Valais Panorama Bike 2. Reckingen-Bellwald
Obergoms
-2/6°
ClosedThis idyllic stage combines historic traces with the heart of nature, far from tourist crowds. First it follows the Rhône river, then enters the little-known Rappetal valley.
Difficulty
IntermediateLength
33.87 kmDuration
5:20 h
Description
Valais Panorama Bike - stage 2
From Reckingen, cycle along the Rhône for around 13 kilometres to Mühlebach on a wide dirt track, passing small villages offering an opportunity to discover well-preserved sites. Mühlebach offers a fascinating opportunity to see Switzerland's oldest centre with wooden houses. Ernen is no less impressive: with its magnificent village square, it is situated on a moraine terrace above the Rhône and is of great historical and cultural importance. From here, the ascent to the Frid alp offers both a sporting challenge and breathtaking views. Cross the Rappetal valley, an unspoilt natural gem, and follow the trail as it winds along the contour to Z'Mübach. Change to the opposite side of the valley and you’ll ride a singletrack with the murmur of the Milebach stream in your ears. Before reaching Fürgangen, push your bike over a spectacular suspension bridge before reaching the cable car which will take you to Bellwald, your destination for the day.
Depending on the snow conditions and the presence of herd guard dogs, a deviation from the route is put in place every summer, allowing you to go directly to ‘Niederäner Chäller’ without passing through the Rappertal. Please respect this change.
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Turn-by-turn directions
From Reckingen, cross the Rhône to the south and follow its left bank along the Rhône Route for six kilometres to the football pitch near Sand. Turn left towards Bodme/Biina and leave the hamlet on a country lane, followed by a single track, heading south-west to Egguti. The alpine road takes you back to the Rhône, then via Steinhaus and Mühlebach to Ernen. Just before the village, turn left onto the alpine road that leads to Frid, an asscent of around 800 metres. Continuing eastwards, you’ll climb slightly up Rappetal on a single track to Z'Mübach. Cross the Milebach and follow a beautiful single track for almost five kilometres to the entrance to the Rappetal. At Ober Äbmet, choose between an easier descent to the right or a more technical single track to the left as far as Mühlebach. Head north past the little village and cross the Rhône on a 280-metre-long suspension bridge – you’ll have to push your bike over it. On the other side of the valley, a small cable car takes you from Fürgangen to Bellwald, your destination for the day.
Start
Reckingen VS (Unnerem Bahnhof) (1316 m) (1315m)
Destination
Fürgangen (Talstation) (1202 m) (1201m)
Author's recommendation
Visit the birthplace of hotel pioneer César Ritz and the exhibition in the renovated Niederwald station building.
Book your Valais Panorama Bike trip and explore a scenic route through Upper Valais. Includes bike-friendly hotels and luggage transport. Go to valais.ch/valaispanoramabike.
Technical information
Altitude
1996m
1188m
Ascent
+1300m
Descent
-1400m
Stamina
Experience
Landscape
Best time of the year
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Tags
Public transport
Approach
From Zurich: take the A4 or A3 motorway to Flüelen, then the A2 to Göschenen and through the Furka bottom tunnel to Reckingen.
From Bern, take the A6 motorway to Spiez and continue in the direction of Kandersteg; use the Kandersteg-Goppenstein car train and continue in the direction of Goms (Conches), then Reckingen.
From Geneva: take the A1 motorway to Lausanne, then continue on the A9 towards Brig; followed by Goms, then Reckingen.
From Milan: take the A8/A26 motorway towards Simplon; use the Iselle-Brig car train and continue towards Brig; followed by Goms (Conches) and then Reckingen.
Parking
Follow the parking signs to Reckingen or Fürgangen. For this stage of the Valais Panorama Bike (VPB), however, we recommend that you park your vehicle in Fiesch and travel to Reckingen using public transport. Remember to reserve a space for your mountain bike on sbb.ch.
Source
This activity is brought to you by Valais/Wallis Promotion
