Gravel des Grandes Alpes

The Route des Grandes Alpes is one of the great alpine road crossings. The gravel version replaces the paved cols with higher, rougher alternatives that avoid the summer tourist traffic and put you on terrain that feels genuinely remote — even this close to civilization.

The route runs from Thonon-les-Bains on Lake Geneva south to Nice, crossing the Chablais, the Aravis, the Beaufortain, the Tarentaise, the Maurienne, the Queyras, and the Mercantour national park. Each massif has its own character: the Aravis is technical and green, the Queyras is high and dry, the Mercantour is wild in a way that surprises riders who have spent the previous week in ski resort towns.

Passes above 2,500m are unavoidable on the gravel line — Col de la Bonette at 2,715m, the Vars, the Izoard in its classic gravel variant. Snow closes the high cols into July in a heavy year; check conditions before attempting anything above 2,400m before mid-July.

Accommodation is dense by bikepacking standards. Gîtes d'étape, refuges, and small hotels appear every 30-50km through most of the route. August is high season and reservation is essential — you will not find a bed in Barcelonnette on a Friday night in August without one. July is more manageable but book ahead regardless.

The food deserves its own planning. Tartiflette, raclette, and diots at altitude; socca and pissaladière as you drop toward Nice. Budget appropriately — French Alpine restaurants are not cheap.