Splügen Pass, Switzerland Sep 19, 2023

Splügen Pass, Switzerland

With their twists and turns, record heights, and breathtaking vistas, mountain roads are not for the faint-hearted. Pictured here is the historic Splügen Pass, which winds its way through the Lepontine Alps, on the border of Switzerland and Italy. Although its modern version was built between 1818-1823, the Splügen Pass existed in some form as far back as Roman times. At 6,936 feet high, it is one of the highest paved roads in Europe, with 51 marked hairpin bends. It is closed in winter but, if spectacular mountainside views and picturesque lakes tickle your fancy, you can enjoy this ascent between June and mid-October. Have we "peaked" your interest yet?

© Roberto Moiola/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Sep 19, 2018Talk like a pirate—or walk the plank
Sep 19, 2019Fall for birding
Sep 19, 2020Arrr, it be Talk Like a Pirate Day
Sep 19, 2021Arrr! Can you talk like a pirate?
Sep 19, 2022State funeral of Queen Elizabeth II
Sep 19, 2024International Talk Like a Pirate Day
Sep 19, 2025Thousand Islands region, St. Lawrence River, US-Canada border

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jan 14, 2019An island oasis in the Indian Ocean
Mar 7, 2018Chapel of St. Michel on Lake Serre-Ponçon, Hautes-Alpes, France
May 12, 2022International Nurses Day
May 9, 2020Here’s looking at you, teachers
Jul 18, 2022Marine Day in Japan
May 15, 2018Celebrating the UN’s International Day of Families
Jul 14, 2023Shark Awareness Day
Jun 25, 2023Al-Khazneh in Petra, Jordan
Mar 28, 2026African buffalo, Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania
Oct 11, 2022Tortula moss, Netherlands
Oct 25, 2022 Park of the Monsters, Bomarzo, Italy
Oct 1, 2018It’s NASA’s 60th birthday
Oct 6, 2021A valley view at 9,000 feet
Oct 16, 2019Paleontology meets art
Jul 16, 2019Hemingway’s Keys
Apr 19, 2021Rays on parade
Nov 3, 2019It s time to fall back
Feb 19, 2018Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Washington, DC
May 30, 2023Playa del Amor, Marietas Islands, Mexico
Oct 11, 2025World Migratory Bird Day
Jan 10, 2018Weaverbird nests at Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve
Feb 9, 2022Ceremony Hall at Sweden s Icehotel
Sep 17, 2025A young bull moose in Denali National Park, Alaska
Mar 10, 2024Daylight saving time
Aug 4, 2021A special day for a special cat
Dec 16, 2025Handmade gnomes at a Christmas market
Jun 7, 2022Haaga Rhododendron Park
Aug 9, 2019In the Supertree Grove
Jan 16, 2018Lionfish off the coast of Indonesia
Jul 28, 2018Defying gravity on a swing ride