
A wild paved road to the top of Col du Negron
France, europe
14.7 km
1,242 m
hard
Year-round
# Col du Négron
Tucked away in the Drôme department of southeastern France, Col du Négron sits at 1,242 meters (4,074 feet) and offers a pretty interesting mountain driving experience. The pass is part of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and stretches 14.7 km (9.13 miles) along RD18, running north-south between Col de la Pigiere and Revest-du-Bion.
Fair warning: the road surface has definitely seen better days, so you'll want to take it easy. Starting from Revest-du-Bion, you're looking at an 11.18 km climb with 319 meters of elevation gain—that works out to a pretty mellow average gradient of 2.85%, though you'll hit some steeper sections with a maximum slope of 5%. The route winds through 5 hairpin turns that'll keep things interesting, and there's a weight limit of 15 tons, so heavy vehicles need not apply.
The bigger concern? Watch out for potential rockfalls along the way. The pavement is fully intact, which is good news, but combined with the rough surface conditions, you'll definitely want to keep your speed in check. It's a modest climb by Alpine standards, making it a nice option for drivers who want some mountain scenery without tackling anything too extreme.
Where is it?
A wild paved road to the top of Col du Negron is located in France (europe). Coordinates: 45.8294, 3.2099
Road Details
- Country
- France
- Continent
- europe
- Length
- 14.7 km
- Max Elevation
- 1,242 m
- Difficulty
- hard
- Coordinates
- 45.8294, 3.2099
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