Bielerhöhe is the high point of the Silvretta High Alpine Road, a toll road built in the 1950s to link the Montafon valley in Vorarlberg with the Paznaun valley in Tyrol, and the top at about 2,032 metres sits at the edge of the Silvretta reservoir. The lake, a long, deep blue sheet held back by a dam, is surrounded by bare peaks and small glaciers, and the highest of them, Piz Buin at 3,312 metres, rises to the south beyond the water.
The road from the Montafon side is the one to ride, climbing through a long ladder of hairpins from Partenen, with big drops, forest at first and then bare alpine meadows near the top. The surface is excellent, wide enough for coaches, and the corners are tidy and well banked. Tolls apply, which you pay at the booth at the bottom, and the road is open from about June to October, depending on snow. On the Tyrolean side, the road descends more gently to Galtür, which sits in the Paznaun valley, and Ischgl, the ski resort beyond.
The Silvretta group straddles the border of Austria and Switzerland, and the region has a long history of smugglers, herders and mountaineers. Galtür, a small village, suffered a catastrophic avalanche in 1999, and a memorial and a wall of protection stand above the settlement as a reminder. The reservoir is part of a hydroelectric scheme, and a small information centre has displays about the dam and the surrounding nature.
The weather here is changeable, and snow may fall in any month, so carry a warm layer and rain gear. A cafe and restaurant by the lake serve coffee and cake with views, and the walk around the shore is a good way to stretch after the climb. Early mornings are quiet, and the light on the water is superb.