Ofenpass / Pass dal Fuorn
From Val Müstair up to 2,149 m, on the road to the Engadin
Overview
The Ofenpass — Pass dal Fuorn — links Val Müstair with the Engadin through the Swiss National Park, topping out at 2,149 m. It's a wide, open, easy-to-read climb: cars come past but not too many, and there's always room for them to get around you. A good, honest pass rather than a famous one, and a nice way onto the road toward Zernez.
Key info:
- Total distance: 13.6 km
- Area: Val Müstair – Engadin (Santa Maria–Zernez)
- Recommended for: Intermediate
- Appeal: A wide, open, low-stress climb over the Ofenpass through the Swiss National Park toward the Engadin — steady, scenic, and a good deal quieter than its famous neighbours
- Water & fuel: A coin-operated toilet at the top (1 franc/euro). Water fountains in Tschierv on the way up, then nothing until the summit — fill up before the top of the climb
- Time of year: May–October
- Road: Wide two-lane road, open and easy to read; cars but not too many, and plenty of room to be passed
Ascent
It's a modest 4.7% average over 13.6 km, but that number hides the shape of it. The first few kilometres climb properly, then the middle stretch flattens right out into a long false-flat — a few kilometres where you can sit up and spin — before the road tips up again for a genuinely steep final push toward 13% in the last couple of kilometres to the 2,149 m col. Fountains in Tschierv are the last water before the top, so fill up there. There's a coin-operated toilet at the summit if you need it.
Stats:
- Level: Intermediate
- Distance: 13.6 km
- Elevation gain: 710 m
- Maximum gradient: 13%
- Average gradient: 4.7%
- Estimated time (at level): 51 min
Descent
The drop toward the Engadin is a nice one — I'd call it intermediate. It's not especially steep or technical, on the same wide, open road with good sightlines, so it's an easy descent to enjoy. Note it doesn't just spill you out at the bottom: somewhere around where the road splits for Livigno and Zernez you're still up in the mountains, with one more up-and-down to go before you can drop into Zernez for lunch.
Stats:
- Level: Intermediate
- Hairpins: 3
- Maximum gradient: 8%
- Average gradient: 4.3%
Climb Profile
A climbing start out of Val Müstair, a long false-flat through the middle around 1,600 m, then a steep final few kilometres ramping toward 13% to the 2,149 m col — 710 m of gain over 13.6 km.
