Colle San Carlo, an absolute must for road lovers

Colle San Carlo is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 1.954m (6,410ft) above the sea level, located in the Aosta Valley region of north-western Italy.

Colle San Carlo

Nestled in the Graian Alps, a mountain range in the western part of the Alps, the road to the summit is totally paved but steep, hitting a 13.0% through some of the ramps. The pass is 18.5 km (11.49 miles) long, running west-east from La Thuile to Morgex.

The road is called Strada Regionale 39 (SR39). Open to traffic throughout the year, may be closed for short periods in winter when the weather is bad. Near the top there are often a lot of flies. There’s almost no traffic

This pass has been featured a few times in Giro d’Italia race. There are 2 routes to reach the summit. Starting from La Thuile, the ascent is 7 km long. Over this distance, the elevation gain is 530 meters. The average percentage is 7.6 %. And starting from Morgex, the ascent is 10.5 km long. Over this distance, the elevation gain is 1.049 meters. The average percentage is 10 %, but includes sections over 13%