This all-mountain tour in the heart of Leukerbad's rocky arena will make mountain bikers' hearts beat faster: breathtaking scenery, magical views and trail action.
Open
moderate
Distance 17.5 km
Duration2:00 h
Ascent455 m
Descent1,207 m
Highest point1,804 m
Lowest point622 m
From Leuk, the route follows the right-hand side of the Dala valley to Chällerflüe. Top up your energy with coffee and croissants at the restaurant in Birchen before tackling the 500-metre ascent that follows. This ascent includes the "Chäller" crossing, where you will have to push your mountain bike for about 350 metres. Although the path is quite wide and secured with steel cables, it helps if you are not subject to vertigo. But it's well worth the effort: once you reach the top, you enjoy a breathtaking view of the entire Rhone valley. The panorama will quickly make you forget all the effort you have put in previously. After a well-deserved rest, comes a 1,100-metre descent on high level singletracks down to Varen. Stop off in this famous wine village to visit a wine cellar, or continue on to the historic town of Leuk, where the imposing town hall with its castle offers another opportunity to round off an exciting day.
Author’s recommendation
At the end of the day, have an aperitif in Varen or Leuk. You can enjoy the view of the Bois de Finges glistening in the last rays of sunshine.
Use marked bike trails and routes only, making sure you observe all signposting. Kindly close gates after passing through. Please be considerate to walkers, as well as to plants and animals. As a rule, walkers have priority. When planning, take into account participants’ fitness level and ability. All riding is at one’s own risk.
The route starts in Leukerbad and takes you first to the sports centre before leading you to Birchen via singletracks and wide paths. Then follow the forest road which climbs gently up to the Larschi mountain pasture. A country lane takes you to Chällerflüe, where you cross the rock face on foot and push your bike up a short climb to Pfarschong. Once you have passed this section, a magnificent singletrack awaits you for a varied and moderately difficult descent. It takes you through lush green pastures, then down through the Varen forest to the village bearing the same name. Shortly before Taschonieru, it becomes technically more demanding and is made up of stones and short rocky passages. From Varen, you reach Leuk via wide country roads and continue along cycle path no. 72 to Susten railway station.
Note
all notes on protected areas
Public transport
Leuk can be reached by train (SBB), then by bus (LLB - Leuk Leukerbad Bus Reisen) to the starting point in Leukerbad.
It is advisable to reserve a place for your VTT via resabike.
Getting there
From Basel and Zurich: A1 motorway to Bern; A6 to Spiez; direction Kandersteg; car transport Kandersteg - Goppenstein; direction Gampel; Leuk - Leukerbad.
From Geneva: Motorway A1 to Lausanne; direction Sion/Sierre; Leuk - Leukerbad
From Milan: Motorway A8/A26 direction Simplon; car transport Iselle-Brig; direction Leuk - Leukerbad
Parking
Paid parking at Leuk railway station.
Car parks in Leukerbad :
- Alpentherme car park
- Leukerbad Thermal Baths car park
- Town Hall car park
- Sportarena car park
Coordinates
SwissGrid
2'614'485E 1'136'463N
DD
46.379379, 7.626917
DMS
46°22'45.8"N 7°37'36.9"E
UTM
32T 394408 5137116
w3w
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Arrival by train, car, foot or bike
Book recommendation by the author
The tourist offices in Leuk (directly at the railway station) and Leukerbad (at the bus station) can provide you with informative documents about mountain biking in the region and will be happy to tell you all you need to know about the Leuk Sonnenberge mountain biking destination.
Author’s map recommendations
Swisstopo national maps 1:25 000: 1287 Sierre and 2527 Lötschental
Equipment
We recommend: a bike in excellent working order, a helmet, gloves and a bell, clothing suitable for the weather (always carry a waterproof), food and drink.
recommended route
View over the sea of fog from ChällerPhoto: chrissie.st, My Leukerbad AG
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