The pass connects Kaysersberg (Haut-Rhin) with Saint-Dié-des-Vosges (Vosges) (east–west) and is also crossed by the Route des Crêtes (north–south).

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.

On 8 September 1914, the commander of the French 41st Infantry Division, 69-year-old General Bataille, and six of his men were killed in a German artillery attack.

[2] From the east, the climb starts at Ammerschwihr, passing through Kaysersberg and Le Bonhomme en route.

From this direction, the total ascent is 22.1 km (13.7 mi) long climbing 714 m (2,343 ft) at an average gradient of 3.2%, with a maximum of 7.4%.