10 Best Mountain Passes to Drive in Summer

The best mountain passes to drive in summer are the high alpine roads that spend most of the year buried in snow: Italy's Stelvio, Romania's Transfăgărășan, Austria's Grossglockner, and Montana's Beartooth Highway all reach full glory only from roughly June to September. These are the drives worth planning a whole trip around, and summer is the short window when their highest hairpins are actually open.

This is a ranked list of ten world-class passes at their seasonal peak, built from real catalog data: distances, durations, and the months each road is reliably clear of snow. Every one links to its full route guide, and if you want to browse the whole collection, start with our Mountain Passes hub.

The 10 best summer mountain passes at a glance

Here is the ranked shortlist. Distances and best-season windows come straight from each route's page, so you can plan around real opening months rather than optimism.

If you only do one

Drive the Stelvio Pass. Its ladder of 48 switchbacks between Prato allo Stelvio and Bormio is the definitive alpine climb: steep, cinematic, and at its very best in clear summer weather when the snow walls have melted back from the road. You can do it in a single day, it sits within easy reach of the Dolomites and the Swiss passes for a longer trip, and no other pass packs this much drama into 90 km. Start early to beat the tour buses and cyclists, and you will have the finest hairpins in Europe almost to yourself.

1. Stelvio Pass, Italy

One of Europe's classic alpine drives, the Stelvio Pass links Prato allo Stelvio and Bormio through a dramatic ladder of 48 switchbacks. Expect steep gradients, tight bends, and a high-mountain atmosphere that feels especially memorable in clear summer weather. It is short at 90 km and drivable in a day, but the pass can be closed by snow well outside its June to October window, so summer is the safe bet. Fuel up in the valleys, because services are limited on the climb.

2. Transfăgărășan, Romania

The road Jeremy Clarkson once called the best in the world, the Transfăgărășan slices through the Southern Carpathians with 90 km of hairpins, viaducts, and a granite tunnel near the 2,034 m summit at Bâlea Lake. It earns its high ranking on summer timing alone: the road is closed by snow roughly November through June, so July is often the first month it fully opens. Give it two days to take in Poenari Castle, the Vidraru Dam, and the Saxon city of Sibiu at the northern end.

3. Grossglockner High Alpine Road, Austria

Often cited as the finest drive in the Alps, the Grossglockner High Alpine Road is a 48 km one-way rollercoaster past glaciers, waterfalls, and 4,000 m peaks on almost every bend. The crown is the Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe lookout, face to face with the retreating Pasterze Glacier below Austria's highest peak. It opens roughly May to October, and a toll applies at the entrance gates. Marmots that refuse to leave the road are part of the experience.

4. Beartooth Highway, United States

The Beartooth Highway climbs from Red Lodge, Montana onto a broad alpine plateau and down toward Cooke City, threading hairpins, glacial lakes, and open tundra. As one of the highest paved roads in North America, it is snowbound for much of the year and only reliably open from late June to September. Start with a full tank and warm layers: winds are fierce and storms roll in fast at Beartooth Pass. It also makes a spectacular back-door approach to Yellowstone's northeast entrance.

5. Route des Grandes Alpes, France

For a full summer expedition rather than a single climb, the Route des Grandes Alpes traverses the French Alps from Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean at Menton, crossing 16 passes over 684 km. It includes the Col de l'Iseran at 2,770 m, the highest paved pass in the Alps, plus the Tour de France legend of the Col du Galibier. Many of those passes are closed October to June, which makes this a quintessential June to October drive. Allow five to seven days and carry chains in the shoulder season.

6. Going-to-the-Sun Road, United States

The only road to cross the Continental Divide inside Glacier National Park, the Going-to-the-Sun Road climbs past hanging valleys, roadside waterfalls, and grizzly country to Logan Pass at 2,026 m. Snow keeps it closed until late June, so plan for a July to September window, and note that timed-entry reservations apply in peak season. At just 80 km it fits into a day, but the mountain-goat ledges of the Garden Wall and the turquoise of St. Mary Lake reward an overnight.

7. Swiss Alpine Passes, Switzerland

Switzerland's greatest road trip strings together the Grimsel, Furka, Susten, and Gotthard passes through glaciers, electric-blue reservoirs, and villages where cowbells are the loudest sound. The Swiss Alpine Passes loop runs about 600 km over four to six days, and every pass on it is closed from roughly November to May. Furka's switchbacks starred in the Goldfinger chase; Grimsel feels more Iceland than Alps. Buy a motorway vignette and check real-time pass status before each day's drive.

8. The Dolomites, Italy

The Great Dolomites Road runs from Bolzano to Cortina d'Ampezzo through cathedrals of pale rock, over the Pordoi and Falzarego passes, both above 2,100 m. The Dolomites route packs 118 km with 33 hairpins on each side of Passo Pordoi and some of the most photogenic peaks in the Alps. High passes here are typically closed by snow from November to late May, so aim for the June to October window and avoid peak-season weekends if you can. Two to three days lets you fold in the Sella Ronda villages.

9. Icefields Parkway, Canada

One of the most spectacular mountain drives on Earth, the Icefields Parkway runs 232 km through the Canadian Rockies from Banff to Jasper, past glaciers, turquoise lakes, and peaks over 3,000 m at every turn. Highlights include Peyto Lake's blinding blue and the Columbia Icefield, where you can walk onto the Athabasca Glacier. It is drivable in a day but deserves one to three, and while the highway stays open in winter, summer is when the passes are easy and the wildlife is out at dawn and dusk.

10. Vršič Pass, Slovenia

Slovenia's most iconic mountain drive, the Vršič Pass climbs from Kranjska Gora to the Soča Valley through 50 tight hairpins to a 1,611 m summit in the Julian Alps. It is short, just 25 km and an hour or two, but it stacks in a WWI-era Russian Chapel, mirror-still Lake Jasna, and the emerald source of the Soča on the descent. The pass can close after heavy snow, so late spring to autumn is the season, with summer the surest bet for clear hairpins.

Frequently asked questions

When do high mountain passes open in summer?

Most high alpine passes clear of snow between late May and early July and stay open until October. The Grossglockner and Swiss passes usually open in May, the Stelvio and Dolomites passes in June, and the highest roads such as the Transfăgărășan and Beartooth Highway often not until late June or July. Always check the current year's opening date, as heavy snow years run late.

Which is the best mountain pass for a first-time driver?

The Stelvio Pass is the best single introduction: it is fully paved, drivable in a day, and delivers the classic switchback experience without requiring a multi-day commitment. If you prefer gentler grades and longer sightlines, the Icefields Parkway and Going-to-the-Sun Road are easier drives with equally huge scenery.

Do I need a special car to drive these passes?

No. Every pass on this list is paved and rated as easy to moderate difficulty, so a normal car handles them fine in summer. What matters more is confidence on tight hairpins and steep grades, a full fuel tank before the climb, and warm layers, since it can be near freezing at the summit even in July.

What is the highest paved mountain pass on this list?

The Col de l'Iseran on the Route des Grandes Alpes, at 2,770 m, is the highest paved pass here and the highest in the Alps. The Transfăgărășan tops out at 2,034 m, the Grossglockner's viewpoints reach above 2,500 m, and Beartooth Pass in Montana is one of the highest paved roads in North America.

Plan your summer pass trip

Pick a pass, check its opening date, and build the days around it. For the full stop-by-stop detail on the top pick, read our Stelvio Pass guide, browse the complete Mountain Passes collection, or plot your own high-alpine route on the interactive map.