Oberalp Pass, Rail mountain pass in Uri and Grisons, Switzerland.
Oberalp Pass is a rail and road mountain crossing at 2044 meters elevation that connects the Uri and Grisons cantons. The infrastructure spans two Alpine valleys with year-round rail service supplemented by seasonal road access.
The pass served as a trade route through the Alps for centuries, enabling goods transport between Alpine regions. The railway arrived in the late 1800s and transformed how people crossed the mountains.
The area shows how the pass sits between two language regions, with German spoken on the Uri side and Romansh further toward Grisons, each with their own building styles and local traditions.
The road closes during winter while the Furka-Oberalp railway runs year-round and offers car shuttle services. Weather can change quickly at this elevation, so visitors should prepare for cooler temperatures and variable conditions.
The Rhine River begins at Lai da Tuma near the pass, reachable by a two-hour hike from the mountain station. This spot marks where one of Europe's major rivers starts its journey down the Alps.
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