Äbnimatt, Binntal

This is a route that initially follows the Saflisch Pass route but then turns left toward Binn. We start at the Eggnishorn campground in Fiesch, ride uphill along the busy cantonal road for about 10 minutes, and then leave it to cross (by pushing our bikes) the Tibetan bridge, which takes us to the other side of the valley.

We pass through Ernen, one of Switzerland’s most beautiful villages, and continue on a gentle slope toward Binn, with very little traffic. At the entrance to a long tunnel, we keep to the right and take the old road—now a restored dirt road.

Back on the paved road, shortly afterward we keep to the left and pass through the center of Binn, another one of those Swiss villages that look like they’ve come straight out of a postcard. We leave Binn and, immediately after the village, turn left onto what will be our climb to the highest point of the ride. First, an idyllic paved road...

...which soon turns into a forest road—never steep and pleasant to ride—with the scent of conifers that you’re sure to love. The views are beautiful, too.

At an elevation of 2,100, we emerge from the woods, switch sides of the mountain, and descend along a dirt track down to Äbnimatt—a cluster of alpine huts with pastures. A break to take in the view is a must.

The descent begins immediately—and what a descent! A very flowy singletrack through the woods, with plenty of turns that are never too tight.

Once this rather long section is over, a traverse awaits us with several ups and downs, including one where we’ll have to push our bikes to cross a stream and climb back up. Several roots make the trail quite technical in some spots (S3 sections), but otherwise it’s easy to ride.

We emerge onto a forest road, which we follow with only a slight loss of elevation. It leads us to a paved road, which we follow uphill for 100 meters of elevation gain, before taking the final descent to Engen: it’s called Kapellenweg; it’s quite steep but wide and presents no significant difficulties. In Engen, we follow the same route we took on the way there, crossing the Tibetan bridge, to return to Fiesch.