The
Grimsel Pass (German:
Grimselpass; French:
Col du Grimsel; Italian:
Passo del Grimsel) is a mountain pass in
Switzerland 
, crossing the
Bernese Alps 
at an elevation of 2,164 metres (7,100 ft). The pass connects the
Haslital 
, the upper valley of the river
Aare 
, with the upper valley of the
Rhône 
. In so doing, and as the Aare is a tributary of the
Rhine 
, the pass crosses the continental divide between the North Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.
A paved road follows the pass, running 38 kilometres (24 mi) from
Gletsch 
to
Meiringen 
. The road is normally closed between October and May, due to the high snowfall on the pass. As it is the only direct road pass between the cantons of
Bern 
and
Valais 
across the Bernese Alps, attempts are made to keep the road open as long as possible with snow ploughs.