Col de l'Iseran

Col de l'Iseran
Signpost at the Col de l'Iseran in 2006
Elevation	2,764 m (9,068 ft)
Traversed by	D 902 road
Location	Savoie, France
Range	Graian Alps
Coordinates	45°25′1″N 07°01′51″E / 45.41694°N 7.03083°E / 45.41694; 7.03083Coordinates: 45°25′1″N 07°01′51″E / 45.41694°N 7.03083°E / 45.41694; 7.03083
Col de l'Iseran Location of Col de l'Iseran

Col de l'Iseran (el. 2,764 metres (9,068 ft)) is a mountain pass in France, the highest paved pass in the Alps. A part of the Graian Alps, it is situated in the department of Savoie, near the border with Italy, and is crossed by the D902 roadway.

The pass is part of the Route des Grandes Alpes. It connects the valley of the Isère (Tarentaise) and the valley of the Arc River (Maurienne) between Val-d'Isère in the north and Bonneval-sur-Arc in the south. The north side of the pass road is well built with a number of galleries and tunnels, with a maximum grade of 12 percent.

On the northern side are the popular ski resorts of Tignes and Val-d'Isère.

The pass is only accessible by road during the summer months. In the winter it falls within the Espace Killy ski area and is easily accessed by a series of pistes and ski lifts.

The Col is also accessible by off-road mountain paths and is the highest point both of the Alpine GR5, a long-distance trail from Lake Geneva to Nice, and of the similar Grande Traversée des Alpes. The steep descent to the south, notable for its waterfalls, enters the Vanoise National Park here.

From the north the road goes up and down and through tunnels past the lake of Tignes. Starting from Bourg-Saint-Maurice, the climb to Col de l'Iseran is 48 km (30 mi). Over this distance, the road (D 902) ascends 1,955 m (6,414 ft), at an average grade of 4.1%. The last 15 km (9 mi) starts at Val-d'Isère and climbs 895 m (2,936 ft) at a consistent average of 6%.