Valais Alpine Bike 4. Grächen-Brig
Information
For this stage of the Valais Alpine Bike route, you set off from the village of Grächen along a rural road towards Gasenried. The first highlight is a magnificent descent towards Mattsand on the Mattsand Enduro route. To reach Stalden further down the valley, take the Matterhorn Valley Trail, which follows the historic path lined with drystone walls that is included in Switzerland’s Federal Inventory of Historic Transport Routes. From Stalden, the cable car takes you to Gspon in just a few minutes. From the mountain station, the magnificent Gspon Panorama Bike route passes through the forest of Sädol before reaching – with a good deal of effort – the Gibidum Pass and its bucolic lake. The alpine scenery on this high plateau offers the perfect opportunity to stop for a contemplative moment against the backdrop of the Valais Alps. At this point you enter the wilderness of the Nanztal Valley. A steep but smooth descent takes you to the Nidristi alpine pasture before a last easy, top-quality trail leads to Brig, the destination of this stage.
Characteristics
Best season
POI details
Setting off from Grächen, take the Mattsand Enduro route, which provides pure adrenaline after a short climb to Gastenried and on to the village of Mattsand. Then take the Matterhorn Valley Trail until you reach Stalden lower down the valley, from where you catch the cable car to Gspon. The Gspon Panorama Bike tour starts from the mountain station and takes you through the forest nature reserve of Sädol to reach the Gibidum Pass along a fairly physically demanding alpine path. Starting from the Gibidum Pass, a wide and steep yet flowing 4x4 trail drops down into the Nantzal Valley and runs alongside the alpine pasture of Nidristi to Schratt. The route then continues in the direction of Brig on a first-class trail which – after an initial technical section – provides a fast and ideal downhill ride.
Take the train to Visp (SBB) then the Visp–Zermatt line (Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn) to St. Niklaus. Then take the postal bus to Grächen. Don’t forget to book a place for your mountain bike on the St. Niklaus–Grächen line on the Resabike platform (www.resabike.ch).
From Basel and Zurich: Take the A1 motorway to Bern; A6 to Spiez; follow the sign to Kandersteg; Kandersteg–Goppenstein car-carrying train; follow the sign to Visp; St. Niklaus; Grächen.
From Geneva: Take the A1 motorway to Lausanne; follow the sign to Sion/Sierre; Visp; St. Niklaus; Grächen.
From Milan: Take the A8/A26 motorway in the direction of Simplon; Iselle-Brig car-carrying train; follow the sign to Visp; St. Niklaus; Grächen.
We recommend: bike in excellent working order, helmet, gloves and bell, clothing suitable for the weather (always carry a waterproof), food and drink.
