Petite Forclaz – Valais Cycling Tour

Set off on this signposted climb with several informative panels indicating the elevation gain and gradient of your route. Discover a hill road that rises up from Martigny-Croix, passing through the vineyards and the villages of Les Rappes and La Fontaine. Climbing the Petite Forclaz – which is 4 km long and has an average gradient of 11%, with some sections exceeding 14% and an over 400-meter elevation gain – is a formidable challenge. Feel the burn in your calves on the route’s numerous hairpin bends. Once you have reached the Route de la Forclaz, you can choose to tackle an additional route section consisting of the Tour de France climb up to the Emosson dam via the Col de la Forclaz, or return to Martigny via the main road.

Your route starts on the main square of Martigny-Croix, where you'll find the red Valais cycle signpost. Make your way through the town’s alleyways and cross the bridge over the Route du Saint-Bernard. Climb through the vineyards, crossing the hamlets of Les Rappes and La Fontaine before you arrive at the Route de la Forclaz. The route becomes steeper as the climb progresses. With numerous turns, an average gradient of 11% and some sections exceeding 14%, you’ll soon start to feel the burn in your legs. After four kilometres and a climb of 400 metres, you’ll finally reach the Route de la Forclaz main road, where you can choose to continue climbing up to the Col de la Forclaz or even the Emosson Dam, or make your way back down to Martigny via the main road.

Take the E27 Martigny/Grand St-Bernard motorway exit, then leave the roundabout in the direction of Col de la Forclaz/Chamonix.