Mauvoisin Dam: the hidden valley in Switzerland’s Val de Bagnes region

For this trip, we were guests of Verbier and Val de Bagnes, with guiding from Adam at Haut Velo. They are keen for cyclists to know about their region.

Highlights

• The whole of the Upper Val de Bagnes is protected in the Federal Inventory of Landscapes. Ibex, chamois, bearded vultures, red frogs and butterflies all call this valley home; and you can see why.
• The 4.5 kilometre ride down the left-hand side of the valley after Lourtier; it feels like travelling back in time.
• The sight of the dam, in all its concrete glory, both at Fionnay and the main Lac de Mauvoisin.

Notes

Statistics

From Le Châble, RWGPS shows us an 11 kilometre climb, with 5.6% average gradient (9.6% max).

Verbier to La Châble

Descend to La Châble down the smooth and regular switchbacks of this well-known mountain.

La Châble to Fionnay

The first section follows the main road, though it certainly wasn’t a hectic main road when we rode it. The end of the road is a dam, so the traffic is just local traffic heading to the small villages along the way – and perhaps the odd dam maintenance vehicle if you’re unlucky.

From the village of Lourtier, you have the option to take a road either side of the valley. It’s probably best to do it as per the GPS as the side rode is so small and narrow, it’s easier to descend the main road.

If you want to be in nature this is the ride for you and you’ll love this section from Lourtier to just before Fionnay.

Fionnay to Mauvoisin Dam

If you look upwards, just before rejoining the main road, you’ll spot the Fionnay power plant perched on the side of the mountain. It’s a funny juxtaposition: the very natural with the very man made.

As you rejoin the main road and the huge dominating mountains flanking either side of the road seem only more imposing.

A couple of switchbacks take you up to the top of the Fionnay Dam, which is part of the Grande Dixence Dam complex. The bright blue of the water is quite a site to behold. You continue and suddenly see the vast wall of the Mauvoisin Dam. It’s the fourteenth highest dam in the world and the highest arch dam in Europe. It’s suitably impressive.

Make sure you don’t stop at the bottom – the sting in this ride’s tail is worth the effort! Once at the base of the dam you have a tough final climb onto the top of the dam, popping out of the final tunnel you arrive magically on the top of the dam wall. It’s quite a sight!

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.

Café stops

This isn’t a long ride, so you might not need too much in the way of sustenance. However, there are lots of options in La Châble. There’s also a hotel at the dam, the Hôtel de Mauvoisin with a restaurant.

In case it’s of interest, the Hôtel de Mauvoisin was built in 1863 and is important in the history of the Val de Bagnes having been a constant presence during the growth of summer tourism, the building of hydroelectric dams and feats of mountaineering.

Tips

Read the tips in our Verbier cycling guide.

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

Interesting to know: the main road was built to help support the construction of the dam in the 1950s. It’s primary purpose is generation of hydro electricity.

On the way up to the dam, there is a small museum which shares information on the history of the dam and how it was constructed. It’s located within the service tunnels and accessed through what looks like a service door, with a turnstile. It’s not ideal in road cycling shoes with cleats, so take care! When you exit, you finally appear on top of the dam. There’s more information on the museum, here.

Looking for more stunning cycling routes in Switzerland’s Valais?

Don’t miss these additional Swiss cycling routes:

• Croix de Coeur and Col du Lein
• Planches, Petit Forclaz, Champex Lac
• Lac Derborence
• La Fouly
• 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.