Chasseral - The Queen of the Jura

Logo Chasseral - The Queen of the Jura
Logo Chasseral - The Queen of the Jura
Tour data
37.88km
436 - 1,597m
Distance
1,015hm
1,330hm
Ascent
05:20h
 
Duration
Brief description

A very nice tour over the Chasseral and along the ridge with nice views over the lake of Biel. On a sunny day there are some amazing views of the Alps in the distance. 

Difficulty
medium
Rating
Technique
Fitness
Landscape
Experience
Starting point

Cormoret

Route
Cormoret (706 m)
0.0 km
La Petite Douane
8.8 km
Chasseral (1,607 m)
14.5 km
Chasseral panorama
14.7 km
Place Centrale
21.2 km
Jurahaus
22.7 km
Geissrücken
30.1 km
Frinvillier
31.4 km
Champagne
35.2 km
Altstadt
36.6 km
Biel/Bienne (434 m)
37.0 km
Neustadt
37.7 km
Biel/Bienne (437 m)
37.9 km


Best season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Description

Chasseral is a great day out for those who like their mountain biking to take in long sections of single track and don’t mind a bit of climbing to get it. Most routes that I have seen described for Chasseral begin near the lake of Biel (Bielersee) and climb the southern side of Chasseral. For our route we took the train from Biel to Cormoret and ascended from the north side. This cut out a few hundred metres of climbing and allowed us to take a quite pleasant (for the most part) and not very steep route to the top. 

Directions
From the train station in Cormoret we turned north at the end of the platform and immediately started our ascent. The route consists of a mixture of paved and unpaved roads passing La Blanche, Le Pletz and Metairie de Morat. The gradient was quiet friendly except for a short steep section across a field between La Blanche and Le Pletz. 

Once at the summit time can be taken to enjoy the view of the Bernese lake region (Berner Seeland) and the Jura. The tower ontop of Chasseral is not particularly nice to look at but it does give you a reference point to look back towards for a long way down the trails once you set off from the summit. To access the trail ride directly under the tower where you will find a gate to lift your bike over and then follow your nose and the yellow “wanderweg” signs. 

The fist few hundred metres of trail are quite challenging and not very defined. Route choice is important and it’s probably best to not do as I did can go over the handlebars for the amusement of passing hikers. Happily the trail opens out and gets quite fast and flowy after about 200m. It is quite wide in places, but has enough rocky sections to keep you grinning as you follow the ridgeline towards Les Colisses du Haut.  

The route stays on the ridge the whole way to the Jurahutte (Cabana du Jura) which offers an opportunity for some refreshment on the route. From the Jurahutte the trail undulates quite a bit through some open grassy fields with great views of the scenery to the south of the ridge. Once you get back into the woods the trail gets narrower and a touch more technical and predominately downhill until Les Coperies. 

From Les Coperies there is a short fire road descent until you round a right hand switchback, almost immediately after there is a single track dropping into the woods to the left. The trail from here to Frinvilier is narrow and in places quite technical with some tight switchbacks. Some areas of this trail are quite exposed and falling at one of the narrow sections or switchbacks is best avoided. 

The trail ends on a busy road with a small set of steps, it is best to take the trail exit quite slowly to avoid any issues with pedestrians on the footpath or traffic. 

From Frinvilier it is possible to take the road back to Biel or to ride back up to Magglingen and ride one of the trails from there down to Biel.

Highest point
1,597 m
Endpoint

Biel

Height profile
© outdooractive.com

Equipment

An "All Mountain" or "Enduro" bike is recommended for this tour. 

Safety instructions

The very first section of trail from the Antenna at Chasseral is more difficult than it looks and care should be taken. It is very easy to take a trip over the handlebars here. 
The descent to Frinvilier has a little exposure and anyone not comfortable with switchbacks and exposure might be best descending the fireroad from here. 
There is a short tunnel when riding on the road from Frinvilier back to Biel. It is lit, but lights may not be a bad idea to bring along. 

Tips

Best avoided on sunny sundays as the ridge from Chasseral can be very popular with hikers. 

Additional information
For more of our favourite tours remember to check out www.swissalpineadventure.com - tours. 

Public transportation
Trains run from Biel to Cormoret once an hour at X:49 (2014 timetable). There are regular connections from all over Switzerland to Biel. 

Timetable: www.sbb.ch

Parking

Parking is available in both Cormoret and Biel.


Author

4,0
Overall rating

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Surfaces

Trial

General info

Fauna
A lot of view

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