The Flüela pass, at 2,383 metres, links Davos with the Lower Engadin, and it is one of the more austere roads in the Swiss Alps: bare rock, small dark lakes and a feeling of height without the crowds of some of its neighbours. The road climbs from the Davos side in a series of broad curves through spruce forest and then through scree and stone, and on the top you find a small lake, the Schottensee, which is at the summit and reflects the surrounding peaks on calm days. A hospice building has stood at the summit for centuries to shelter travellers caught by storms.
On the east side the descent to Susch is quick and has a number of tight hairpins between steep rock walls and then drops into the Inn valley, with Zernez, a village of about a thousand people and the entrance to the Swiss National Park, a short way along. Susch itself has an old church and fortified buildings, a reminder that this was a trade route to the south. The Swiss National Park, founded in 1914, is the oldest in the Alps, and has ibex, chamois and, on rare occasions, bearded vultures; there are no vehicle roads within it, so visitors walk.
The riding is a pleasure. The Flüela road is generally good, with fast, open bends on the lower sections and more demanding ones near the top, and traffic is lighter than on Julier or Albula. Low sun on the western side makes for dazzling light in the afternoon, and the air is cold and clear.
The pass is closed by snow in winter, usually from around November until late spring, and early-season snow showers can make the top slippery well into June. Even in August the temperature at the summit can be close to freezing in the morning, so carry gloves and a warm layer. Thunderstorms in the afternoon are common, and the best time to cross is in the morning.