Pass d'Ela - Val d'Err
Description
The tour begins less spectacularly with the ascent from Filisur to the Ela hut. The hut is not staffed, but you can buy self-service drinks. The gravel road to the hut shows why an e-mountain bike is an advantage on this route: The last part of the little road in particular is very steep and coarse gravel. After the hut, the route turns into a path that is steep and technical but rideable for long stretches. There are repeated short stretches of pushing, then you can pedal again with enough (motor) power. The path leads through a sensationally beautiful rocky landscape up to the Pass d'Ela (2723 meters above sea level). The scenery with the various rock formations and the wild landscape is overwhelming.
The descent leads down to the three lakes via an S2 trail. The character then changes and a crisp serpentine concert awaits. The route circles down to the valley floor of the Val d'Err, where a gravel road leads to the next trail entrance. The S2 trail leads to the Castelas group of houses high above the valley floor with a few short climbs. Some gravel road takes us to the next trail entrance. The path towards Tinizong winds its way through the forest to the road that rides down to the edge of the village. If you are traveling without an e-bike, take the route through the valley floor to Savognin. Motorized bikers prefer the route along the mountain. However, this S1 path has a few "annoying" counter-climbs, which can be ironed out with the motor drive. This is how you get to Cunter and thus to the start of the final part of the tour.
You climb another 200 meters in altitude on the mountain road to the transition at Del. A little later, the well-known and fantastic trail descent via Mon to Tiefencastel begins, which is a great end to an extraordinary tour. Finally, the train takes you back to the starting point in Filisur.
Note: This route leads through a federal hunting ban area. Riding this route on a mountain bike is the responsibility of each individual, with full awareness of the legal situation.
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
39 km
2010 m
2215 m
856 above sea level
2710 above sea level
1 day
Savognin
Tiefencastel
3092
well suited
More information
More tours nearby
User comments (3)
About the author: Thomas Giger
Note: This content has been automatically translated from German. Please report any incorrect translations.
Tour ridden on August 5, 2025 with the e-bike. I've never ridden a climb as steep for as long as the one from Filisur up to the Alp. The path from the Alp to the Ela hut is very rough and washed out by storms, not a major problem with the e-bike if you ride technically well, impossible with the biobike. The path up to the pass is a bit of a cramp. There is so much loose gravel in the trail or path that the bike simply spins in the steep sections. We had to use the push assist about 4-5 times. There is also a lot of loose gravel and large stones in the hairpin bends down from the pass, but this is not really a problem for good riders. The rest of the tour is great to ride, especially down to Tiefencastel where there are many high-speed trails that are really fun.
This tour is really made for ebikers. I would never manage this tour on a normal bike, you would have to be at a very high level of fitness.
Rode the tour on 24.08.2024 (EMTB). Absolutely brilliant. We started from Filisur and then rode back up from Tiefencastel to Filisur at the end (I think it was bike trail 242). The tour is incredibly impressive and highly recommended. The descent has endless hairpin bends and bike shifts are an advantage or necessary. PS. If you can do this tour, you can also ride Ducanfurgga on an e-bike without any problems. It is absolutely not clear to us why Pass d'Ela should be more suitable. Pictures can be found on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/gp/norge01/62FRYDLKfQ
Perfect ebike tour. At the pass, you can follow a fine trail along the ridge almost as far as Cotschen.