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

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Swi ...

in the Canton of Valais in Switzerland. It connects

Martigny Martigny (; german: Martinach, ; la, Octodurum) is the capital city of the district of Martigny, canton of Valais, Switzerland. It lies at an elevation of , and its population is approximately 15000 inhabitants (''Martignerains'' or "Octoduriens ...

at and Le Châtelard (

Finhaut Finhaut is a municipality in the district of Saint-Maurice in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. History Finhaut is first mentioned in 1293 as ''Finyaux''. Geography Finhaut has an area, , of . Of this area, 3.2% is used for agricultural ...

). 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 ( frp, Chamôni), more commonly known as Chamonix, is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France. It was the site of the first Winter Olympics in 1924. In 2019, it had ...

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 (french: Mont Blanc ; it, Monte Bianco , both meaning "white mountain") is the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe, rising above sea level. It is the second-most prominent mountain in Europe, after Mount Elbrus, and ...

. 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 Trient Glacier (french: Glacier du Trient) is a 4.3 km long glacier (2007) in the Mont Blanc Massif in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. In 1973 it had an area of 6.4 km². The upper part of the glacier forms a large plateau na ...

. 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 , image = Lake Geneva by Sentinel-2.jpg , caption = Satellite image , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Switzerland, France , coords = , lake_type = Glacial la ...

. 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 The Martigny–Châtelard Railway, abbreviated MC, French ''Chemins de fer Martigny–Châtelard'', is a rack railway in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. The transport company "Chemin de fer de Martigny–Châtelard" merged in 2001, the r ...

Saint-Gervais–Vallorcine railway The Saint-Gervais–Vallorcine railway ( French: ''Ligne de Saint-Gervais-les-Bains-Le Fayet à Vallorcine''), also known as the Saint-Gervais–Vallorcine Line, is a single-track long metre gauge railway in France connecting the SNCF's Sain ...

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