
A Wild Road to Cote Verbier-Les Savoleyres in Valais
Switzerland, europe
1.9 km
2,374 m
moderate
Year-round
# Côté Verbier-Les Savoleyres: A High-Alpine Adventure
Ready for a proper mountain challenge? Côté Verbier-Les Savoleyres sits pretty at 2,374m (7,788ft) in Switzerland's Valais canton, just east of Martigny in the southwestern corner of the country.
Here's the thing—this isn't your typical scenic drive. The road is completely unpaved and doubles as a chairlift service route, which means you'll absolutely need a sturdy 4x4 to tackle it. Starting from Col de la Croix de Coeur, you're looking at just 1.9 km (1.18 miles) of climbing, but don't let that fool you. You'll gain 202m of elevation with an impressive average gradient of 10.63%, so it's definitely steep.
Nestled high in the Swiss Pennine Alps, this route dishes up some seriously stunning alpine scenery—but there's a catch. The road is only accessible from July through September, with weather conditions potentially extending or shortening that window. Come October, snow and ice lock it down until June rolls around again.
If you're after that true high-altitude, off-the-beaten-path experience and you've got the right vehicle and skills to match, this peak is calling your name.
Where is it?
A Wild Road to Cote Verbier-Les Savoleyres in Valais is located in Switzerland (europe). Coordinates: 46.9647, 7.7599
Road Details
- Country
- Switzerland
- Continent
- europe
- Length
- 1.9 km
- Max Elevation
- 2,374 m
- Difficulty
- moderate
- Coordinates
- 46.9647, 7.7599
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