For a beautiful cycling holiday, you always look for beautiful routes. A beautiful route is often a round trip. Many cyclists are focused on the possibilities of cycling around. However, many forget that when climbing a hill, the descent and ascent are fundamentally different, even though you are riding on the same road! We were inspired by an article by Patrick Seabase about Switzerland and its ‘dead-end-climbs’. According to the extreme cyclist, it is a hidden beauty. Not for nothing is there an event in Switzerland that ‘dead-ends and cake’ Hot. What’s not to love? At Cyclingdestination we can certainly get into that. See here the top 5x beautiful dead-end climbs Switzerland!
Mauvoisin
Just past Verbier in the canton of Wallis-Valais you find a hidden beauty: the climb to the Mauvoisin dam. This brings you up about 1100 meters higher than at the beginning in 15 kilometers. The start is at the bridge over the Dranse river. You start off quite slowly but at Le Fregnoley the percentages start to come in. It goes up and down towards the Fionnay reservoir and the hamlet of Bonatchiesse. What makes this route beautiful is the various tunnels and galleries you drive through, as well as the wooden bridges. Towards the top it gets a bit rougher in terms of vegetation and the paths also become narrower as you drive further up.
Along the way you have a magnificent view of Mont Rogneux, the Rosablanche and the Grand Combin (4314 meters high!). Once at the dam, the view over the lake is a real treat! The finish is finally at the restaurant at 1841 meters altitude. Nothing wrong with that!
Engstlenalp
If you still have some fear about driving up the Süstenpass, you still have the beautiful escape to the Engstlenalp. This dead-end road from Innertkirchen is not an easy ride, by the way. The 14-kilometer route consists of two steep climbs. The first part to Wagenkehr is not under 10% kilometers long. Then it flattens out for two and a half kilometers and then it speeds up again! The last five kilometers are also steep with an average of 10.2% and over a kilometer above 11%! But we wouldn’t recommend it if there weren’t any beautiful views. In the Gental, one of the most remote but also most beautiful valleys in central Switzerland, your effort is rewarded! The final stretch up is a stunning natural landscape where soft moss is replaced by dry grass and the beautiful trees slowly turn into rugged pines. Happy days.
Male
At Grindelwald, you can drive to the top of Männlichen via a narrow and painful climb. It’s quickly obvious that this is a masculine climb. Steep, to great heights, but with stunning views of the Eiger, the Mönch and the Jungfrau.
The ascent of this route is truly one of the most spectacular routes in all of Switzerland. Usually, all sorts of paragliders fly over the valley and you can indeed see the Eiger. The first part of the climb probably won’t hurt too much and be sure not to fall asleep, because you’ll definitely need the right climbing legs afterwards.
After Wärgischtalbach, things are moving along at a rapid pace. But rest assured, if you have to take a quick detour (which we do too), you don’t have to worry that you’ll be run over by a motorized vehicle. The uphill route is well-protected and closed to motorized traffic. But it’s narrow and it’s really painful. For kilometers and kilometers above 10-11%, a maximum of 12.9% and 10 kilometers long climb. But hey, that view is something to frame or send as a postcard.
Col du Sanetsch
This climb should really be on the list of must-do things in Switzerland. It is considered by many in Switzerland to be the best-kept secret. From Sion in the Valais region, you first climb up through the vineyards. Then it gets steep and the air gets filled with dust, with percentages that often exceed 10%. The total climb is 29 kilometers long, but from kilometer 18 below the summit it is all about climbing. Once you are above the summit, it can get a bit spooky, but that’s not a problem. If you drive a little further, you pass a small lake and there is another hidden gem: the auberge du Barrage.
Why would you go there in the first place? The bonus is the cable car that takes you from the top to Gsteig. Attach your bike to the gondola and enjoy the amazing view. Then you can drive right into Gstaad, where you can marvel at all the splendor. Technically speaking, it’s not really a dead end anymore, but we think it should be there!
Mistress
In the canton of Graubünden you will find several beautiful routes to ride. One of the routes is the Splügen Pass, but just a little further on you will find the steep climb to Juf. This is the highest village in Switzerland and that alone makes it an interesting route. You won’t be completely exhausted after the nearly 30-kilometer-long route. Certainly not compared to other routes. The climbing rates are much friendlier and you don’t end up as high as, for example, the Sanetsch or Männlichen. But because of the view, the surroundings and the fact that you end up in the highest village in Europe, it makes for a special climb. Before you set off, it’s wise to always check the weather, because once you’re on the way to Juf, there’s no turning back. Wind and rain are your biggest enemies in this long valley.
Something else you should keep in mind: up to Andeer you do experience some traffic. After that, it seems as if you have the road all to yourself. So don't be put off!
Questions & tips
Do you have any questions about this route, or have you been there yourself? Share them here. We read everything and usually respond within a few days.