English
Italian
COL DE LA CROIX-DE-FER
The Col de la Croix-de-Fer (literally, Iron Cross) is one of those rare cases in which one pass starts from another. In fact, a few kilometers west of the summit, which for the record is just over 2,000 meters, with a simple turn and a few hundred meters it is possible to reach the Col du Glandon, effectively making the two roads interconnected to each other. However, as far as the Col de la Croix-de-Fer concerns, we are dealing with an initially much wider landscape and that only once you have overcome the summit and descending towards the village of Le-Pré starts tightening and present a diametrically opposite conformation compared to what we have seen so far.
Location: Col du Glandon – Le Bourg-d’Oisans
Type: mountain road
Length: 18 km
Elevation: 2.068 m
At the top, at the foot of the large iron cross that gives the name to the pass, there is a large parking lot with an ideal structure for a lunch break, especially if you have come here to enjoy the wonderful meadows at the foot of the pointed peaks that surround the area on the north side. It is not so much a road designed specifically for a thrilling driving involvement, but a less busy portion of the Alps than the more well-known mountain passes, where you can enjoy a day immersed in relax offered by nature and its strategic position, less than an hour from the Col du Galibier.
Photos by S. Lomax
Related tags to article
