Belledonne ( ) is a

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have aris ...

() in the

Dauphiné Alps The Dauphiné Alps () are a group of mountain ranges in Southeastern France, west of the main chain of the Alps. Mountain ranges within the Dauphiné Alps include the Massif des Écrins in Écrins National Park, Belledonne, Le Taillefer range ...

(part of the

French Alps The French Alps are the portions of the Alps mountain range that stand within France, located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions. While some of the ranges of the French Alps are entirely in France, others, such a ...

) in southeast France. The southern end of the range forms the eastern wall of the mountains that surround the city of

Grenoble Grenoble ( ; ; or ; or ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Isère Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region ...

. The range is noted for the spectacular scenery it provides the inhabitants of Grenoble, numerous ski areas, interesting geology, and a diverse range of alpine land types and uses.

Geography

The Belledonne range is approximately long by between wide and runs from roughly , south-south-east of the city of

, in a north-easterly direction (actually 35 degrees) for to roughly , near the town of Aiguebelle. The highest point is the Grand Pic de Belledonne, . The range is delineated by several valleys which lie at relatively low altitude, including the Grésivaudan Valley (which carries the

Isère Isère ( , ; ; , ) is a landlocked Departments of France, department in the southeastern French Regions of France, region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Named after the river Isère (river), Isère, it had a population of 1,271,166 in 2019.

) on the west, the river Arc to the north and the

Romanche The Romanche () is a mountain river in southeastern France. It is a right tributary of the Drac, itself a tributary of the Isère. Its drainage basin is .glaciers A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...

, and many alpine lakes, the highest of which is over above sea level. Geologically, Belledonne is a concatenation of ranges which are not physically separated; from north to south, these are: the Grand Arc, the Lauzière, the Sept-Laux, Belledonne proper, and the Taillefer. Belledonne is a

crystalline A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macrosc ...

range. It initiated as a

Paleozoic The Paleozoic ( , , ; or Palaeozoic) Era is the first of three Era (geology), geological eras of the Phanerozoic Eon. Beginning 538.8 million years ago (Ma), it succeeds the Neoproterozoic (the last era of the Proterozoic Eon) and ends 251.9 Ma a ...

peneplain In geomorphology and geology, a peneplain is a low-relief plain formed by protracted erosion. This is the definition in the broadest of terms, albeit with frequency the usage of peneplain is meant to imply the representation of a near-final (or ...

which was covered by

Mesozoic The Mesozoic Era is the Era (geology), era of Earth's Geologic time scale, geological history, lasting from about , comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous Period (geology), Periods. It is characterized by the dominance of archosaurian r ...

sediments Sediment is a solid material that is transported to a new location where it is deposited. It occurs naturally and, through the processes of weathering and erosion, is broken down and subsequently sediment transport, transported by the action of ...

, then raised and tilted during the Tertiary uplift of the Alps and subjected to glacial erosion during the

Quaternary The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS), as well as the current and most recent of the twelve periods of the ...

. As a result of its geologic history, Belledonne alternates jagged peaks with gentle slopes. Belledonne overlooks the fairly flat Isère Valley () which lies only above sea level near Grenoble. Hence, all alpine vegetation zones are represented: * Hill zone: coppices of Downy oak on South facing slopes (),

hornbeam Hornbeams are hardwood trees in the plant genus ''Carpinus'' in the family Betulaceae. Its species occur across much of the temperateness, temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Common names The common English name ''hornbeam'' derives ...

, common maple. * Montane zone: beech, birch, aspen, English oak, sycamore maple, goat willow, then fir and spruce. *

Subalpine zone Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures lapse rate, fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is ...

: moors and sparse stands of spruce, mugho pine, stone pine, and silver birch. *

Alpine zone Alpine tundra is a type of natural region or biome that does not contain trees because it is at high elevation, with an associated alpine climate, harsh climate. As the latitude of a location approaches the poles, the threshold elevation for alp ...

: grassland, scree and rock. A significant feature is the Belledonne Balcony (), a terrace or plateau some 30 km long on the western side of the range that provides a relatively level area intersected by narrow ravines eroded by rivers taking runoff from the snow levels higher up. The Balcony has supported diverse livestock-raising and other agricultural activity for a considerable period of time, and its Southern part is now effectively an upscale suburb of Grenoble.

Main summits

Main glaciers

The most spectacular glacier in Belledonne is the , which is noted for its crevasses. *Glacier de la Sitre *Glacier de Freydane *Glacier de l'Amiante *Glacier du Rocher Blanc *Glacier de la Combe Madame *Glacier de l'Argentière *Glacier d'Arguille *Glacier du Puy Gris *Glacier du Gleyzin *Glacier de Claran

Main passes

No road cuts across Belledonne. The Pas de la Coche pass, between Belledonne proper and the 7 Laux range, is the only natural break point in the range, and is the only point below on the Belledonne ridge (the main water divide between the

and the

Romanche The Romanche () is a mountain river in southeastern France. It is a right tributary of the Drac, itself a tributary of the Isère. Its drainage basin is .Joseph Paganon, a minister in several French governments, pushed for linking Laval to the Rivier-d'

Allemond AllemondCommune d'Allemond
INSEE (; spelled Allemont by the local counci ...

by road through the Pas de la Coche. That roadwork started but eventually stopped after Paganon's death at an elevation of on the Gresivaudan side, while work never started on the steeper other side ( Eau d'Olle). Before the automobile era, locals frequently used this pass to go from Gresivaudan to the Eau d'Olle valley, or to continue to the

Maurienne Maurienne (; ; ) is one of the provinces of Savoy, corresponding to the arrondissement of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne in France. It is also the original name of the capital of the province, now Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne. Location The Maurienne val ...

valley via the Glandon pass.

Hannibal Hannibal (; ; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Punic people, Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Ancient Carthage, Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Punic War. Hannibal's fat ...

may have passed the Pas de la Coche when he crossed the Alps with his army.

Main lakes

Lac noir and lac blanc in grande Valloire valley

Belledonne and its lakes have played a major role in industrializing

hydroelectricity Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

production as early as 1869 thanks to pioneer Aristide Bergès and his paper mills which tapped water from lake Crozet.

Ski resorts

There are 4 main ski resorts in Belledonne, from South to North: *

Chamrousse Chamrousse () is a ski resort in Southeastern France, in the Belledonne mountain range near Grenoble in the Isère department. It is located in a commune of the same name and is situated on the Recoin at and the Roche Béranger at . The ski ...

* Le Collet d'Allevard * Les Sept Laux * L'Espace Nordique du Barioz

Origin of the name

The origin of the name is not clear. The phrase ''belle donne'' means ''beautiful women'' in Italian. It does not appear to mean that in Arpitan, and since Arpitan is the ancient regional language, would have been a more likely source of ancient names than Italian. Nevertheless, from one angle the highest peak, the ''Grand Pic du Belledonne'' allegedly looks like a woman holding a baby. Other suggested derivations are from the Celtic ''donne'' meaning ''valley'', hence ''beautiful valleys'', or indo-European ''bal'', meaning ''elevated rock'', which evolved into ''bel'', then ''belle''. It is difficult without evidence to determine the validity of these derivations.

Fauna

The mountains are home to

marmot Marmots are large ground squirrels in the genus ''Marmota'', with 15 species living in Asia, Europe, and North America. These herbivores are active during the summer, when they can often be found in groups, but are not seen during the winter, w ...

chamois The chamois (; ) (''Rupicapra rupicapra'') or Alpine chamois is a species of Caprinae, goat-antelope native to the mountains in Southern Europe, from the Pyrenees, the Alps, the Apennines, the Dinarides, the Tatra Mountains, Tatra to the Carpa ...

ibex An ibex ( : ibex, ibexes or ibices) is any of several species of wild goat (genus ''Capra''), distinguished by the male's large recurved horns, which are transversely ridged in front. Ibex are found in Eurasia, North Africa and East Africa. T ...

mountain goats and

grouse Grouse are a group of birds from the order (biology), order Galliformes, in the family (biology), family Phasianidae. Grouse are presently assigned to the Tribe (biology), tribe Tetraonini (formerly the subfamily Tetraoninae and the family Tetr ...

. Reportedly,

wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, including the dog and dingo, though gr ...

have returned since 1998, coming from

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

and the press regularly echoes complaints from shepherds about wolves attacking their sheep. The ibex had completely disappeared from Belledonne. Early 1983, 13 females and 7 males were brought in from

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

and by spring 2002, their population had risen to 900 heads.

Gallery

File:Sunset on Grand Pic de Belledonne.jpg, Sunset on Grand Pic de Belledonne File:Moonrise on Grand Pic de Belledonne.jpg, Moonrise on Grand Pic de Belledonne File:Grand Pic de Belledonne.jpg, Grand Pic de Belledonne seen from the West File:Grand Pic De Belledonne.jpg, Clouds clear up and reveal Grand Pic de Belledonne

References

The Alps Geology site is an excellent source for geological information on the Belledonne Range and on all of the

. {{Massifs of Western Alps Mountain ranges of the Alps Mountain ranges of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Western Alps