France · Savoie · Premium route guide
Chamonix → Col de la Madeleine → Musée Opinel
147 kilometres, one big col at 1,993 m, and a gentler alternative to the Roselend route. Full route on the map, a GPX for your GPS, and the motorcycle-friendly stays other riders have vetted at either end.
- Distance
- 146.6 km
- Peak elevation
- 1,994 m
- Elevation gain
- 2,555 m
- Best months
- Jun–Oct
The route
Chamonix down the Arve to Sallanches, then N212 through Ugine to Albertville, up the Tarentaise as far as Aigueblanche and over the Col de la Madeleine (1,993 m). Down through La Chambre and finish at Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne. Pins are motorcycle-friendly stays other riders have vetted at either end.
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Works with Garmin, TomTom, BMW Navigator, Calimoto, Kurviger, komoot, MyRouteApp. Import as a track to ride the exact line. Road data from OpenStreetMap (ODbL); elevation from SRTM.
Track vs. route — how to load this into your GPS
What you're downloading is a GPX track — a dense, road-snapped breadcrumb of the exact line, with elevation on every point. It's not a GPX route (a short list of turn waypoints your device re-plans between). Tracks preserve our road choice; routes let the device pick its own way and can send you down a boring motorway shortcut.
How to use it on your navigator:
- BMW Navigator / Garmin Zumo / zūmo XT: import as a track, then Convert to Route (or Trip Planner → new trip from track) if you want turn-by-turn prompts. Keep Recalculation off so it stays on our line.
- TomTom Rider: import the GPX in MyDrive — it loads as a track / itinerary. Enable Follow the exact route so it doesn't re-plan.
- Calimoto: open the GPX and choose Import as tour — Calimoto follows the track line.
- Kurviger / komoot / MyRouteApp: open the GPX and pick Import as track to keep the road choice. Only choose Import as route if you want the app to re-plan for your bike profile.
- Google Maps / Apple Maps: these don't read GPX. Use the map on this page for turn cues, or import the file into a GPX-capable app first.
Rule of thumb: if your device asks "track or route?", pick track to ride our exact line — pick route only if you want the device to re-plan.
Elevation profile
From ~336 m at the base to 1994 m at the top — 2,555 m of total climbing across the route.
About three and a half hours moving. Two-thirds of the route is quick valley riding, then a single proper Alpine col to finish. Use this when the Cormet de Roselend is closed, you're short on time, or you just want a more relaxed transfer between Chamonix and the Maurienne.
The road, honestly
The first 90 km are fast: N212 down the Arve, then Albertville and the Tarentaise. Not a memorable ride in itself, but the surface is good and traffic is light outside the summer holiday peak. The Madeleine itself is the day's payoff — 25 km of stacked switchbacks up the north side, a big open summit, and a slightly gentler descent into La Chambre.
This is a good option in shoulder season (early June or October) when the higher Beaufortain passes might still be snowed in.
Where to base yourself
Chamonix or Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne — both work. Saint-Jean is the smaller town and puts you close to the Galibier, Iseran and Croix de Fer if you're linking a whole Alps week.
Weather and fuel
Col de la Madeleine typically opens late May and closes in early November. Check bison-fute.gouv.fr for current status.
Fuel is easy — stations every 20 km along the valley and in La Chambre.
What to see along the way
- Sallanches — First proper town on the descent from Chamonix. Big fuel station, coffee stops, easy pivot.
- Albertville — 1992 Winter Olympics town. Small old quarter (Conflans) up on the hill is worth the detour if you have an hour.
- Col de la Madeleine (1,993 m) — Ski-lift-adjacent summit with a wide parking and a view down both valleys. Sausage van in season.
- La Chambre — Mid-Maurienne town at the base of the south side. Fuel, bakery, mechanics.
- Musée Opinel (Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne) — Free museum in the town centre dedicated to the classic French pocket knife.
Rent a bike
Rent a motorcycle or scooter for Chamonix → Col de la Madeleine → Musée Opinel
Flying in? Pick up a bike near the start of the route. We've pre-filled the pick-up city with Chamonix / Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne — change it if you're basing elsewhere.
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Rider-verified stays within 30 km
Automatically selected by proximity to the traced route — no editorial cherry-picking. Sorted by how close they are to the road.
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