Col de la Forclaz (el. ) is a mountain pass in the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

in the

Canton of Valais Valais ( , ; ), more formally, the Canton of Valais or Wallis, is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of thirteen districts and its capital and largest city is Sion, Switzer ...

in Switzerland. It connects

Martigny Martigny (; , ; ) is the capital city of the district of Martigny (district), Martigny, cantons of Switzerland, canton of Canton of Valais, Valais, Switzerland. It lies at an elevation of , and its population is approximately 20,000 inhabitants ( ...

at and Le Châtelard ( Finhaut). The road from Martigny to the Col has an average gradient of 6% but in parts is closer to 8%. After the Col, and Le Châtelard, the road leads to

Chamonix Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (; ; (no longer in use)), more commonly known simply as Chamonix (), is a communes of France, commune in the departments of France, department in the regions of France, region in Southeastern France. It was the site of the f ...

in France via Vallorcine and the Col des Montets. The pass was little known in the 19th century. It was not until the rise in tourism, particularly in Chamonix, that the region became a popular tourist area.

History

The pass was originally a track used by mule teams and smugglers that zig-zagged up the mountain face from Martigny and over into France. Construction on the road was begun in 1827 and the tunnel completed in 1836 (and expanded in 1905). The road was at first opened only to public transport and was not open to private vehicles until 1920. At the time, the pass was closed at night, and the speed limit was . Today, the pass is an important link to the tourist areas around the

Mont Blanc Mont Blanc (, ) is a mountain in the Alps, rising above sea level, located right at the Franco-Italian border. It is the highest mountain in Europe outside the Caucasus Mountains, the second-most prominent mountain in Europe (after Mount E ...

. There is a restaurant and shop at the pass, and it is a popular destination for weekend excursions and bicycle and motorcycle tours. A number of trailheads at the pass invite hikers into the mountains (Arpille, Bovine, etc.) or to the foot of the nearby Trient Glacier. The pass is generally open in winter, but together with the Col des Montets on the French side it can be closed in extreme weather and will frequently require

snow chains Snow chains, or tire chains, are devices fitted to the tires of vehicles to provide increased traction when driving through snow and ice. Snow chains attach to the drive wheels of a vehicle or special systems deploy chains which swing under ...

and/or winter tires. In the event of closure, travellers who want to go to Chamonix must take the long detour around

Lake Geneva Lake Geneva is a deep lake on the north side of the Alps, shared between Switzerland and France. It is one of the List of largest lakes of Europe, largest lakes in Western Europe and the largest on the course of the Rhône. Sixty percent () ...

. Conditions can be checked with Chamonix tourist office. There is another connection from Martigny to France (by train only) through the Vallée du Trient ( Gorges du Trient): the Martigny–Châtelard Railway/ Saint-Gervais–Vallorcine railway via

Tour de France

The pass has been used seven times in the Tour de France since 1947, most recently in 2016.

References

Article on the pass on tourisme-pour-tous.com

External links

Cycling Profile with photos: both sidesDescription of the pass and its history

Col de la Forclaz on Google Maps (Tour de France classic climbs)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forclaz Mountain passes of Valais Mountain passes of the Alps Mountain passes of Switzerland

History

Tour de France

See also

References

External links