The Julier is one of the oldest crossings in the Alps, and the summit at 2,284 metres still carries two stumps of stone columns beside the road, thought to be the remains of a Roman shrine. The Romans pushed a road over the pass in the first century, and ever since the route has linked the Oberhalbstein valley with the Engadin, carrying merchants and pilgrims between Chur and the Bergell and the passes south. A small lake sits near the top and a handful of buildings, but there is not much else, and it can be bleak and windy.
On the south side, the road drops to Silvaplana, a village of under a thousand people on the shore of the lake of the same name, which is known for its wind. The Maloja wind, a steady afternoon breeze from the south-west, draws windsurfers and kitesurfers from across Europe, and gives the lake its choppy blue surface. St Moritz, a few kilometres further and still a place of grand hotels and dear coffee, is the larger town for fuel and food, though a fill-up and a sandwich in the valley are cheaper than at the resort. The north side, going down to Bivio and Savognin, is quieter and more rural, with old farmhouses and walnut-brown barns.
For riders the Julier is a flowing road more than a technical one: wide and well surfaced, with long sweeping gradients and just a few tight turns, and it is popular with sports bikes in the early morning. The upper part above the tree line is open and exposed, and weather can shift quickly, with cold rain or snow possible in any month. The pass is generally kept open for much of the year, though winter conditions can close it briefly.
The usual loop on this Graubünden triangle links the Julier with the Albula and the Flüela, a tidy day of high passes and valleys. Light in the early morning is lovely on the lake, with larches turning in autumn. Watch for cyclists on the climb and for the occasional marmot on the verge, and respect the speed limits in the villages.