Col de Valberg, a nice road in the Alpes Maritimes
Col de Valberg is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 1.672m (5,475ft) above the sea level, located in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.
Located in the Mercantour National Park, the wide road to the summit is totally paved. It’s called D28. The road is steep, hitting a maximum gradient of 11% through some of the ramps. It gets a decent amount of traffic in summer.
The pass is 19.7 km long running west-east from Guillaumes to Beuil. The pass has been featured in the Tour of France bicycle race.There are 3 routes to reach the summit. Starting from Guillaumes, via St. Brès, the ascent is 13.2 km long. Over this distance, the elevation gain is 880 meters. The average percentage is 6.7 %.
Starting from Guillaumes, via Péone, the ascent is 14.6 km long. Over this distance, the elevation gain is 880 meters. The average percentage is 6 %. And starting from Beuil, the ascent is 6.1 km long. Over this distance, the elevation gain is 231 meters. The average percentage is 3.8 %.