A Hairpinned Paved Road to Col du Coq
France, europe
25 km
1,434 m
hard
Year-round
Col du Coq is a mountain pass sitting at 1,434m (4,704ft) in France's Isère department, and let me tell you—this climb is no joke. It's seriously tough.
You'll find this beast in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France, perched on the northwestern slopes behind Dent du Crolles near Grenoble. Back in the day, there was actually a small ski station up here, though you had to navigate a gnarly 1,400-meter unpaved road just to reach it. That station shut down in 2012, but the drive itself is still worth the adventure.
The pass stretches about 25km (15 miles) running between Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse and Saint-Nazaire-les-Eymes, cutting through the spectacular Chartreuse Mountains via the D30E road.
Now here's the thing—the road is fully paved, which sounds promising until you actually start climbing. It's legitimately challenging, and about halfway up, you'll encounter two eerie dark tunnels that are perpetually damp and weeping water. Fair warning: they're a bit spooky.
This pass has earned its stripes in cycling history too—it's been featured in the Tour de France. Compare it to Alpe d'Huez and you'll see why it gets respect: practically identical length, steepness, difficulty level, and even the same number of hairpin turns. If you've heard the legend of Alpe d'Huez, you're basically looking at its twin.
Where is it?
A Hairpinned Paved Road to Col du Coq is located in France (europe). Coordinates: 45.8283, 2.5203
Road Details
- Country
- France
- Continent
- europe
- Length
- 25 km
- Max Elevation
- 1,434 m
- Difficulty
- hard
- Coordinates
- 45.8283, 2.5203
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