Valais Alpine Bike 2. Leukerbad–Unterbäch
Leukerbad
-1/7°
This stage offers a varied route, with a magnificent flowy and panoramic crossing over the heights of Leukerbad (Loèche-les-Bains) towards Jeizinen and a rocky descent to Gampel.
Difficulty
IntermediateLength
32.97 kmDuration
4:15 h
Description
Starting from Leukerbad (Loèche-les-Bains), the Torrent cable car takes you to Rinderhütte, at over 2300 meters altitude. The route starts directly at the arrival station and takes the Torrenttrail Bike, a flowy singletrail offering a panoramic view of the 4000-meter peaks of Valais and the Rhône valley. After a traverse along the hillside with a few climbs, you reach the alpine pasture of Untere Feselalp, where the descent to the Rhône plain begins. You pass through the village of Erschmatt, where you can learn to make rye bread. Take a break at the new pumptrack in Steg before continuing to Raron (Rarogne). Once arrived, take the cable car to Unterbäch where you will spend the night, overlooking the Rhône valley and facing the Bietschhorn. Option: Want a bit more downhill fun? The cable car takes you comfortably from Gampel to Jeizinen, where several versatile trails await 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 Torrent cable car will take you to the mountain station of Rinderhütte where this stage of the Valais Alpine Bike begins. Follow the balcony path overlooking the Rhône valley. You will successively cross the hamlets of Oberu, Nivenalp, and Bachalp. Enjoy a forest edge trail alternating rolling sections and some short climbs. From Untere Feselalp, take a beautiful singletrail to Erschmatt. After crossing the village, the trail descends a rocky but fun slope to Niedergampel before giving way to a flat road that climbs back up the Rhône valley to Raron (Rarogne). The final journey between Raron (Rarogne) and Unterbäch is done by cable car.
Start
Leukerbad (2310m)
Destination
Unterbäch (636m)
Author's recommendation
For a tasty stop with a Valais plate or a cheese crust, stop at the Trächu Hittu restaurant located at Untere Feselalp.
Technical information
Altitude
2313m
625m
Ascent
+256m
Descent
-2200m
Stamina
Experience
Landscape
Best time of the year
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Tags
Public transport
You will reach Leuk (Loèche) by train (SBB), then take the bus (LLB – Leuk Leukerbad Bus Reisen) which leaves the Leuk (Loèche) station and takes you directly to Leukerbad (Loèche-les-Bains). Be sure to reserve a space for your mountain bike via the SBB mobile app or on sbb.ch.
Approach
From Basel and Zurich: A1 motorway to Bern; A6 to Spiez; direction Kandersteg; car transport Kandersteg-Goppenstein; direction Gampel; Leuk-Leukerbad (Loèche-Loèche-les-Bains).
From Geneva: A1 motorway to Lausanne; direction Sion/Sierre; Leuk-Leukerbad (Loèche-Loèche-les-Bains).
From Milan: A8/A26 motorway towards Simplon; car transport Iselle-Brigue; direction Leuk-Leukerbad (Loèche-Loèche-les-Bains).
Parking
Follow the parking signs at Leuk (Loèche) and Leukerbad (Loèche-les-Bains). For this stage of the Valais Alpine Bike, we recommend parking your vehicle at Leuk (Loèche) or Gampel and reaching the Leukerbad (Loèche-les-Bains) station by public transport (SBB). Remember to reserve a space for your mountain bike on the Leuk-Leukerbad (Loèche-Loèche-les-Bains) line on sbb.ch.
Source
This activity is brought to you by Valais/Wallis Promotion
