A memorable road trip to Coll des Molles

Coll des Molles is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 2.089m (6,853ft) above the sea level, located in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France, near the border with Spain and the Autonomous Community of Catalonia.

The road to reach the summit is extreme. It starts asphalted at Prats-de-Mollo-la-Preste. It starts quite easily with slopes that doesn't go above 7 % in the first quarter of the climb. Then it comes a 4-kilometer section at over 8.5 % average, this bumps up the difficulty quite a bit, requiring more effort. The road then tightens and gets in a less optimal condition up to the Col des Basses, with 6 more kilometers averaging 5.5 %. The last 6km are unpaved on dirt and rocks. This road, with a length of 22,2km, can be closed anytime when the access is not cleared of snow. 
Pic: http://panneauxcols.free.fr/Panneau%20du%20mois/09-2005-crb.htm

 

• A nice paved road to Col de Solaison
• Col de la Bataille