Balmberg
Description
From Soltothurn railroad station, follow the marked mountain bike route (number 44) up to Balmberg. Just over 600 meters in altitude are covered on forest and country roads. At the top of the hill, the official route branches off to the left; we ride a few more meters on the road and then turn left onto a single trail. This super-fun trail leads through the Schofbachschlucht gorge to Welschenrohr. Now it's time to return to the first Jura chain. Via Solmatt you reach the little road to the rear Schmidematt, where you turn right towards Hochchrüz. The small crossing is the starting point for the long descent back to Solothurn. A mix of single trails and forest roads forms the basis for the route to Günsberg, after which (due to a lack of single trail options) you follow forest and country roads via Hubersdorf to the banks of the Aare at Flumenthal. After the weir, cross over to the left bank on a bridge and follow this directly to Solothurn railroad station.
Alternatives: From Schmidematt, follow the little road to Passhöche, then along the ridge via Bättlerchuchi to Hochchrüz on the original route.
Map & GPX-Track
The map is only available to Ride subscribers.
The Ride-Subscription is available at ride-mtb.com/abo
.
Details of the tour
36 km
1070 m
1070 m
420 above sea level
1080 above sea level
1 day
Solothurn
Solothurn
1094
well suited
More tours nearby
User comments (6)
About the author: Thomas Giger
Note: This content has been automatically translated from German. Please report any incorrect translations.
Schliesse mich dem Tourenbeschrieb und den früheren Kommentaren an: Die Abfahrt vom Balmberg nach Welschenrohr macht sehr viel Spass. Spätsommer 2026 liegen einige umgekippte Bäume über dem Trail und an zwei drei Stellen ist auf zwei drei Metern der Hang inklusive Trail abgerutscht. Kein ernsthaftes Problem für alle die ihr Bike rumhieven und kurz tragen können. Mit einem schweren E-Bike würde ich es wohl aktuell nicht machen wollen. Hoffentlich bis nächstes Jahr gelöst. @Monika: Inzwischen bietet der Weissenstein Flow-Trail eine angemessene Verwertung der Höhenmeter aus dem zweiten Aufstieg. Hierfür ab Welschenrohr westwärts auf den Weissenstein aufsteigen und ab dort der Ride-Tour "Lommiswil" folgen.
Descent through Schofbachschlucht to Welschenrohr in top condition! Lots of leaves on the ground but quite rideable!
Checked 2022 Top condition. We were able to make the second ascent via beautiful forest roads. So we didn't have too much asphalt.
Rode the tour today. The ascent to the Balmberg is great despite the tea road. Not many cars up there. The tail down to Welschenrohr is very flowy at the beginning and then gets better and better. The lower part is really cool...!
The second ascent to Hochchrüz is mostly on tar. Again, hardly any cars. Cool ascent. Nice and constant. At Hochchrüz, the route then turns into an easy, flowing trail that soon leads onto a forest road and then even onto tarred roads. Unfortunately, the hard-earned meters in altitude are soon lost on tar. An extreme pity. Are there really no more trails in this area? The only trail left in the lower part requires you to push your bike up a flight of steps. However, the construction site down by the Aare is largely finished. It's cool how they've renaturalized the landscape. But there are a lot of pedestrians and "strollers". A relaxed romp to Solothurn and a little mourning for the lost vertical meters. Conclusion: First half super cool, second half too few trails.
The Bamberg downhill is good and the descent from Hochchrüz is also fun. However, the proportion of road is quite high. At the end, it is better to stay on the right-hand side of the Aare. On the left-hand side, there is a tedious and long bypass through an industrial zone until 2019.
Super tour with an extreme fun factor. The approach to the Balmberg is easy to do and, thanks to the low traffic on the road, pretty relaxed. The first singletrail that follows is sometimes flowy, sometimes slightly tricky and simply great fun. It's worth taking a picnic break in Welschenrohr, as the second climb of the tour is still a bit long. The last few meters to the Hochchrüz in particular really work your legs. But it is definitely worth it. The second trail of the tour starts now, "from the top all the way down". You can really let it rattle and there's something for everyone.
So it's a great tour, with 1000 m of climbing and beautiful trails, which can be ridden in a fun way or at the sound barrier, depending on your preference and ability.