The Col d'Izoard tops out at 2,360 m (7,743 ft) on the D902 between Briançon and the Queyras, and it is the only major French pass whose defining feature is not the summit. That is the Casse Déserte, a stretch of the southern descent where the road threads through barren scree slopes studded with weathered rock pinnacles — a landscape that looks nothing like the rest of the Alps. The col is generally open from late May to late October, closed the rest of the year, and it is a comfortable half day from Briançon. If you are choosing one French col for the scenery rather than the altitude, this is it.
Two very different sides
From Briançon in the north the climb is 19 km (11.8 miles), gaining 1,105 m at an average of 5.8% with a maximum around 9.4%. The official Route des Grandes Alpes figures give it as 19.2 km and 1,170 m at 6.5% — close enough that the honest summary is "about 19 km at around 6%". It runs up the Cerveyrette valley past Cervières, through larch forest, and into a series of open switchbacks in the last few kilometres. It is a pleasant, unthreatening climb on a good surface.
From the south, out of Guillestre, the whole thing measures 31.5 km (19.6 miles) at an average 4.8%, but that number hides the shape. The first part runs through the spectacular Combe du Queyras gorge and up the valley to Château-Ville-Vieille; the actual col climb from there is 15.9 km (9.9 miles) gaining 1,095 m at an average of 6.9%, with a maximum sustained gradient of about 12%. That final section is where the Casse Déserte is, and it is the steepest riding on the pass.
Route at a glance
| Summit | 2,360 m (7,743 ft), D902, Hautes-Alpes |
| North climb, from Briançon | 19 km (11.8 miles), average 5.8%, 1,105 m gain |
| South climb, from Guillestre | 31.5 km (19.6 miles) total, average 4.8% |
| South climb, from Château-Ville-Vieille | 15.9 km (9.9 miles), average 6.9%, max around 12% |
| Signature feature | Casse Déserte, on the upper south side |
| Season | Generally closed October to early June, open late May to late October |
| At the summit | Small cycling museum, Coppi and Bobet memorial nearby |
Open the Briançon to Guillestre crossing in Google Maps — over the col and down through the Queyras, ready to send to your navigation.
The Casse Déserte
The name means, roughly, "the deserted rubble", and it earns it. On the upper southern side the mountain falls away in forbidding, barren scree slopes with protruding pinnacles of weathered rock — orange-brown spires standing out of grey debris, with the road cut along the flank. There is no vegetation, no water and no shade. It looks like a location scout invented it.
Practically, it is also the part that demands attention. The road here is narrower than the Briançon side, the surface is more affected by rockfall and washed-out gravel, and there are pull-ins that fill with cars and coaches in August. Riders report that the natural instinct — to look at the pinnacles rather than the corner — is exactly the wrong one. Stop at the parking areas, look properly, and then ride.
A memorial stele to the cyclists Fausto Coppi and Louison Bobet stands in the Casse Déserte, and there is a small cycling museum at the summit. The col has been on the Tour de France route more than thirty times, which is why you will share the road with cyclists from June onwards. In 2017 Warren Barguil became the first rider to win a Tour stage that actually finished on the Izoard rather than passing over it, which pushed the pass back into the general public's awareness and, with it, the summer traffic.
Timing matters more here than the numbers suggest. The Casse Déserte faces roughly southwest, so the rock spires are flat and washed out in the middle of the day and take on their orange colour in the late afternoon. That is also, unhelpfully, when the parking areas are fullest. The compromise most riders settle on is to cross early for the road and come back over in the evening for the light.
The summit and the Refuge Napoléon
The col itself is a broad saddle with parking, an obelisk and views back down both valleys. Less than two kilometres below the summit on the northern side, at about 2,265 m, sits the Refuge Napoléon — one of a series of refuges funded from a bequest Napoleon left to the department after the local population helped him during the Hundred Days. It serves food, and on a pass with nothing else at altitude that is worth knowing.
Making a loop out of it is the best plan. Briançon over the Izoard, down through the Casse Déserte, on to Château-Ville-Vieille, out through the Combe du Queyras gorge to Guillestre, and back north along the Durance gives you a day of very different roads without repeating anything.
The Combe du Queyras, the half nobody photographs
The southern approach from Guillestre spends its first stretch in the Combe du Queyras, a narrow limestone gorge where the road is cut into the rock wall above the Guil river, with short tunnels and overhangs. It is completely different riding from the col above it — tight, shaded, cool even in August, with the surface often damp where water seeps out of the rock face.
It also holds Château-Queyras, a fortress on a rock spur in the middle of the valley that Vauban worked on in the seventeenth century. Most people ride past it because they are focused on the col. On a hot day the gorge and the fort are the better hour.
Combining the two halves is what makes the Izoard a full day rather than a 40-minute pass. The gorge, the climb to Château-Ville-Vieille, the steep 6.9% section up through the Casse Déserte, the summit, then the easier Briançon descent is a route with four distinct characters in under 60 km — which is unusual even by alpine standards.
Season, weather and practical detail
Season. In general the col is closed from October to early June; the official Route des Grandes Alpes guidance is that the Izoard is usually open from late May to late October. As of August 2026 that is the standing pattern, but the opening date shifts with snow every year and closure comes with the first heavy autumn fall. Check inforoute.hautes-alpes.fr for current col status before you ride, and confirm again if you are travelling in the shoulder weeks.
Weather. At 2,360 m this is not the highest French col, but the Casse Déserte side is exposed rock with no shelter, and afternoon storms in July and August roll through fast. Wet limestone dust on that surface is slick. Morning is the better half of the day here for both weather and traffic.
Fuel and services. Briançon on the north side, Guillestre on the south. There is no fuel on the col and nothing in the Queyras villages you should rely on. The Refuge Napoléon covers food, not petrol.
Traffic. Cyclists, coaches and camper vans, in that order of frequency. The Casse Déserte pull-ins create sudden stopped traffic on a road with limited sight lines. Ride the descent expecting a parked vehicle around a blind corner and it will never surprise you.
Tolls and zones. No vignette in France; the col is free. French motorways are tolled per journey and larger cities operate Crit'Air low-emission zones — relevant to how you reach the Alps, not to the pass itself.
Gear notes for the Izoard
The Queyras loop is where a bit of preparation pays off. The valley roads south of the col are a genuine maze of small departmental routes, mobile coverage in the gorge is unreliable, and the difference between the good version of this day and the frustrating one is whether the whole loop is already loaded. Building the Briançon–Izoard–Guillestre circuit properly with a route planning workflow that survives a dead zone and running it on a handlebar riding system display keeps you looking at the Casse Déserte instead of at a phone.
The other one is condition checking. This is a rockfall pass, and the surface changes from week to week; gravel at hairpin exits and stone debris on the Casse Déserte section are normal, not exceptional. A quick pre-ride check before a day with a 1,100 m descent on a debris-prone road is time well spent, and a TPMS sensor is the fastest way to notice a stone-picked slow puncture before it becomes a problem in the Queyras rather than a problem in Guillestre. Riders on the JADO S6 have both the map and the pressure readout on one screen.
The Izoard sits directly on the Route des Grandes Alpes, one pass south of the Galibier and Lautaret and north of the Bonette.
FAQ
When is the Col d'Izoard open?
Generally the col is closed from October to early June, with a typical open window from late May to late October. Snow decides the exact dates, so check the Hautes-Alpes road information service before you travel.
Which side has the Casse Déserte?
The southern side, on the upper part of the climb from Château-Ville-Vieille. If you ride north to south from Briançon, you meet it on the descent.
Which direction is the better ride?
North to south is the popular choice because you climb the easier side and descend through the Casse Déserte with the landscape opening ahead of you. South to north gives you the steeper 6.9% section as a climb, which some riders prefer.
Is there anywhere to eat on the pass?
The Refuge Napoléon sits at around 2,265 m, less than two kilometres below the summit on the north side, and there is a small cycling museum at the col. There is no fuel.
How long does the Queyras loop take?
Briançon over the Izoard to Guillestre and back north is a comfortable half day with stops. Add a couple of hours if you want to explore the Queyras villages properly.
