The Grosse Scheidegg is a

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 ...

in 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 ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, The pass crosses the col between the Schwarzhorn and the

Wetterhorn The Wetterhorn (3,690 m) is a peak in the Swiss Alps towering above the village of Grindelwald. Formerly known as Hasle Jungfrau, it is one of three summits on a mountain named the "Wetterhörner", the highest of which is the Mittelhorn (3,70 ...

mountains at an elevation of . The pass is traversed by a road connecting the town of Meiringen, at an elevation of , with the village of

Grindelwald Grindelwald is a village and Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli (administrative district), Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Bern (canton), Berne. In additio ...

, at an elevation of . The road is closed to most traffic, but is used by a PostBus Switzerland service from Grindelwald to the summit of the pass, with some buses continuing to Meiringen. Bus services operate between May and October, with between four and ten buses a day depending on time of year and section of the route. Hiking over the pass is popular, and it forms part of the cross-country Alpine Pass Route between

Sargans Sargans is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of Sarganserland (Wahlkreis), Sarganserland in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of St. Gallen (canton), St. Gallen in Switzerland. Sargans is known for ...

and

Montreux Montreux (, ; ; ) is a Municipalities of Switzerland, Swiss municipality and List of towns in Switzerland, town on the shoreline of Lake Geneva at the foot of the Swiss Alps, Alps. It belongs to the Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut (district), Riviera-Pays ...

. From the Meiringen side, the approach to the pass runs through the valley of the Reichenbach stream above the Reichenbach Falls, best known as the place of the last fight between

Holmes Holmes may refer to: People and fictional characters * Holmes (surname), a list of people and fictional characters ** Sherlock Holmes, a fictional detective * Holmes (given name), a list of people * Gordon Holmes, a penname used by Louis Trac ...

and Moriarty. The falls can be visited from the pass road, or by using the Reichenbachfall Funicular from the valley bottom. The ''Berghotel'', a restaurant and hotel, is situated at the summit of the Grosse Scheidegg. Prior to the coming of the railways and the introduction of tourism to the area, the Grosse Scheidegg provided access for local livestock and dairy farmers to the important export route to

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

over the

Grimsel Pass The Grimsel Pass (; ; ) is a mountain pass in Switzerland, crossing the Bernese Alps at an elevation of . The pass connects the Haslital, the upper valley of the river Aare, with the upper valley of the Rhône. In so doing, and as the Aare is a t ...

. With the coming of the railways, the importance of the pass as a trade route disappeared, and the pass never achieved the level of tourist visitors achieved by its neighbour, the

Kleine Scheidegg The Kleine Scheidegg () is a mountain pass at an elevation of , situated below and between the Eiger and Lauberhorn peaks in the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland. The name means "minor watershed", as it only divides the two arms of the L ...

See also

References

External links