La Fouly: a “secret valley” bike route in Switzerland’s Val de Bagnes region

Highlights

The La Fouly climb is one of those that sticks in the mind long after the ride is complete. There’s something special about it being a dead-end road, untroubled by hordes of car-driving tourists, and the scenery seemed to us to encapsulate all that is great about cycling in Switzerland.

The road twists through tiny traditional Swiss villages that ooze charm and a slower, more relaxed way of life. Geraniums wave from window boxes, houses look tended for and peaceful.

We thought the wildflower meadows from Branches-d’en-Bas to La Fouly were a real highlight. The road weaves in and out of pastures carpeted with vibrant shades of pink, purple, white and blue. Cowbells tinkle.

After La Fouly, the road narrows still further and you leave all traces of urbanity behind as you climb up to the trailhead. The mountain peaks seem to come closer and glaciers tumble down their sides. You’re on (or near) the Tour du Mont Blanc circuit and, while we were there, hikers significantly outnumbered cyclists and other vehicles.

Notes

Verbier to Som-la-Proz

Descend to La Châble, head along the main road for about five kilometres, ride through Sembrancher and then head up, away from the main road onto a gorgeous little diversion that takes you on a balcony road above the main road. Ride though the pretty village of Chamoille, and soak in the views down to the valley and across to the mountainside on the other side.

The road then heads back down to the valley bottom and the town of Orsières. It’s here you start to climb and two kilometres later you reach Som-la-Proz.

La Fouly Climb

Statistics

From Som-la-Proz, RWGPS shows us an 11-kilometre climb, with 5.6% average gradient (9.6% max).

Som-la-Proz to Branches-d’en-Bas

The climb continues gradually upwards, through the chocolate-box village of Issert, with its traditional wooden barns lining the road and pretty flower boxes in the windows.

The road follows the river with the mountains towering either side, slowly climbing up all the time. The village of Praz de Fort is next.

Branches-d’en-Bas

A little further on, you come to possibly our favourite part of the ride; the wide, open wildflower meadows around Branches-d’en-Bas.

A few kilometres later and you come in to the village of La Fouly with its café, supermarket and ski lift.

La Fouly to trail head

Make sure you carry on up the road here and don’t turn back!

The next three kilometres from La Fouly to the trailhead are a mountain cyclists’ dream; the road reaches a maximum gradient of 9.2% and the mountain scenery reaches its crescendo at the trailhead where walkers head off to the Saint Bernard Pass and the rest of the Mont Blanc massif sprawls ahead of you.

Descent

The descent is huge fun; a glorious twisting descent, first with dramatic mountains and then wildflowers. It’s never too technical or steep and, when we rode it at least (on a Sunday in mid-June), it was also lovely and quiet.

Obviously, you’ll need to take care through the villages and moderate your pace, but after a good climb up, you’ll enjoy flying to the bottom.

Coffee stops

There are plenty of small cafés on this ride, particularly in the larger towns and the odd village café. The supermarket at La Fouly is a useful place to stock up.

Head up above the shops next to the chairlift to the restaurant terrace for Auberge des Glaciers. It’s a great place to sit in the sun as the views are mesmerizing.

There’s also a café at the trail head.

If you’re relying on cafés and restaurants for food and drink, do check opening times in advance.

Nearly every village has a water fountain; if you can’t spot it, ask a local.

Accommodation

We stayed at the Hotel Bristol in Verbier.

You can find out more about our stay in our main guide to cycling Verbier and Val de Bagnes.

There are also plenty of other hotels in Verbier to choose from.

Tips

Make sure you read the tips in our Verbier cycling guide. These all apply to this ride.

Before setting out, check current road conditions and Swiss cycling rules.

Otherwise, note the tips scattered throughout this article, above.

The roads tend to pinch as they head through the towns and villages; in places the traffic is controlled to give priority to one direction or the other. Make sure you’re riding at a suitable pace and always obey the rules of the road.

Look out for hikers walking on the road, especially from La Fouly onwards to the head of the valley (and on your way back down again too).

Also keep an eye out for marmots in the wildflower section; one ran out across the road, right in front of us! Sadly not enough time to snap a photo!

What’s next?

If La Fouly has whetted your appetite for more riding in the Swiss Alps, there are plenty of other memorable climbs and routes to explore across Valais. From high mountain passes to quiet valley roads, the region offers plenty of reasons to keep riding.

Have you cycled these Valais routes before? We’d love to hear from you! Leave us a comment below.

Looking for more Swiss cycling inspiration? Don’t miss:

• Heart Cross and Col du Lein
• Boards, Petit Forclaz, Champex-Lac
• Lake Derborence
• Mauvoisin Dam
• Switzerland’s best cycling routes

Clare Dewey is a cyclist with a passion for travel. She set up epicroadrides.com in 2018 to help make it easy for cyclists to explore the world by bike. Today her mission is still inspiring cyclists to discover new places on two wheels - and doing what she can to make sure they have the best possible time while they're there. Clare has visited 50+ destinations around the world, many of them by bike.

Want to connect with Clare? Find her over on LinkedIn.