Valais Alpine Bike 1. Crans-Montana - Leukerbad
Crans-Montana
-10/-7°
ClosedOne of the most popular routes in central Valais: from Crans-Montana to the Merdechon mountain pasture and Cabane de la Tièche, continuing across the La Tièche plateau, finally on varied, technical trails to Leuk/Susten.
Difficulty
IntermediateLength
26.11 kmDuration
3:20 h
Description
Moderately difficult technically and physically, this itinerary crosses the sunny Crans-Montana and Leuker Sonnenberge region. It is a varied route that starts below the Petit Mont Bonvin and leads to the idyllic alpine pasture of Merdechon, then to the Cabane de la Tièche. The La Tièche plateau is the first highlight as well as the highest point of the ride, at almost 2,000 metres. A little action awaits you on the way down to the winemaking village of Varen, where you have to cross a stream bed, master rocky passages, winding sections through forests and a few ramps. Before arriving in Susten, be sure to stop for a culture break and visit to Leuk (Loèche) Castle. The glass dome, designed by architect Mario Botta, is the crowning glory. Take the Leuk-Leukerbad bus line to get to the thermal resort at Leukerbad or cycle from Susten or Leuk along the "Dala Bärgüf" route.
Option: If you want to add a little extra elevation to your day, do a few runs on the Leukerbad flowtrail.
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
This leg starts at the top of the Crans-Montana funicular. After a short descent on the main road, turn left towards Aminona and start your ascent towards Tièche valley. Just before Les Violettes cable car station, take the road that goes up on the left and passes under the gondolas. Then join the alpine pasture of Plumachit, before continuing your route towards the hamlet of Colombire. Take the dirt track that goes up on the left. The slope becomes steeper and leads to a great viewpoint in the middle of the mountain pastures. In total, there are about 500 meters of difference in altitude to cross in order to reach the highest point at the Cabane de la Tièche. You’ll go through a number of pastures before reaching a slightly sloping hiking trail that leads to a stream that you cross. A varied, technical singletrack with various obstacles and steep terrain leads through fragrant larch forests back to the south side, where another climb awaits. Then follow the gentle downhill path through the Flottuwald forest towards Varen and continue on the path above this winemaking village to Leuk railway station. Finally, take the post bus at Susten for Leukerbad station. You can also cycle from Susten or Leuk to Leukerbad by following the "Dala Bärgüf" route.
Start
Montana Gare (1472m)
Destination
Leuk/Susten (612m)
Author's recommendation
The Cabane de la Tièche is an ideal place to stop before starting the descent to Varen.
Technical information
Altitude
2002m
612m
Ascent
+730m
Descent
-1580m
Stamina
Experience
Landscape
Best time of the year
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Tags
Public transport
Take the train to Sierre (SBB) and then the funicular SMC (Sierre-Crans-Montana) directly to Crans-Montana (Montana Gare). Remember to reserve a place for your mountain bike on the Resabike platform.
Approach
From Basel and Zurich: Take the A1 motorway to Bern; then the A6 as far as Spiez; follow the signs for Kandersteg; Kandersteg–Goppenstein car-carrying train; follow the signs for Sion/Sierre; Sierre-Crans-Montana.
From Geneva: Take the A1 motorway to Lausanne; follow the signs for Sion/Sierre; Sierre-Crans-Montana.
From Milan: Take the A8/A26 motorway towards Simplon; Iselle-Brig car-carrying train; follow the signs for Sion/Sierre; Sierre-Crans-Montana.
Parking
P+Rail Sierre : Place de la Gare 6, 3960 Sierre
Parking train station Sierre : Route de la Mondérêche 5, 3960 Sierre.
For this leg of the Valais Alpine Bike, we recommend that you park your vehicle in Leukerbad and then take the train (SBB) to Sierre station and the funicular (SMC Sierre-Montana) to Montana Village. Don’t forget to book a place for your mountain bike on the bus lines along the Valais Alpine Bike route on the Resabike platform.
Source
This activity is brought to you by Valais/Wallis Promotion
