34.2
PDI
14.4 mi
DISTANCE
5,277 ft
GAINED
6.9 %
AVG. GRADE
FULL CLIMB STATS
INTRO
The north approach to the Col de la Croix de Fer begins in Saint-Étienne-de-Cuines, in the Maurienne Valley near the climbing hub of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, France. It's 14.4 miles and 5,277' of gain at a 6.9% average grade to the 6,312' summit and its namesake iron cross - the hardest of the pass's three approaches.
That difficulty comes from sharing its entire route with Col du Glandon- East (12.1 miles, 5,000'), then continuing another 1.8 miles/492'/5.3% past that col to the true summit. The lower slopes are forested before opening above the tree line into alpine meadows, with old cement kilometer markers along the road and the Aiguilles d'Arves visible near the top.
Croix de Fer has appeared in the Tour de France more than 20 times since 1947 - most famously in 1986, when Bernard Hinault and Greg LeMond crossed its summit together mid-duel for that year's yellow jersey - and it was back on the route in 2026's mountain stage to Alpe d'Huez.
PLAN YOUR ROUTE
We've partnered with Sherpa-Map.com to bring you the best route planning tool. With a PRO Membership you can use this climb as a reference when creating your route. 6.9% average grade (7.3% climb only). The bulk of this climb (68%) is in the 5-10% gradient range while 12% is at 10-15%. The steepest 500 meters is 11.7% at kilometer 11.2%.
See more details and tools regarding this climb's grade via the “Profile Tool” button.
Roadway: The first 1.8 kilometers are on a narrow, residential stretch of D927 through Saint-Etienne-de-Cuines, and the next 18.6 kilometers continue on D927 through rural, agricultural terrain. The roadway is in fair to good condition and never has a shoulder. The final three kilometers run on good pavement above a shallow canyon in a remote, high-alpine setting to one of the great French cycling finishes. Like the other high passes in this area, the road is gated and closed at the first significant snowfall (typically by early November) and doesn't reopen until late May.
Traffic: Mild - a quiet valley road rather than a through-route, though expect more cars near the Col du Glandon and Croix de Fer summits on summer weekends.
Parking: There are open spaces to park along D927, about 400 meters northeast of the climb start (Map; Street View).
Provisions: There are several places to eat and drink along the climb - Chalet Col du Glandon (Google Map + Reviews) at kilometer 20.3 before beginning up to the Col de la Croix de Fer. At the summit is Bar Restaurant Croix de la Fer - Google Map + Reviews. Both are seasonal, open roughly mid-June through mid-September while the pass itself is open - don't count on either outside summer.
Before heading out on any cycling adventure check out our Things to Bring on a Cycling Trip and use our interactive check list to ensure you don't forget anything.
Visit our Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, France and Le Bourg-d'Oisans, France climb area pages - both are outstanding hubs for cycling many of the most famous bike climbs in the world.
Also, use the “Routes in Area” button on the menu bar to see other bike climbs in this area.
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halibutsteve
We did this as the second part of Col de Glandon East. From the summit of Glandon, Croix de Fer North is an easy 2.4 km. There was much less traffic on this section than the Glandon section...so see our posting of Glandon East. It is definitely worth riding up the extra bit to the top for the additional views and to complete the challenge. The descent from both peaks is fun with the hairpins and the very good road condition. Just don't do it on the weekend!!
