In 1397, the Landschaften of Pomat, Goms and Hasli, and the cities of Interlaken, Thun and Bern, signed an agreement in which it was agreed to provide for free and secure trade by the mule track over the Grimsel.

Cheese and cattle were sent south, whilst wine, rice, corn and olive oil came north.

The KWO now promotes the pass and surrounding area as a visitor attraction, as part of its Grimselwelt tourism brand.

[1] Beyond Guttannen, and still following the river, the road passes a pair of short tunnels to Handegg (1,378 metres or 4,521 feet), where the lower station of the Gelmerbahn funicular, the steepest in Switzerland, is located.

[1] From the Totesee the pass road descends steeply through more hairpin bends to Gletsch (1,759 metres or 5,771 feet) in the most upper valley of the Rhône, the Obergoms.

[1] Due to the high altitude of the pass, and its continental location, the climate is cool or cold all year round, and receives a fair amount of precipitation year-round (the majority of which is snow).

Most years, permanent snow fields remain at the pass, due to the temperature rarely rising above 15 °C.