What is the highest pass in the world that is kept open (plowed) in winter?
Winter is here (for those in the Northern Hemisphere at least), and with it comes the bane of travelers just about everywhere, snow. Furthermore, snow tends to be more prevalent at higher altitudes, due to the weather being colder there.
This means that if one is interested in driving high mountain passes and roads, one should wait for the weather to improve, right? Or, are there high passes one can drive that are kept open (plowed, sanded, salted) for traffic during the winter? Currently, the highest pass I know of that's winter-maintained is Loveland Pass at 3655m (11,990') on US 6, but are there others in the world that are higher still? It's OK if the road undergoes temporary closures during winter due to snowslides/avalanches, but the slide must be cleared from the road promptly. No "temporary closures" that last all winter long!
Also: roads that not provide through passage (such as those that dead-end at summits) are eligible for this thread, but should be denoted as a dead-end road in your answer, as I expect them to be in the minority compared to mountain passes. Also, if a road or pass receives so little snow naturally that it stays open year-round without human intervention, please mention that as well.
Best Answer
The currently-top-rated answer to the question you link, Chile's Route 27, is "open throughout the year, although occasionally closed by snow", according to Wikipedia.
Part of the road is in the driest nonpolar desert in the world and so rarely sees precipitation of any sort, but the higher parts of the road are in the mountains and get more varied weather. (Although, when I visited, it had just rained for the first time in years, so everything was closed in order to protect lives.)
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Which Pass is the highest pass in the world?
The elevation of Khardung La is 5,359 m (17,582 ft). Local summit signs and dozens of stores selling shirts in Leh incorrectly claim its elevation tobe in the vicinity of 5,602 m (18,379 ft) and that it is the world's highest motorable pass.Which is the second highest pass in the world?
Second highest pass in the world - Tanglang La- Asia.
- India.
- Ladakh.
- Leh District.
- Leh.
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- Tanglang La.
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