Pumptracks are BMX bike courses with lots of bumps and jumps. Zurich has a small, fun one in the Zuriberg forest, near the zoo. Although Pumptracks are designed for serious riders, there are bumps small enough for any kid that can ride a bike without training wheels. Our group of 6-8 year olds really enjoyed it. There is also a much bigger Pumptracks park next to Sihlcity on the west side of Zurich.
| Location: | Zurich Region |
| Address: | Pumptracks: 47°23’16.8″N 8°33’37.6″E Parking: Zürichbergstrasse 196, 8044 Zürich GPS: 47°22’55.0″N 8°34’18.7″E |
| Car: | ~15 mins from Zurich center |
| Train: | ~15 mins from Zurich HB |
| Trail: | 1.2 km from tram stop to reach Pumptracks |
| Condition: | dirt |
| Skill: | easy |
| Open: | year round, weather dependent |
| More info: | www.wanderland.ch |
Getting Here
Pumptrack Zuriberg is inside the Zurichberg forest. You can’t park near it, so you must park outside the forest and ride in. The closest place to park is the metered parking near the Zoo, closest to the end of the line for Tram 6. It’s only a 10 minute ride from here, slightly uphill.
The path into the woods starts on this paved road next to Sorel Hotel Zürichberg.
Ride your bikes up the hill on Orellistrasse (a paved road), passing the Zuriberg Hotel on your left (shown in above pic). There’s a fountain here if you need to fill up your water bottles. It will quickly turn into a dirt/gravel path. You follow this road for a few minutes, slightly uphill.
At your first hard right (Hinterbergstrasse is on your left), turn right into the woods. In less than a minute, you should see a monument on your right (shown below) and a small trail on your left.
Here is the path on your left, near the sign Hanslin-weg. Turn left onto this small trail. In a minute, you’ll see the Pumptracks on your right. This path is narrow, but my friend pulling a bike trailer made it ok.
The course is small but has a few separate sections and multiple routes. It’s possible to have riders of different abilities and speed riding at the same time on different parts of the course.
Our boys (aged 6-8) could do most of the course, but often got stuck going up and over some of the bigger bumps. It’s only a problem if you have someone riding close behind you. I never felt that my kids were in serious danger, but they almost got run into a few times.
The boys spent as much time riding on the course as they did running around the course on their feet. That would be fine except there were other more experienced riders, anxious to use the course. Fortunately, it was pretty empty the day we were there. So our kids could run around on one part of the course, while the bike riders used the other part. But that’s not ideal. The older riders were very patient and nice, but on a busier day, I can imagine it might be a problem.
In the middle of the track, there are some benches and a fire ring. We had a bit of trouble finding dry wood for a fire, so you might want to bring your own. We also had an adorable three year old with us that wanted to run everywhere and occasionally get in the way of other riders. So for little non-bike riders, plan on keep a close eye on them and chasing them pretty frequently.
The view from Zuriberg on our way back.
