Col de la Colombière: by bike or car from Le Petit-Bornand (Glières-Val-de-Borne)

The Col de la Colombière, at 1,613 m, is not in the campsite's municipality: it links Le Grand-Bornand, via the hamlet of Le Chinaillon, with Le Reposoir and the Arve valley near Cluses. But it is one of the great road passes of the Aravis, about half an hour's drive from Glières-Val-de-Borne. We include it here because many of our guests come for it, especially cyclists.

A Tour de France pass

The Colombière has featured many times in the Tour de France. Cyclists agree on one thing: the north side, climbing from Cluses and Le Reposoir, is the hardest. The pass is closed in winter: in spring or autumn, check that the road is open before you set off.

By bike from the campsite

Le Petit-Bornand is a good base for linking passes: the Col des Glières road starts in the village, and the Colombière is reached via the Borne valley and Le Grand-Bornand. Ask us at reception about the routes we know.

By car: enough for a day out

If you drive up, the day fills up easily. On the Le Grand-Bornand side, the village market is on Wednesday mornings all year, and the Chinaillon market on Sunday mornings in summer. Over the pass in Le Reposoir, the charterhouse founded in 1151 is now a Carmelite convent; it is a historic monument, and visiting arrangements should be checked locally.

What about hiking?

The pass is mainly a road pass. Around it, Aravis summits such as the Pointe Percée are mountaineering, not walking. For hiking we recommend the valley routes instead: Lac de Lessy, the Col de Cenise or the hamlet trail, which starts from the campsite.