Sustenpass: When accessible? How long a drive?

We will wake up to begin our first full day in Switzerland at Kuessnacht, near the Rigi, where we will drive from the airport the evening beforehand. After visiting Rigi Kulm, we were thinking of driving to the Berner Oberland (where we are in a Fereinwohnung for the rest of our 9 day trip) via the Sustenpass, with a stop at the Wilhelm Tell statue in Altdorf. I am trying to gauge how much longer that route would be than driving more directly from Luzern (a route we will take later in the week), and whether the views would be worth it. Does anyone know how long it takes to drive the Sustenpass? My google maps and similar apps don't want to let me route it and obtain a travel time, I believe because it is probably currently closed to through traffic for the winter. Does anyone know when the pass usually opens for regular vehicular traffic (if ever: is it only allowed via postbus, like the road from Meiringen up to Grosse Scheidegg, or is the Sustenpass eventually open for regular vehicles in the summer and if so how long is the drive)?

Hi dchrisa66-

The Susten, Furka and Grimsel usually open after approximately the second week in June, but clearly the date will vary with snow conditions.

I have driven the Susten.

This website gives current information. Perhaps you have found it already:

www.andermatt.ch/en/ne ws/163542

I did not see that it gives forecasts.

Your post does not give your date for this prospective journey. It would help to know it, rather than having to see if you had an earlier post on the subject. I recall a thread from someone about the pass opening dates...... With a date, one can try the timetable for some information; possibly, it would be of some help.

The bus over that route is the 162, which I suspect is the "Three Pass " route.. A quick glance at the paper Kursbuch did let me find the normal opening date , although I know it is there somewhere..

You might test dates for the journey from Wassen to Innertkirchen in June in the online timetable to see what they are saying.

www.sbb.ch/en/home.htm l

For the route Wassen to Innertkirchen, Sustenpass, there is service on June 30 and no service on June 3.

You also might try a Swiss map instead of Google-

map.search.ch/

I assume you know that the Rigi is car free?

Slowpoke

Thanks! We would be travelling on June 9. I may just need to look it up on that date to see if it is open yet.

<<"Thanks! We would be travelling on June 9. I may just need to look it up on that date to see if it is open yet.">>

Sounds like a good idea. All of the passes have signs on the approach roads giving open/closed status, often for the next passes as well. However, it is always nicer to know before you get to that point.

I assume that your care will have winter tires? There certainly can be snow or ice still on the roads then.

I wanted to cross the Glaubenpass, northbound, a few years ago, some weeks after it opened. However, near the top I found a substantial snow drift across the road. Others had crossed, but my car was not a 4WD nor well equipped to navigate snow that deep , and I did not want to get stuck. Had to go back down and around by way of Luzern to get to the Emmental.

Slowpoke

The Susten Pass opens somewhere in June on average. Could be earlier (more likely) or later (less likely) too. You can check myswissalps.com/car/tr afficinfo when your travel date approaches.