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

Highlights

• The Haut Val de Bagnes is listed in Switzerland’s Federal Inventory of Landscapes and Natural Monuments of National Importance. 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, the current road-cycling route to Mauvoisin is around 18.3 kilometres with approximately 1,020 metres of climbing. The official route ends near the restaurant at 1,841 metres, below the dam crest.

Verbier to Le Châble

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

Le 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. For the climb, the current cycling route uses the summer road on the right bank of the Dranse, which avoids two tunnels on the main road, including one long tunnel. It’s probably best to do it as per the GPS as the side road 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 hydroelectric infrastructure above Fionnay 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 Fionnay compensating reservoir, which forms part of the Grande Dixence hydroelectric complex. The bright blue of the water is quite a sight to behold. You continue and suddenly see the vast wall of the Mauvoisin Dam. It’s the sixteenth 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 Le Châble. There’s also a seasonal 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 road dates from the development of the Mauvoisin hydroelectric scheme in the 1950s. The dam itself was built between 1951 and 1957 and raised by 13.5 metres between 1989 and 1991. Its primary purpose is hydroelectric power generation.

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.

What’s next?

If you’re looking for a memorable mountain ride in Valais, the road to Mauvoisin Dam is well worth adding to your plans. Between the quiet valley roads, dramatic mountain setting and the final approach to the dam itself, there’s plenty here to make the ride stand out.

Have you cycled to Mauvoisin Dam before? We’d love to hear from you! Leave us a comment below.

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.