The Col de la Croix-de-Fer: The Mule Track That Became a Road
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
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+100 France
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1 day
The Col de la Croix-de-Fer: The Mule Track That Became a Road
300 + 100 XP
The Col de la Croix-de-Fer stands at 2,065m on the boundary between the Grandes Rousses and the Arves, linking Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne with Bourg-d'Oisans by way of the Col du Glandon. It was called the Col d'Olle when it was a mule track; the road reached the col in 1900 and was carried on to the Glandon in 1912, opened on 14 July that year.
Required Activities
1
of 4
Drive or ride to the col at 2,065m and find the iron cross standing at the top that gives the pass its name — the sign that you are out of the Arves valley and over into the combe d'Olle, which is what the old name, col d'Olle, meant
2
of 4
Walk or ride the 2.5 km link down to the Col du Glandon and back, 200 m of height each way, and stand on the junction where the two passes share a road
3
of 4
From the pass, pick the three Aiguilles d'Arves out of the skyline about 14 km to the east-south-east — the Méridionale at 3,514 m, the Centrale a metre lower, and the Septentrionale that the locals call the Tête de Chat — the group they knew as the Trois Ouillons
4
of 4
Drop down the Combe d'Olle past the Grand'Maison dam and its lake, stopping where the alpages open out to listen for the marmots, and find the roches moutonnées beside the road — bare rock rounded and polished by the glacier that once filled this valley
Drive or ride to the col at 2,065m and find the iron cross standing at the top that gives the pass its name — the sign that you are out of the Arves valley and over into the combe d'Olle, which is what the old name, col d'Olle, meant
Walk or ride the 2.5 km link down to the Col du Glandon and back, 200 m of height each way, and stand on the junction where the two passes share a road
From the pass, pick the three Aiguilles d'Arves out of the skyline about 14 km to the east-south-east — the Méridionale at 3,514 m, the Centrale a metre lower, and the Septentrionale that the locals call the Tête de Chat — the group they knew as the Trois Ouillons
Drop down the Combe d'Olle past the Grand'Maison dam and its lake, stopping where the alpages open out to listen for the marmots, and find the roches moutonnées beside the road — bare rock rounded and polished by the glacier that once filled this valley
Before you go
The D926 over the Croix-de-Fer is open to traffic from June to October and shut by snow the rest of the year, so check it is open before you commit to the valley. From Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne the climb is 29.5 km through four tunnels, and above Saint-Sorlin-d'Arves the road narrows and holds close to 8 per cent for the last seven kilometres — measure a long motorhome against the tunnels first. From Rochetaillée the south-west side is 31.5 km with a straight at 11 per cent, 12 at its worst. There is no fuel on the pass.
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Challenge Location
XP Breakdown
Challenge XP
300 XP
France country bonus
+100 XP
Potential total
400 XP
Country bonus earned on completion of your first challenge in France.
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