A winding scenic road to Col de la Couillole

Col de la Couillole is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 1.678m (5,495ft) above the sea level, located in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. The pass is traversed by the scenic Route des Grandes Alpes.

Located within the Mercantour National Park, the road to the summit is called D30. Be aware that D30 changes to M30 after the col towards Saint Sauveur sur Tinee. It’s paved. Very steep and curvy, narrow at points with a few hairpins and picturesque tunnels. It is very scenic and pleasant to ride. 

The pass is 23.4km long, running west-east from Beuil towards Saint-Sauveur-sur-Tinée. It has been climbed by the Tour de France bicycle race. Starting from St. Sauveur-sur-Tinée, at 504m above the sea level, the climb is 15.7 km long, with an elevation gain of 1.174 meters. The average gradient is 7.5 %. This climb is just an example of regularity. With nearly no section coming below 6 %, and with several kilometers above 8 % with peaks at 11 %, this climb just goes up and up until the top is reached.
There is an extremely picturesque small village near the road to the pass: Roubion. Literally this is the end of the road, but it’s recommended to visit this village. There are also some hotels. However: coming from the side of Beuil there are no hints about this village.