5 Road Bike Routes Up Le Salève
By Will • Feb 27th, 2011 • Category: Climbs, Cycling
It’s nice to live at the bottom of a mountain. 
Le Salève is the massif overlooking Geneva just to the south of the city. There are five road bike routes up this mountain. All interesting, and some very challenging.
I cycle up Le Salève often – especially in winter. It’s possible to ride several kilometres along the top, with great views of lake Geneva on one side, and the Alps on the other. It’s a great place to cycle.
Before we start:
- I have put all the routes plus key locations on the map at the very bottom.
- I have all five routes ending at the Orientation table (15 second hike above the road) — a couple of kilometres above Col de la Croisette. At 1300 metres, this is one of the two high points up Le Salève.
- The other high point is near Col des Pitons at 1340 metres (again see map).
Here are details of the five routes:
1. North-West side – STEEP!!
This side is short but hard. There aren’t many paved 4km stretches any where that are steeper than the middle 4 kms here — averaging around 12% — with lots of stretches far steeper.
There are 7 or 8 absolutely beautiful hairpins as the road winds straight up. We watched the pros fly up this during the Dauphiné in 2008.
2. South-West – from Col du Mont Sion
This is the side I climb most often – and probably the quietest side. I have started the route at Mont Sion, but it can take quite an effort just to get there. Tip: Approach the Mont Sion via Col de la Croix Biche and Charly – avoiding the very buys D1201.
The first few kms up to Château des Avenières are steep but fun.
After a short descent from the château, the route turns up through the woods. This is a lovely, less steep stretch – on windy roads …. with the occasional group of deer running past.
After seven kilometres along this route, the road is closed for several months during winter all the way to Croisette. But we frequently take our bikes over anyway.
A video from last year:
Often in autumn and winter Geneva is covered with low, grey clouds. But it can sometimes be easy to get above the clouds into bright sunshine just by cycling up Le Salève. It’s hard to believe in the photo below, but it’s a dark, grey depressing day in Geneva under those clouds.
3. South Side – Cruseilles
Just for the sake of completeness, this is just the more normal variation of route #2. Starting from Cruseilles it’s a consistently gentle climb through the woods that joins the route from Col du Mont Sion after about 5 kilometres.
4. North Side – Long and Hard
Starting near Annemasse, this side starts at the lowest altitude.
The first couple kilometres can have a little bit of traffic … but the road soon becomes fairly quiet. In the middle, after Monnetier-Mornex are some very steep stretches and a couple of good look-out points down to Geneva and the lake. It becomes less steep as you pass the cable car station and pass the Grande Gorge.
Not the easiest side …. but probably my least favourite.
5. East side – from La Muraz
I don’t do this side very often. But it’s a perfect way to “return” to Geneva after visiting some of the smaller Cols on the other side of Le Salève like Col le Parc. For example see the map in this link.
There are also lots of ways to Mountain bike up Le Salève. Hopefully later in the year, I’ll map them as well – after a little more exploration
Map of all Five Routes
View Le Salève in a larger map
Descending!
If you’d rather descend than cycle uphill. Here’s the descent from the Orientation table down the steep north-east side:
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Will is Happiest while cycling uphill. More enthusiastic than talented, his 2013 Challenge is to cycle a 150 Cols (mountain passes), slowly -- and to just enjoy.
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Excellent article ! J’en avais fait un similaire pour le Mt Thou, le “Mt Salève Lyonnais” (ok pas aussi haut et dur, but very nice too !), et j’aimerais en faire un autre cette année sur le Mt Verdun (là où je vais le plus souvent).
Je n’ai fait que le versant nord pour le Salève, avec des sacoches: difficile, assez long, belle montée… Je suis redescendu par la face nord-est, la pente est assez impressionnante !
A force de trainer tes vélos là-haut, tu as de très belles photos par tous types de temps, ça donne envie
Voilà le lien pour l’article pour le Mt Thou: http://cycols.free.fr/index.php/2008/09/14/mt-thou/
Bastien, il faut essayer le versant depuis Col du Mont Sion …. parce qu’on peut faire plusieurs kms en haut avec des belles vues. Superbe.
Route 1 confused me to begin with … until I realised it was in fact the North-West side. But you are right, Will, the Salève is a rather special mountain. Did you know that Frankenstein’s monster hid amongst the trees and crags after escaping across the border from Switzerland?
Oops, Thanks David, I made a typo on route one. Indeed the North West side.
Ha, yes: From Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein :
Hi Will, I have been following your exploits on the bike for a while and can only join an ever growing choir of admirers. It’s been very inspiring and moving to read about your own journey on a bike. I am certain your preparation for L’Etape is going well.
I’ve started preparation for la Marmotte and will come to Geneve for my 1st “altitude training” camp soon (anything above the sea level IS an altitude training for me:) I am reasonably familiar with the surroundings, also due to your superb website, but I am still deliberating on several issues. For instance, last year I had a car, therefore it was very easy to plan my rides. This year I will have to leave from and return to Petit Saconnex on a bike. So, I’d really appreciate your advice on this:
Could you recommend a cyclable route to Mont Saleve/Annecy avoiding traffic as much as possible?
How realistic is to cycle from Geneve to Cluses/Taninges/Samoens area avoiding busy roads?
Finally, could you recommend a bike shop/mechanic in Geneve?
Thanks again for your posts and success in building up to L’etape de Tour!
Rokas
Hello Rokas,
I have sent you some info via email that I hope helps.
Regards,
South Side….that’s the side I went barreling down after missing Eric on the side of the road
Mathias, ha, yes, exactly!
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Can’t thank you enough for your site Will. Posted a while back to say I live below Col de faucille and have used your site to discover the many quieter Cols on the Jura. Now making the most of your Saleve guides. Every route up the Saleve is so beautiful, peaceful, and the top is wonderfully deserted with fabulous views. Am training for Alpenbrevet have read your piece on that. I don’t know if you’re seriously injured or enjoying a break from cycling or both but thanks and hope you’re back on a bike asap.
Great guide, thanks! Did the North West side tonight and it’s definitely the most brutal thing I’ve ever done on a bike. What a descent though!
Well done Steve,
Yes, it’s absolutely brutal, but the hairpins are fantastic
Your site is excellent, Will!!!
I climbed the Salève yesterday for the first time (my first “serious” climb). Your information was extremely valuable. I had tried the North side on Saturday, but I had to turn back a bit before the cable car (ran out of time and talent).
Since I’m in not very good shape, I tried a less tiresome route. I went from Veyrier to Étrembières and from there to Muraz, and then on to the orientation table. It was quite a big deal for me.
Pablo,
Very well done
Nice articles. I will either be cycling up le Saléve or or around lac leman on saturday. Not sure which yet. Looking forward to it but fear it will be hard work on my girlfriends Dads old push iron. It weighs a ton and has no compact gears. Oh well, I can always push.
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