The Congost de Mont-Rebei made me brave. Doesn't that ring a bell? It's a spectacular gorge hike in Catalonia with magnificent views. It's of moderate difficulty, so you need to be sure-footed and have a head for heights. As a self-proclaimed Sunday hiker, I mastered this excursion without a second thought. That's why I wanted to try the hike over the Knebelbrücke (bridge), as it meets the same criteria but is much more challenging, as I discovered along the way. So, you should take sure-footedness seriously and have a head for heights, because some sections really require courage.

Start from the Riederalp mountain station West

The Knebelbrücke hike can be completed as a circular route via Oberried, or you can take the Ried-Mörel cable car to cut it off by a good hour. Since the entire hike takes over four hours and is quite strenuous, I recommend taking this shortcut. The hike starts at the Riederalp West mountain station and heads towards Riederfurka. Pass the Riederfurka restaurant on your right, and you'll soon reach the signpost for the Knebelbrücke.

Hiking route to the Knebelbrücke through rustic forest

The hike runs mostly through shady forest with views of the Belalp and the Gibidum reservoir. It's a constant climb and descent over rocks and roots. Other route descriptions suggest the hike makes a large loop around the Riederhorn. Accordingly, the trail stretches until you reach the actual suspension bridge. About halfway along the route, you'll see a turnoff toward the Belalp suspension bridge, from where the trail becomes considerably more challenging. The narrow trail on the right drops steeply in places. You'll pass at least three challenging sections with rope or chain safety devices. One of them is truly acrobatic for my five foot four.

From the Knebelbrücke to Ried-Mörel

From this special bridge, enjoy the sweeping view of the Rhone Valley before plunging back into the forest. The path descends steadily, and you can already see the houses of Oberried shimmering through the trees as you reach the turnoff to Riederalp. For a shorter alternative route, you can follow the hiking trail through Oberried towards Ried-Mörel, where you can take the cable car to Riederalp. However you complete the hike, be prepared to see burned trees from Oberried onwards, caused by the 2023 forest fire.

Still isch’s im Wald, schön zum verwiile, ei Rüeh und ei Fride