Arc en Ciel — French for “rainbow” — is the official name for Les Arcs’ bike park. It’s a slightly whimsical name for a bike park that’s genuinely serious. The Arc en Ciel network encompasses lift-served trails across the full elevation range of the resort, from the open high-alpine terrain near Arc 2000 to the forested sections descending toward Arc 1600. The variety encoded in that full-resort range is the park’s defining quality, and the colour system (which doubles as a difficulty guide and a literal description of the trail spectrum) is more apt than it might first appear.
This guide breaks down the Arc en Ciel bike park by difficulty and terrain type, gives you what you need to plan your days, and provides the practical context that trail maps don’t include.
Park Overview: Infrastructure & Orientation
The Arc en Ciel bike park uses a combination of gondolas, chairlifts, and the Arcs 1 funicular to provide access across the resort elevation range.
Key access points:
Arcs 1 funicular: Runs from Bourg-Saint-Maurice in the valley floor to Arc 1600 and Arc 1800. This provides the unique ability to descend all the way to the valley and return to resort elevation without a car — an operational feature that distinguishes Les Arcs from all comparable resorts.
Main gondolas (Arc 2000 access): Gondola access from Arc 1800 takes you to Arc 2000 and the upper mountain, where the bike park’s highest-elevation terrain begins. This is the starting point for the biggest descents.
Chairlift network: Multiple chairlifts within the bike park allow trail repetition and specific zone access without needing to ride the full gondola system every time.
Trail count and grading: The Arc en Ciel park offers trails across all five difficulty grades (green, blue, red, black, double black/extreme). The range is broader than most comparable French Alps parks, and the grading is honest — the greens are genuinely beginner-friendly and the blacks are genuinely expert terrain.
Green Trails: First Time Down the Mountain
The green trails at Les Arcs serve two groups: true beginners riding lift-served mountain trails for the first time, and children building their first taste of proper trail riding. Both groups are well catered for here.
What to expect: Gentle gradient, smooth-ish surface, wide lines, minimal exposure. The upper mountain context means even these trails feel genuinely alpine — this isn’t a flat circuit around a car park. The views and the mountain atmosphere are real even at this grade.
Why it matters: Les Arcs’ green trail provision is better than most French Alps bike parks, and this matters for mixed-ability groups. Having legitimate beginner terrain means you can bring newer riders to Les Arcs without them being immediately out of their depth, and the progression pathway from green to blue to red is clear and achievable within a week.
Blue Trails: Building Momentum
The blue trails are where Les Arcs distinguishes itself most clearly from competing resorts. Most bike parks treat their blue terrain as filler — trails that exist because the grade spectrum requires them, not because anyone put serious design thought into them. Les Arcs’ blues are actually excellent.
Character: Moderate gradient, mix of smooth flow sections and rougher natural terrain, berms that actually work, occasional small technical features that give developing riders something to aspire toward. The forested sections of the blue network are particularly good — the tree line on the approach to Arc 1600 creates conditions that are faster and more technical than the open upper mountain, and the blues here give riders access to that feel without requiring expert-level skills.
Who’s riding this: Advanced riders use the blues as warm-up and high-speed training runs. Intermediate riders find them the most rewarding grade in terms of progression. Developing riders can build from the early blues to the more demanding ones over the course of a week and feel the progression tangibly.
Red Trails: The Core Experience
If you’re an adult rider with a reasonable level of MTB experience, you’ll probably spend the majority of your Les Arcs trip on the red trails, and you’ll have no reason to feel like you’re compromising. The reds here are genuinely the best of the park — varied, long, technical enough to require real skill, and flowing enough that a good rider can express themselves properly rather than just surviving.
Upper mountain reds (from Arc 2000): Open terrain, rocky character, big views, sustained gradient. These are the trails that feel properly alpine — no trees, full exposure, conditions that change quickly with weather. They’re fast and committing, particularly in the rocky sections that dominate the first part of the descent.
Mid-mountain reds (Arc 2000 to Arc 1800): The transition zone, where the terrain character starts changing from rocky-alpine to forested. This section has some of the most varied and interesting trail design in the park — trail builders have exploited the terrain change to create runs that shift feel significantly within a single descent.
Lower mountain reds (Arc 1800 toward Arc 1600): Forest riding at its best. Loamier corners, natural features, faster line options through tree sections. The change from the open upper mountain to this forested lower section within a single long red descent is one of the most satisfying trail experiences in the French Alps.
Black & Double Black Trails: Expert Territory
Les Arcs’ black and double-black trails have a character that’s distinct from the raw technical DH of Tignes or Val Thorens. There’s a stronger enduro DNA here — the trails incorporate natural features, require trail reading as much as raw technical ability, and reward smooth, efficient riding rather than purely brute-force DH skills.
Upper blacks: Exposed rocky terrain with committed sections where line choice matters and braking windows are limited. The most serious of these trails require proper DH/enduro experience to ride safely.
Forest blacks: Where Les Arcs’ black trails get interesting for enduro-oriented riders. Steep, rooty sections through the trees, tight technical corners, natural drops and compressions. These are trails that reward riders who’ve developed their skills in varied terrain rather than just pure park riding.
Double blacks/extreme: Not for the unprepared. Seek local guidance on which sections are currently in the best shape and what specific technical features to expect. These change with maintenance cycles and weather events.
Where to Stay in Les Arcs: Book Smart with IMPT
Arc 1800 is the most practical base for bike park riding — central to the trail network, best selection of accommodation and restaurants, and primary access point for the gondola network up to Arc 2000.
Every hotel booking made through impt.io generates approximately 5% back in on-chain carbon credits, retired in your name. The platform is specifically designed for travellers who want their adventures to leave a positive rather than neutral environmental record. For a week of bike park riding, the carbon credits accumulated through your accommodation booking represent a meaningful contribution.
Find your Les Arcs accommodation at IMPT Search by dates, filter by location and budget, and get your stay booked before the summer peak fills the calendar.
Arc en Ciel is ready for you. All the trails are there, graded and waiting. Show up prepared, and let the rainbow take you from top to bottom.
