
Where is Col du Télégraphe?
France, europe
17.5 km
1,566 m
moderate
Year-round
Okay, picture this: Col du Télégraphe, a mountain pass chilling at 1,566m (5,138ft) in the French Alps. You'll find it in the Savoie department as part of the Route des Grandes Alpes, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.
The road? Totally paved, and get ready for some serious curves – we're talking 14 hairpin turns! It's known as D902. The name comes from a cool fortress at the top, Fort du Télégraphe, which once used a semaphore telegraph back in 1884. You can even visit the fort in the summer.
The whole climb stretches 17.5 km (10.87 miles) from Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne to Valloire. And hey, it also hooks you up to the . At the summit, you'll spot radio and TV towers – can't miss 'em, big cement structures.
Good news, though: this road is usually open year-round.
Now, heads up, it's steep! Expect gradients up to 10%. The Col du Télégraphe has been a Tour de France regular. Starting from Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne, it's an 11.8 km climb, gaining 856 meters at an average of 7.3%. Coming from Valloire? It's a shorter 4.8 km, gaining 165 meters at a chill 3.4% average.
Road Details
- Country
- France
- Continent
- europe
- Length
- 17.5 km
- Max Elevation
- 1,566 m
- Difficulty
- moderate
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