Mountain bike tours

Saaser Valley route

Saas-Balen

1/8°

Closed

From Saas-Balen, this route takes you through the Saas Valley to the Mattmark dam. It offers variety in terms of difficulty, landscape, and nature.

Difficulty

Intermediate

Length

14.63 km

Duration

2:21 h

Description

On this route, you cycle from Saas-Balen through the whole lower Saas Valley up to the Mattmark dam. The varied route is just under 15 kilometers long and you cover over 700 meters of elevation. If you still have energy at the reservoir, you can add a lake circuit after a rest break at the Mattmark restaurant. The alpine landscape will impress you.

Our favorites

Our favorite itineraries are part of a selection of the best routes in the region and are proposed by Valais/Wallis Promotion to best meet the expectations of our guests.

Turn-by-turn directions

The start is at the round church in Saas-Balen. Then the route leads along the right bank of the Saaser Vispe upstream. Shortly after Saas-Balen, the path branches off to the right and you cycle over the meadows to "Bidermattu." Pass through the hamlet and follow the path to the river. On the right bank, you pass Saas-Grund and reach the hamlets "Zer Briggu" and "Unner de Bodme." After passing these, the path branches off to the right, gently ascending to "Biele." Afterwards, the descent follows to the Webstube in Saas-Almagell. Alternatively, you can also follow the path along the river. From the Webstube, you reach "Zer Meiggeru." From here, follow the paved road to "Eiju Sand." At the right curve before the bridge, continue straight on the path, cross the road, and follow the bends that lead you to the dam. Alternatively, you can also cycle along the road. Attention, the final sprint is challenging.

Start

Round church Saas-Balen (1487m)

Destination

Mattmark dam (2205m)

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Author's recommendation

From "Zer Meiggeru" onwards, you should enjoy the romantic wild nature.

Technical information

Altitude

2205m

1487m

Ascent

+718m

Descent

-0m

Stamina

Experience

Landscape

Best time of the year

Public transport

Take the SBB train to Visp. In Visp, take the post bus towards Saas-Fee. Get off at the Saas-Balen village stop.

Remember to reserve a space for your mountain bike via the SBB Mobile app or on sbb.ch.

Approach

In Visp, take the roundabout at Landbrücke and exit south towards Saas-Fee and Zermatt. From Raron, drive through the Vispertal tunnel directly south. At the "Killerhof" roundabout (in Stalden), take the second exit towards Saas-Fee. Follow the road to Saas-Balen.