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Chemin Horizontal

Chemin Horizontale, Barcelonnette

The name says it all for the Chemin Horizontal high above Barcelonnette. This classic mountain bike route in the Ubaye Valley is particularly notable for its final descent.

Description

From Barcelonnette, you first ride a short distance out of the valley, but soon begin climbing up a gravel road along the southern slopes high above the Ubaye Valley. The climb is particularly scenic thanks to the impressive Terres Noirs. The gravel road leads to the Refuge de la Pare, which serves food and drinks, where the ascent transitions into an easily rideable singletrack. E-mountain bikers can ride all the way up here; without motor assistance, one or more sections where you’ll need to push—depending on your fitness level—are required. This trail leads to the Chemin Horizontal. 

As the name suggests, the Chemin Horizontal runs at a constant elevation near the tree line. It’s not flat, however—the trail repeatedly goes up and down. Shortly after the Crête de Rasinière, the route leads through a steep gravel slope. Those who are good on foot and don’t have an e-mountain bike will push or carry their bike through this short key section, reaching the upper trailhead of the legendary Bonne Vert Trail. With an e-mountain bike, you turn directly onto the single-track descent at the Crête de Rasinière. On an S3 trail, you’ll reach a small alpine meadow and then ride downhill for a bit on a gravel road before a beautiful traverse trail (S1) leads over to the Bonne Vert Trail. A little later, you’ll join the legendary descent—the highlights are in the lower part of the route anyway. On this superb trail, you’ll reach the village of Le Bourget and ride back to Barcelonnette on small paved roads.

 To view the detailed tour description, the topo map, the altitude profile and to download the GPX track, you need a user account on Ride-mtb.com with a subscription. Log in now or become a subscriber.

Map & GPX-Track

The map is only available to Ride subscribers.
The Ride-Subscription is available at ride-mtb.com/abo

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30 km

1305 m

1305 m

1127 above sea level

2310 above sea level

1 day

Barcelonnette

Barcelonnette

3764

well suited

Thomas Giger
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Restaurants

Refuge de la Pare

Bikeschools

No bike schools are registered for this region. Registration as a partner takes place here.

Bikeshops

No bike shops are registered for this region. Registration as a partner takes place here.

Bikehotels

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Portrait Thomas Giger

About the author: Thomas Giger

Thomas Giger has been the editor of Ride MTB since 2002 and is a regular online and print author. Over the years, he has specialized in tourism topics and is particularly well known for his blog-style columns. He is also one of Ride MTB's active tour authors.

Thomas Giger has been the editor of Ride MTB since 2002 and has had a significant influence on the tour database. His focus is on single trail tours. There are few who know the trails in Switzerland as well as he does. However, his areas of expertise also include Aosta, the French Western Alps, and the whole of South Tyrol.

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Note: This content has been automatically translated from German. Please report any incorrect translations.