Mountain Bike Trails in Les Arcs — 2 of Our Favourites

There are a few red graded cross-country circuits and enduro trails - green, blue, red and black.

'Route 66' (graded blue) has to be one of the longest trails in the area at 33km long, starting from the top of the Transarc gondola at 2,545m. It passes through Arc 1950, down into the trees and across to Villaroger and then back down the valley to the bottom of the funicular.

'Hot wheels' is a red XC trail that involves a lot more pedalling. Starting from close to the top of the Vanoise Express cable car, head across to Vallandry and turn right above Plan Peisey. This loop takes you up the valley, with some pretty spectacular views and back round to rejoin the Vanoise Express to bring you back across the valley. From here do the same section at the start, but turn left and traverse the mountain heading towards 1800, on to 1600 where you can finish, or if you'd prefer split left before getting to 1600 and head back down to the valley floor on the 'Dre dans l'Pentu' trail. You'll pedal out at the bottom across to the funicular to bring you back up the mountain.

At the very top of the resort look out for the 'Lake District' loop which takes you out into the more open bowls with amazing views of the surrounding mountains. Climb up from the top of the Transarc gondola where you'll pick up the loop around the three lakes.

From the top of the Vallandry chairlift you'll find 'Elle Chablatte' black graded trail, a great route through the trees crossing over the Woodstock DH (switch over if you fancy a change) and back to the bottom of the lift. You can pick up the Hot Wheels red trail here if you want to head over to other parts of the resort.

For slightly less daunting trails, there are a couple of green graded routes starting from the top of the Cachette chair lift. Head right at the top and climb uphill slightly where you'll see the trail dipping off down towards the trees on your right. (If you reach the start of the downhill track you've gone too far). Once in the trees you've got two options - left taking you back to 1800 or right to head towards 1600 and the bottom of the Cachette chair again.

Find all the trails on the map here.

Green Trails
La Trank's and Kid Rock trails both start from the top of the Col de Chal which you can reach from the top of the Transarc gondola. (Route 66 enduro trail also starts from here - find enduro trail in the next trail section). These two trails split off just under the Arcabulle chair lift, La Trank's to the right and Kid Rock to the left. They both meet again at the bottom of the chair which you can take back up again to do some more laps.

Blue Trails
At the top of the Vallandry lift you'll find the 'Woodstock' DH trail. This takes you down through the forest and back to the bottom of the Vallandry chair lift. It's got lots of flowy, banked turns in the trees that will leave you with a big smile on your face. The 'Marsupilami' trail, which starts at the mid-station of the Transarc gondola and takes you down yet more flowy banked turns in the woods. 'Legend' starts from the top of the Cachette chair in 1600, and after a small uphill to start, you'll spin down through the trees to reach the bottom of the Transarc again in 1800. From here you can pedal back across to 1600 or head up the Transarc for a bit of variety. Please note the Transarc gondola isn't open on weekends.

Red Trails
'Rock n'Arolles' from the top of the Cachette lift is one you'll happily lap, taking you on a bit of open singletrack at the start, then off into the woods with a few features to play on. This is accessible mid week and at weekends. Head up the Transarc gondola from 1800 to find the other red trail ' Yellow Stone'. This one starts part way down the green trail Kid Rock and follows the line of the lift past the lake to the bottom of the Arcabulle chair. You start at 2,545m and the views are pretty amazing.

Black Trails
'La Cachette' as the name suggests, starts from the top of the Cachette chair and is used on occasion for downhill racing, and yes it's a technical track with table tops, a wall ride and techy sections in the woods. 'Black 8' is our favourite DH track in Les Arcs. Riding behind the lift station in 1600 you'll pick up the start of the trail into the woods. It's pretty steep in places and has a few big drop offs (chicken lines are available) and takes you down 800 back to the funicular on the valley floor. It's a great one to end the day on, or just lap it, picking better and better lines each time.

Find the trails on the map here.