Between 1871 and 1918, the pass was a border crossing between Lorraine (France) and Alsace, which had been ceded to Germany under the Treaty of Frankfurt.

The most famous is probably the Sentier des Roches,[5] a rocky footpath along the edge of a ridge near the Col which is closed in winter.

[14] The climb from the east starts at Munster from where there are 18.0 km (11.2 mi) to the summit, gaining 759 m (2,490 ft) in height.

[15] From La Bresse (south-west), the ascent via D34 is 16.2 km (10.1 mi) long climbing 494 m (1,621 ft) at an average gradient of 3.0%.

This climb passes the Col des Feignes (954 m (3,130 ft)) en route, after which there are 2 km (1 mi) at between 7 and 8%.

[10] The climb over the pass was first used on stage 20 of the 1931 Tour de France, when the summit was crossed by a group of riders,[18] although André Leducq was the first across the line after the descent into Colmar.