Mountain Bike Trails in Alpe d'Huez — 5 of Our Favourites

There are a couple of downhill trails which run from the top of the chairlift. The chairlift here is pretty short compared to other lifts in resort, but then over here there are more enduro and XC trails for the riders who like a bit more pedalling.

Marmottons

This trail is a great one for anyone starting out on their downhill career, it covers just 2.5km and -275m descent. 

L'Aigle

The trail is only 1km long but more technical and descends -150m.

XC4 Tour de l'Homme

A red trail that does a loop around the mountain of the same name. It takes you from the village at 1,600m up to the Col de Cluy at 1,800m and back down to the Col de Maronne and then back to the village.

XC5 Tour de Cassini

A black trail of 29km and a real challenge with 700m climbing and descent, taking you into the Col de Sarenne with views over Le Freney en Oisans village and lake below.

See the MTB trail map for more trails and more detail.

The area is certified by the French Cycling Federation (which means it must be good!) and includes 135km of cross-country and 130km of downhill routes. There is also a bike park in the centre of the resort if you fancy a bit of freestyle action with a dirt line and new modules for beginners.

Downhill

Alpe d'Huez and the Grande Domaine (which includes all the neighbouring villages to Alpe d'Huez) has lifts giving you access to 250km of trails. There are 35 tracks in total; a mix of greens, blues, reds and blacks, the highest of which sits at 3,300m and the lowest point 720m.

Enduro

This is where you'll find the Megavalanche track, at around 30km (although they do sometimes change the course from year to year) and 2,600m of descent it's classed as a black and is definitely the longest and hardest mixture of riding you'll find in resort. There are other enduro trails to try on top of this, which are considerably shorter.

Cross-country

There are cross-country trails and some which cross over with enduro trail classification.

Raid trails

These are routes that might involve a stop over in a mountain hut, and may take a couple of days to complete. Try the Meije valley or the Traverse of the Oisans.

Please note that the some of the XC, enduro and raid trails are not marked with signs, so you'll have to do a bit of pre-planning and good map reading to find your way around.

Check out some more trails here.

If you're looking to explore the region, here are some handy maps you can pick up locally or online:

• IGN 25 3335 Boug d'Oisans / Alpe d'Huez
• IGN 25 3336 2 Alpes
• IGN 25 3435 Valloire Aiguilles d'Arves
• IGN 25 Meije Pelvoux
• IGN 25 3335 Grenoble

Read more about what to bring and how to get your bike here in our MTB guide.

Once in resort you can also pick up a handy route map book which details the trails. It's free and can be collected from any of the lift pass offices. Look for 'VTT en Oisans'.

Les Lacs

XC trail that loops 12km round the scenic Lac de Besson and involves +150m and -160m.

EN3

An enduro trail with two variants: a and b. Starting from the top of the Poutran gondola this is part of the Megavalanche trail. Section a 'La Racine Carrée' is 4.5km long or section b 'La Foret de Sardonne' is 8km long. As the name of the second part suggest this one takes you through the forest.

DH3

A black trail used for races and competitions and covers 3.5km and -530m descent. It follows the Poutran gondola from the very top to the very bottom.

See the MTB trail map for more trails and more detail.

From the very top of the cable car you'll find a 'liaison trail' which takes you over the ridge line, past Lac Blanc and down to the top of the Poutran gondola. From here you can cut across to the right, past Lac Besson and onto the enduro trail taking you back to Vaujany, or just can shorten the trip by getting off the Dome des Rousses lift at the mid station.

L1

The liaison trail is worth taking into account, at 12km long it's great for spectacular views and is the second highest lift in the area at 2,810m.

EN7

'Crazy Mustang' is the red enduro trail that takes you back to Vaujany village, past the bike skills area on the way, and back to rejoin the Dome des Rousses cable car. It's 8km long and includes a four-cross section with a descent of -1,500m.

From Vaujany you can also pick up two blue XC trail to either get to Oz or the dam at Allémont (also the bottom of the Megavalanche trail).

See the MTB trail map for more trails and more detail.

These give you access to the main bike park, downhill tracks (including the Megavalanche), pump tracks, North Shore sections and bridges.

EN1

Is the Megavalanche track taking you from the top of the Pic Blanc 3,300m (on the glacier) down to Allémont at 720m. It's around 30km but can vary year to year.

DH1

A blue beginners trail called 'Les Vaches' of just -250m descent.

DH5

A red trail called 'Rock and Wood' full of wide sections of North Shore and descending -250m over 1.8km.

DH2

A black expert trail called 'Les Chamois' running for 3.7km from the mid station of the DMC back to the bottom of the same lift.

See the MTB trail map for more trails and more detail.