The French Alps – High Valleys, Alpine Passes, and Long-Distance Mountain Routes

Granite summits, glacial valleys, and elevated tracks shaped by rock, snow, and water

The French Alps extend along France’s eastern frontier from the Mediterranean near Nice to Lake Geneva, forming a continuous chain of high valleys, passes, and alpine basins. Here, self-guided travel follows walking routes through river corridors and over cols linking towns, refuges, and upland pasture across a large, connected mountain region. Long-distance paths connect areas such as the Tinée and Ubaye valleys, the Upper Durance around Briançon, and the Upper Arve beneath Chamonix, creating north–south movement through successive basins rather than across a single ridge.

Elevation defines the terrain. Valley floors sit deep between steep slopes and rock walls, while ground rises quickly above tree line into open alpine terrain of grass, scree, and stone. Rivers fed by snowfields and glaciers cut long corridors through the range, forming the main lines of movement between settlements. Routes follow these valleys before climbing to passes and descending into the next basin, with sustained ascent and descent shaping most stages.

Protected landscapes cover much of the range. In the south, Mercantour National Park protects high passes, lakes, and border valleys between France and Italy. Further north, Queyras Regional Natural Park safeguards elevated villages and pasture above the Durance, while additional alpine parks extend across Vanoise, Écrins, and the Mont Blanc massif. Settlement remains concentrated in valley towns and historic crossings, with long stretches of open mountain between them.

Movement through the French Alps follows the structure of valleys and passes rather than direct lines. Tracks contour along slopes, climb gradually to cols, and link one drainage basin to the next. Distances between settlements are greater than in lowland regions, and elevation change remains continuous across most routes. Refuges, small villages, and bridges appear at intervals along the network.

Stone hamlets, chapels, and mountain huts mark junctions where valleys widen or paths converge.

Routes & Landscapes Across the Region

The GR5 forms the principal north–south spine, beginning near the Mediterranean and crossing Mercantour National Park through the Tinée valley before reaching the Ubaye around Maljasset and Saint-Dalmas-le-Selvage, continuing across high passes toward Briançon and the Upper Durance, then north through successive alpine basins to Chamonix and onward to Geneva.

In the southern Alps, routes link the Tinée, Ubaye, and Var catchments across exposed cols and refuges such as Refuge de Longon, creating longer crossings between sparsely settled valleys.

Across the Queyras and Briançonnais, higher tracks connect elevated villages and pasture on broad shelves above the Durance, forming extended ridge and plateau sections between settlements.

Further north, valley and mountainside paths around Mont Blanc and the Upper Arve combine lower tracks with higher traverses beneath glaciers and ridgelines, creating continuous movement between Chamonix, passes, and neighbouring valleys.

Together, these valley, pass, and ridge routes form a connected long-distance network across the length of the French Alps.

Areas of the French Alps

The southern Mercantour and Tinée valleys near the Mediterranean, the Ubaye and Queyras around Briançon, the Écrins and Upper Durance, and the Mont Blanc and Upper Arve basin around Chamonix each present distinct combinations of high valley, alpine pasture, and rocky ridge while remaining linked by continuous long-distance routes.

Beginning to explore the French Alps

The French Alps form a chain of connected valleys rather than a single plateau. Following rivers, passes, and established routes shows how rock, snow, and settlement shape movement through this elevated mountain region.