Izoard Supertour
Description
The starting point for this challenging but unforgettable mountain bike tour is the Col d’Izoard. Given the tour’s length and elevation gain, we recommend using a local bike shuttle to shorten the route to a manageable length—though it will still be physically demanding. From the pass, you could descend via an attractive trail to the village of Arvieux, thereby shortening the loop. Far more rewarding, however, is the route via the Crête de Glaisette—a truly spectacular trail with breathtaking scenery. To do this, you first ride downhill along the pass road for a bit until a trail branches off to the left.
The trail begins with a wide section that leads to the Col du Tronchet at a steady gradient. The route is easy to ride; only the last few meters to the pass require a bit more effort. Once at the top, you reach the Crête de Glaisette—the starting point of a long, varied descent.
The trail follows the ridge in a rhythmic alternation of flowing S2 sections and technically challenging S3 sections. In terms of both scenery and riding technique, this descent is one of the highlights of the Queyras. After a short uphill section near a mountain station, the legendary “Supertrail” to Lac de Roue begins—fast, grippy, and with perfect flow. The final section through the forest down to Château-Queyras reveals yet another side of the trail: root-strewn, rugged, twisty, and challenging.
Once you reach the main road, follow it briefly downhill to the turnoff toward Col d’Izoard. This is where the second part of the tour begins. Passing through the village of Arvieux, you leave the pass road and climb a gravel road to the Col de Furfande. At the top, you’ll enjoy impressive views back toward the Col d’Izoard and across the vast mountain ranges of the Queyras Regional Nature Park.
The descent that follows starts as a fast S1 trail, soon becomes more technical, and leads into a steep climb back up to the Col Garnier. E-MTB riders usually stay in the saddle, while everyone else dismounts for a few minutes. From Col Garnier, the tour’s second super trail begins—a fast-paced, twisty, and technically varied descent into the Gorges du Guil. The trail leads to a stream bed before a short, steep climb follows. Afterward, you’ll ride along a gravel road to the hamlet of Gros.
From here, the spectacular final trail section begins: extremely steep, with tight switchbacks and exposed in places. In some sections, it’s advisable to walk your mountain bike for safety reasons. If you’d like to bypass this section, you can instead ride a stretch of the impressively constructed paved road and later turn onto a winding trail that leads back to the main route.
The tour concludes with a stunning section through the lowest part of the Guil Gorge—a fitting finale to this exceptionally varied tour.
Note: From Mont-Dauphin, you can take the train back to Briançon. Each train officially has three bike spaces (five bikes usually fit). On weekends, advance reservations are required. Details can be found in the flyer, available as an image in this tour’s photo gallery. Reservations can be made online at sud-paca.ter.veloabord.fr.
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Details of the tour
46 km
1555 m
3020 m
886 above sea level
2494 above sea level
1 day
Col d'Izoard
Mont-Dauphin
3511
well suited
More information
Pictures from the tour
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User comments (6)
About the author: Thomas Giger
Note: This content has been automatically translated from German. Please report any incorrect translations.
We started the tour in Guillestre by taking public transportation—the “Zou Line No. 573”—to Vielle-Ville. There, we had to transfer to Line 574, which turned out to be just a Mercedes bus, leaving us a bit at a loss. But no problem—they quickly sacrificed a row of seats for our two bikes, loaded them up, and off we went to the final stop in Brunissard!
You can read more about the route over the Col du Tronchet on the separate tour (Webcode #3512). At Lac de Roue, we chose the alternative route to Le Serre and from there took the flowing trail to Point 1692. From there, we followed the high-altitude trail (snowshoe trail) to La Chalp. This is a great alternative, since the entire route is on trails, allowing you to avoid the paved climb to Arvieux.
From Arvieux to Col Furfande, you climb along the well-maintained forest road up to the pass. The view and what follows are simply magnificent! The climb to Col Garnier is also quite easy on an e-bike. The trail down from Col Garnier into the gorge has been partially rebuilt and is in top condition. A wooden bridge has been installed over the stream bed. The climb afterward is again manageable on an e-bike; the trail runs impressively along the cliffs and through the forest. From Gross, we also chose the alternative route, which has its own charm and definitely involves less risk.
Shuttle service was recommended to us as follows, though we didn’t try it ourselves: www.autocars-imbert.com (select “Lignes ete”)
or www.lequeyras.com (select “tarifs et informations générales”). Both sites provide phone numbers for inquiries or reservations.
Vorsicht nach der Liftanlage. Bin heute fast in einen Zaun in Form einer weißen Schnur reingerauscht. Da stehen ein paar davon und sind erst spät sichtbar.
The shuttle to Col Izoard runs via: https://maps.app.goo.gl/DbJMsDzgRdCSqhqN9 (https://www.sport-rent.com). I ended up messaging the owner on WhatsApp.
Mega Tour. If you miss the train or can't get a seat, we've ordered a taxi🤪 +33616433874
Eine wahrhaft unvergessliche Tour – für die uns schlichtweg die Superlative fehlen! Für Liebhaber klassischer Fahrräder und alle, die es genießen, sich jeden Meter Abfahrt zu verdienen, ist die Strecke von Briançon bis zum Col d’Izoard wärmstens zu empfehlen. Der frühe Start (gegen 6:00 Uhr morgens) belohnte uns mit einem beschaulichen Anstieg durch abwechslungsreiche, wunderschöne Landschaften. Unterwegs kamen wir zudem in den Genuss des aufregenden Spektakels, wenn Skateboarder mit atemberaubender Geschwindigkeit den Pass hinunterrasen und in jeder Haarnadelkurve scheinbar der Schwerkraft trotzen. Die Abfahrt wird ihrem Ruf gerecht und ist einfach spektakulär. Die Strecke wechselt nahtlos zwischen sanften, fließenden Singletrails und technisch anspruchsvolleren Abschnitten durch unterschiedlichstes Gelände, während man von Anfang bis Ende mit herrlichen Panoramablicken verwöhnt wird.
Ein nützlicher Tipp: Die Bäckerei in Arvieux ist sonntags geöffnet und bietet ausgezeichnetes Gebäck und Kaffee. Ganz in der Nähe findet man außerdem einen Trinkbrunnen mit außergewöhnlich frischem Wasser.
Für den letzten Teil der Abfahrt nahmen wir die alternative Route am Weiler Gros. Sie folgt zunächst einer wunderschönen alten Straße, die in die Felsen gehauen ist, bevor sie in einen sanften, fließenden S2-Singletrail übergeht, der ins Guil-Tal hinabführt, wo sie wieder auf die Hauptroute trifft. Zweifellos ist dies eine Tour, die man unbedingt fahren sollte, und eine der allerbesten in der Region.
Achte jedoch darauf, den Zugfahrplan zu überprüfen, da die Züge nach 17 Uhr nicht mehr sehr häufig verkehren, und reserviere einen Fahrradplatz im Voraus, da die Züge schnell voll werden können. Wir konnten unseren Platz zwar am Reisetag direkt am Bahnhof buchen und hatten Glück, noch einen zu ergattern.
https://www.ter.sncf.com/sud-provence-alpes-cote-d-azur/services-contac…
We did the ride today on Biobikes starting from Briançon. We first rode up to the Col d’Izoard and then began the ride. The ride covers 3,000 meters of elevation gain. We took the train back to Briançon (bike reservations required). What can I say—this is an absolutely amazing ride! One highlight follows another. Definitely one of the best if you love super-narrow trails. Highly recommended. All the trails are in great condition.
Photo report:
https://mat-sa.ch/bikepacking-westalpen-tag-6-slow-up-furious-down/