Col du Vallon

Col du Vallon (Bardonecchia)

From Valle Stretta on the French-Italian border, several impressive and challenging enduro and all-mountain trails begin. The crossing of the Col du Vallon, in particular, is one of the scenic highlights and offers a largely secluded descent with a distinctly alpine character.

Description

The tour begins in Valle Stretta at the Pian del Colle parking lot. Just above the campground, you first follow a paved road; later, the surface changes to gravel and leads directly into Valle Stretta toward the Rifugio I Re Magi mountain hut. From the Rifugio, the trail becomes increasingly rough and the uphill climb significantly more challenging, until you eventually have to push your bike all the way to the Maison de Chamois. From there, the route continues on a singletrack that is rideable in places but mostly requires pushing. At the junction toward Mont Thabor, keep left and you’ll eventually reach the highest point of the tour at Col du Vallon.In terms of scenery, the area is more reminiscent of the Dolomites than the Western Alps. The transition and the descent toward the south are particularly impressive. The downhill ranges from difficulty S2 to S3 in the key sections and offers very smooth stretches in between. In what feels like an endless descent, the route passes the Saint Michel chapel and heads down to Névache. From there, follow the paved road through the villages and begin the return climb over the Col de l’Echelle. This uphill section is relatively short and pleasant to ride. At the pass, you’ll pass several Vallo Alpino facilities and, at the first hairpin turn, take the technically somewhat challenging trail back to the starting point.Note: If you still have energy to spare, you can extend the tour by about 800 meters of elevation gain and include Mont Thabor. With a lightweight electric mountain bike, the entire loop is quite manageable, as the sections requiring pushing remain manageable.

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