The Furka Pass (2429m) is one of the three great alpine passes that converge at Andermatt, and the most spectacular to drive. The road winds up from Andermatt through a series of hairpins to a high, bare plateau with views of the Rhone Glacier on the south side — a glacier that has receded dramatically in recent decades, leaving a series of information markers showing where the ice stood in different years.
The pass is open from late June to late October, weather permitting. In summer it is popular with cyclists and motorcyclists as well as drivers. The Furka Steam Railway, a historic narrow-gauge line, also crosses the pass in summer — one of the few working steam mountain railways in Switzerland. The descent on the Valais side toward Gletsch and the Rhone Valley is equally dramatic.