' hike on foot. From Kandersteg a cable car gives access to the ''Sunnbüel'' area (1,934 m), 10 km north of the pass, allowing hikers to cross the pass on a wide and easy trail. The trail over the Gemmi Pass is very popular with hikers both in summer and in winter. The pass itself is also used as a vantage point, because of the view of some major peaks in the
Pennine Alps The Pennine Alps (, , , ), sometimes referred to as the Valais Alps (which are just the Northern Swiss part of the Pennine Alps), are a mountain range in the western part of the Alps. They are located in Italy (the Aosta Valley and Piedmont) an ...
, such as the Dom,
Matterhorn The , ; ; ; or ; ; . is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the Main chain of the Alps, main watershed and border between Italy and Switzerland. It is a large, near-symmetric pyramidal peak in the extended Monte Rosa area of the Pennine Alps, ...
, Weisshorn and Dent Blanche.


See also

*
List of mountain passes in Switzerland This is a list of mountain passes in Switzerland. They are generally situated in the Jura Mountains or in the Swiss Alps. Pass roads Trails Railway See also * List of highest road passes in Switzerland * List of highest paved roads in Sw ...


References


External links

* Mountain passes of the Alps Mountain passes of Switzerland Mountain passes of Valais {{Valais-geo-stub