Visp-Zermatt Bike
Overview
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Distance 38 km
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Ascent 1350 m
Intro
This physically challenging route follows the Vispa from the Rhone Valley floor up to Zermatt. It passes historic buildings and picturesque villages, goes through vineyards, forests and over meadows as one conquers almost 1,400 m altitude. The backdrop: snow-covered mountain peaks and at the end, the Matterhorn.
Description
After the start at the train station, the trail leads through the Visp recreational area. Without major gradients, one reaches the hamlet of Neubrück, which belongs to the commune of Stalden. From here to the southern end of the village the Vispa proudly passes under nine bridges, which are the reason why Stalden is also called "Brückendorf". The bike route follows the old cantonal road, which was partially carved into the rock as a semi-open tunnel. Via Kalpetran and to St. Niklaus you cycle along the track of the old mule trail in the Mattertal, which was rebuilt between 1852 and 1868. The path is listed in the inventory of Historic Swiss Traffic Routes (IVS). Over long stretches, the old, well-preserved dry stonewalls are visible.
Before St. Niklaus, the bikers enter into the Chipferwald. A section was built as a single track here for them. In part along the old course of the cantonal road, the St. Niklaus hamlets are passed, including Birchmatten, Stahlen or Schwiedernen. Worthwhile: A visit to the local mountain guide museum, because several well-known mountain guide dynasties come from "Zaniglas" as the locals call St. Niklaus.
After arriving at the Birchbach, which marks the border of Randa, the huge debris cone from the 1991 landslide is visible. Then the Bis Glacier appears along with the Breithorn and the Kleine Matterhorn in the distance. The Matterhorn is still hiding. The path via Randa continues towards Täsch. Just before the edge of the village, one changes to the other side of the valley and arrives at the Schalisee. Cooling off in the middle of the larch trees and open grass areas along the lake. Because afterwards comes the last challenging section up to Zermatt over a changing and challenging single-rider trail. On a rise just before the destination, one arrives at the highest point of the route (1,620 m) and a view of the Matterhorn for the first time: the mountain of mountain is the reward.
An enjoyable tour includes the careful planning of the same. Please inform yourself in advance at the local information center about the route and weather conditions. Depending on the season and weather conditions, this route may be blocked or interrupted
| Type |
Trip
|
|---|---|
| Start location |
Visp
|
| Destination |
Zermatt
|
| Direction |
One way
|
| Ascent |
1350 m
|
| Descent |
420 m
|
| Distance |
38 km
|
| Distance on tarred ways |
17 km
|
| Distance on natural surface |
9 km
|
| Singletrail (part of natural surface) |
12 km
|
| Technical requirements |
Medium
|
| Physical requirements |
Difficult
|
| Theme |
Along Water
|
Quick Facts
Route number
