Aminona Gravel

The gravel loop begins at the Maison du Tourisme in Crans-Montana and follows the road towards Aminona, whose towers are already visible from afar. After a few kilometres, you leave the surfaced road and travel upwards on a winding path. You initially pass through woodland with clearings giving you views of the Rhone plain. The first alms and chalets then appear.

The climb continues over gravel and crosses the Tsittoret “bisse” (irrigation channel), which carries water from the La Tièche river to the meadows and vineyards of Noble-Contrée. After further stretches of meadows and forest, an Alpine zone follows at around 1,900 metres elevation. You continue on wide Alpine roads for several kilometres before alternating between roads and pretty gravel paths as you descend towards the Marolires gondola lift stop. The descent requires a degree of caution in places but is easy to negotiate for experienced gravel bikers. Along the way, you pass Restaurant Colombire, where you can enjoy Valais specialities and magnificent views of the Imperial Crown.

The route then takes you on wide forest paths to Arnouva. From here, it alternates between forest paths and meadows until the first houses on the outskirts of Crans-Montana. The way back takes you past the Plans-Mayens quarter and its huge chalets. Back on surfaced road, you cross the town from west to east until you arrive back at the starting point of the circular tour.