The Furka, Grimsel and Susten close for winter soon: how to plan an autumn Alps trip

There is no fixed closing date

Swiss passes don’t close on a set day. The cantons that run each pass (Bern, Uri and Valais for the Grimsel, Susten, Furka and Nufenen) agree the closure between them once snow has settled and clearing it is no longer worth the effort. They announce it at short notice, sometimes on the morning it happens. In 2021, for example, the Grimsel and Susten closed at 10am on a Wednesday, and Uri and Valais shut the Furka and Nufenen the same morning.

In recent years the closure has come in late October or the first half of November. Alpen-paesse.ch shows 27 October as the end of the 2026 season for the Furka and Grimsel. Treat that as a guide, not a promise: an early snowfall can shut a pass for days before the official winter closure, and a mild autumn can keep it open longer.

Which roads stay open

The lower passes in Graubünden and Valais are kept open through the winter, though they can still close for a few hours after heavy snow. The TCS lists the Julier, Bernina, Maloja, Ofen, Lukmanier and Simplon among the passes open all year. The Albula, Grimsel, Furka, Susten, Nufenen and Tremola all close for winter, as do most of the famous high roads.

If a high pass is shut, the alternatives are tunnels and car trains: the Gotthard road tunnel, the Furka car train between Realp and Oberwald, and the Lötschberg car train between Kandersteg and Goppenstein.

If you’re driving in October

• Do the high passes early in the trip, not on the last day.
• Check the pass’s status the night before and again in the morning. The TCS pass page is the one we use.
• Have a lower route ready for every high pass on the plan.
• Summer tyres on frosty north-facing bends at 2,000 metres first thing in the morning are a bad mix. Start a little later, once the sun has reached the road.
• Fuel up in the valley: summit cafés and fuel stops often shut before the road does.