Mountain Access Roads & Lifts in Early October??
 

Would the grossglockner road and other access roads etc in Austrian mountians be open in early october?? what would be average temperature there around that time???? is it a good time to visit?? thanks.

I have been on the Grossglocknerstrasse in early October. Weather was about 65F at the start with a light fog. As we drove up the fog cleared. I've been there in June also with 70F and snow still visible. Its a decent time to visit, way less crowded.

Hi sikki,
We have been to Austria a few times in Oct. and found the weather to be similar to here in NJ, 60's to maybe 70's daytime and 40's at night. Although we haven't driven the Grossglockner (we are also doing that, in mid Oct.!) we have not had any problems at all.

Paul

The GrossglocknerRoad is usually open until the end of October. However it depends upon weather conditions.
I do not agree with prior posters regarding temperatures to be found there.
Perhaps you find warmer temperatures in the valleys, but you reach higher altitudes temperatures drop dramatically.

Many areas in Austria above 1500 meters recently had a good amount of snow. While it may not last long, it can cause problems for those not accostumed to it.

Still, a fantastic drive and not a bad time to visit if weather is good.

> Many areas in Austria above 1500 meters recently had a good amount of snow
Totally NOT true!!

Happy to see that they let you out for the weekend Logos. I assume the treatments are slowly working. Perhaps, if the progress continues, they will soon permit you to watch TV. Then you will be able to see the weather reports and webcams to see what really occurs.

You havn't the silightest idea what yo're talking about. I feel sorry for you! You
should be banned from posting here, and I will write to the editors requesting this.

Wow, what's that all about?

Molker, I'm not surprised. When I was in the Salzburg area in late May/early June with Mom, we took a postbus to Zell am See. Couldn't believe it but we actually saw a few snowflakes and when we got to Zell am See, saw that there was fresh snowfall down to a surprisingly low level. (I had gone to all kinds of palaver to find a hotel with AC; it was so unseasonably chilly the hotel had to turn the heat back on and I wore my Hucke down-filled parka most evenings.)

Glad to hear about ths snow...makes me hopeful we'll see some on our December trip :-D

As per my previous post, we've been to Salzburg, Hall in Tirol (Innsbruck), Val Gardena and Val Venosta (Dolomites) the past 5 years, always in Oct., and never had snow. We drove Timmelsjoch, Gardena,
Sella, Pordoi and Gerlos passes without problems. There was snow on the mountain peaks but the weather was good. Maybe we lucked out?

I don't think anyone can predict whether or nor the road will be open with 100% certainty. For example, I just returned from Switzerland. In late August, a heavy snow fell on the high ground in the region between Kandersteg and the Furka Pass. The Furka was closed for several hours while snow removal crews did their jobs.

We could look out of our window at the Männlichen which towers above Lauterbrunnen and see snow down to about the 5,000 foot level. It soon melted of course once the afternoon sun got to it.

Molker, I wasn't clear in my post. When I wrote of at the start I meant the start of the road in the valley. North headed South. It was chilly at the top. We drove Timmelsjoch in late Sept and it was around freezing at the border.

It is interesting that others see snow at higher elevations at times other than winter.

My prior comments were posted to advise travelers, not accustomed to mountain driving, that temperatures and weather conditions may vary greatly from valley floor to higher elevations.
It is easy to check ahead to see the conditions and avoid any potential problems.

As Bob Brown states , no one can predict what happens during these Fall days.

Many hope for early snow, especially those in the ski resorts- hopefully some nice snow for BTilke in December.