France
Curated mountain passes, technical canyon switchbacks, and scenic touring corridors across France. Complete with turn-by-turn GPX, elevation deltas, and certified repair shops.
Col de la Bonette & Cime Loop (2,802m)
The highest paved through-road in the European Alps, reaching 2,802 meters (9,193 ft) via the teardrop loop encircling the Cime de la Bonette peak. Located in the Mercantour National Park, the route climbs through alpine meadows, past the eerie abandoned stone barracks of Camp des Fourches, and into a lunar talus scree landscape. Toll-free; no vignette required. Closed November to June. Extreme high-altitude crosswinds and steep drop-offs with minimal guardrails on the final summit loop.
Col du Galibier & Col du Télégraphe
Sacred ground of cycling and high-alpine motorcycling linking the Maurienne and Guisane valleys. Ascends through the forested switchbacks of Col du Télégraphe (1,566m) and Valloire before tackling the barren upper slopes of the Galibier. The final mile climbs past the Henri Desgrange monument to the 2,642m (8,668 ft) ridge crest via narrow, unprotected 12% grade hairpins. Toll-free. Closed late October through late May. Unobstructed panoramas of the Meije glacier.
Col de l'Iseran
The highest paved mountain pass (col) in the Alps at 2,770 meters (9,088 ft), bridging the Tarentaise and Maurienne valleys in Vanoise National Park. Begins with fast sweepers out of Val-d'Isère, ascending past ski lifts into austere Arctic tundra with glaciers clinging to surrounding 3,600-meter peaks, before plunging via tight switchbacks into stone-roofed Bonneval-sur-Arc. Toll-free. Closed November to mid-June. Thin air, frequent snow squalls, and steep drops.
Route des Grandes Alpes (Geneva to Mediterranean Spine)
The ultimate motorcycle bucket-list route in Western Europe: 440 miles crossing 17 iconic alpine passes from the shores of Lake Geneva to the palms of the Mediterranean Sea. Traverses Col des Gets, Col de la Colombière, Cormet de Roselend, Iseran, Galibier, Izoard, Vars, Cayolle (or Bonette), and Turini. Entire route is toll-free on departmental roads. Full route is only rideable during the peak summer window (late June to late September) when all high cols are clear of snow.
Col du Tourmalet (Pyrenean High Crest)
The mythological giant of the French Pyrenees and most climbed pass in Tour de France history. Climbs through Gripp and La Mongie ski station to summit at 2,115m (6,939 ft) beneath the Pic du Midi de Bigorre observatory. Toll-free. Seasonal closure from November to late May. Features steep 10% gradients, free-roaming Pyrenean cattle, horses, and sheep on the tarmac, and sweeping switchbacks with sheer drop-offs down to Luz-Saint-Sauveur.
Col d'Aubisque & Cirque du Litor Shelf Road
One of the most thrilling and vertigo-inducing shelf roads in the world. Between Col d'Aubisque (1,709m) and Col du Soulor (1,474m), the D918 is hacked directly into the vertical limestone cliffs of the Cirque du Litor over a sheer 600-foot chasm, threading through unlit natural rock tunnels with minimal stone coping barriers. Toll-free. Closed November to late May. High risk of mountain fog, grazing livestock, and single-lane bottlenecks.
Col d'Izoard & Casse Déserte
One of the most visually extraordinary passes in the French Alps, cresting at 2,360m (7,743 ft). The southern descent traverses the legendary Casse Déserte: an eerie, barren amphitheater of crumbling scree slopes studded with grotesque yellow weathered gypsum pinnacles. Toll-free. Closed late October to late May. Features smooth, flowing rhythm through the larch forests of Briançon before opening into dramatic high-alpine hairpin terraces.