The Grossglockner High Alpine Road began its new season on April 19, 2025, an unusually early start. The legendary panoramic road celebrates its 90th anniversary this year and has been Austria's largest monument for ten years. The early opening, which takes place on the Easter weekend for the first time in about 50 years, was made possible by the winter's lack of snow. The symbolic breakthrough at the Hochtor (2.504 meters above sea level) marked the successful completion of snow clearing operations.
Despite moderate amounts of snow, clearing the high-alpine route presented emergency services from Salzburg and Carinthia with challenges due to wind drifts and unpredictable weather changes. The early reopening is of great importance to the numerous tourism partners north and south of the Hohe Tauern and allows vacationers to experience the snowy landscape of the Hohe Tauern National Park earlier than usual. In its 90-year history, the Grossglockner High Alpine Road has only been opened before April 20th five times, with the earliest opening taking place on April 11th, 1974.
The main road from Fusch to Heiligenblut is now open to traffic. On the glacier road to Kaiser Franz Josef Höhe and Edelweiss Spitze, final safety and clearing work will continue for a few more days, so reduced rates apply until the road is fully reopened. The historic Wallack System rotary plows will continue to run on a virtually climate-neutral biofuel.
The popular Carinthian Nockalm Road will open its doors on May 1, 2025.
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