| Dauphiné Alps | |
| Range | |
|
Barres des Écrins in early morning light, July 2006
|
|
| Country | France |
|---|---|
| Borders on | Cottian Alps, Graian Alps, Chartreuse Mountains |
| Highest point | Barre des Écrins |
| - elevation | 4,102 m (13,458 ft) |
| - coordinates | |
The Dauphiné Alps (French: Alpes du Dauphiné) are a group of mountain ranges in southeastern France, west of the main chain of the Alps. They are separated from the Cottian Alps in the east by the Col du Galibier and the upper Durance valley; from the western Graian Alps (Vanoise Massif) in the north-east by the river Arc; from the lower ranges Vercors Plateau and Chartreuse Mountains in the west by the rivers Drac and Isère. Many peaks rise to more than 10,000 feet (3,050 m), with Barre des Écrins (4,102 m) the highest.
Mountain ranges within the Dauphiné Alps include the Massif des Écrins (in the Parc national des Écrins), Belledonne, the Taillefer range and the mountains of Matheysine.
The chief peaks of the Dauphiné Alps are:
| Barre des Écrins | 4102 meters | (13,459 feet) | Pic Felix Neff | 3222 meters | (10,571 feet) | |
| Meije | 3987 meters | (13,081 feet) | Vieux Chaillol | 3163 meters | (10,378 feet) | |
| Ailefroide | 3954 meters | (12,972 feet) | Tete de Vautisse | 3162 meters | (10,375 feet) | |
| Mont Pelvoux | 3946 meters | (12,946 feet) | Grand Pinier | 3120 meters | (10,237 feet) | |
| Pic Sans Nom | 3913 meters | (12,838 feet) | Pic de Parieres | 3050 meters | (10,007 feet) | |
| Pic Gaspard | 3880 meters | (12,730 feet) | Mourre Froid | 2996 meters | (9830 feet) | |
| Pic Coolidge | 3756 meters | (12,323 feet) | Grand Pic de Belledonne | 2977 meters | (9767 feet) | |
| Grande Ruine | 3754 meters | (12,317 feet) | Rocherblanc (Sept Laux) | 2931 meters | (9617 feet) | |
| Rateau | 3754 meters | (12,317 feet) | Taillefer | 2861 meters | (9387 feet) | |
| Les Bans | 3669 meters | (12,037 feet) | Tete de l'Obiou | 2793 meters | (9164 feet) | |
| Montagne des Agneaux | 3660 meters | (12,008 feet) | Pic du Frene | 2810 meters | (9219 feet) | |
| Sommet des Rouies | 3634 meters | (11,923 feet) | Grand Ferrand | 2761 meters | (9059 feet) | |
| Aiguille du Plat de la Selle | 3596 meters | Pic de Bure (Aurouse) | 2712 meters | (8898 feet) | ||
| Olan | 3564 meters | (11,735 feet) | ||||
| Pic Bonvoisin | 3560 meters | (11,680 feet) | ||||
| Aiguilles d'Arves (highest point) | 3514 meters | (11,529 feet) | ||||
| Grandes Rousses | 3473 meters | (11,395 feet) | ||||
| Roche de la Muzelle | 3459 meters | (11,349 feet) | ||||
| Sirac | 3438 meters | (11,280 feet) |
The chief passes of the Dauphiné Alps are:
| name | location | type | elevation (m/ft) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brèche de la Meije | La Berarde to la Grave | snow | 3300/10,827 |
| Brèche des Grandes Rousses | Allemont to Clavans | snow | 3100/10,171 |
| Brèche de Valsenestre | Bourg d'Oisans to Valsenestre | foot path | 2634/8642 |
| Col Bayard | La Mure to Gap | road | 1246/4088 |
| Col de la Casse Deserte | La Berarde to La Grave | snow | 3510/11,516 |
| Col de la Croix de Fer | Bourg d'Oisans to Saint-Jean-d'Arves | road | 2062/6765 |
| Col de la Croix Haute | Grenoble to Serres and Gap | road, railroad | 1167/3829 |
| Col de la Lauze | Saint-Christophe-en-Oisans to La Grave | snow | 3543/11,625 |
| Col de l'Alpe de Vénosc | Vénosc to Les Deux Alpes | bridle path | 1660/5446 |
| Col de la Muande | St Christophe to the Val Gaudemar | snow | 3059/10,037 |
| Col de la Muzelle | St Christophe to Valsenestre | foot path | 2500/8202 |
| Col d'Arsine | La Grave to Le Monêtier-les-Bains | bridle path | 2400/7874 |
| Col de la Temple | La Berarde to Vallouise | snow | 3283/10,772 |
| Col de la Vaurze | Val Gaudemar to Valjouffrey | foot path | 2600/8531 |
| Col de l'Eychauda | Vallouise to Le Monêtier-les-Bains | bridle path | 2429/7970 |
| Col de l'Infernet | La Grave to Saint-Jean-d'Arves | foot path | 2690/8826 |
| Col de Martignare | La Grave to Saint-Jean-d'Arves | foot path | 2600/8531 |
| Col des Aiguilles d'Arves | Valloire to Saint-Jean-d'Arves | snow | 3150/10,335 |
| Col des Avalanches | La Berarde to Vallouise | snow | 3511/11,520 |
| Col des Ecrins | La Berarde to Vallouise | snow | 3415/11,205 |
| Col des Prés Nouveaux | Le Freney to Saint-Jean-d'Arves | bridle path | 2293/7523 |
| Col des Quirlies | Saint-Jean-d'Arves to Clavans | snow | 2950/9679 |
| Col des Sept Laux | Allevard to Bourg d'Oisans | bridle path | 2184/7166 |
| Col des Tourettes | Orcières to Châteauroux-les-Alpes | bridle path | 2580/8465 |
| Col de Val Estrete | Val Gaudemar to Champoléon | foot path | 2620/8596 |
| Col de Vallonpierre | Val Gaudemar to Champoléon | foot path | 2620/8596 |
| Col d'Orcières | Dormillouse to Orcières | bridle path | 2700/8859 |
| Col d'Ornon | Bourg d'Oisans to La Mure | road | 1360/4462 |
| Col du Clot des Cavales | La Berarde to La Grave | snow | 3128/10,263 |
| Col du Galibier | Col du Lautaret to Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne | road | 2658/8721 |
| Col du Glacier Blanc | La Grave to Vallouise | snow | 3308/10,854 |
| Col du Glandon | Bourg d'Oisans to La Chambre | road | 1951/6401 |
| Col du Goleon | La Grave to Valloire | foot path | 2880/9449 |
| Col du Lautaret | Briançon to Bourg d'Oisans | road | 2075/6808 |
| Col du Loup du Valgaudemar | Vallouise to the Val Gaudemar | snow | 3112/10,210 |
| Col du Says | La Berarde to the Val Gaudemar | snow | 3136/10,289 |
| Col du Sele | La Berarde to Vallouise | snow | 3302/10,834 |
| Col du Sellar | Vallouise to the Val Gaudemar | snow | 3067/10,063 |
| Col Emile Pic | La Grave to Vallouise | snow | 3502/11,490 |
| Col Lombard | La Grave to Saint-Jean-d'Arves | snow | 3100/10,171 |
| Pas de la Cavale | Vallouise to Champoléon | dirt road | 2740/8990 |