Traversette Tunnel and Pass

Date of your route : Aug 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

It's a good climb, especially after the path that joins up with the one from the refuge.
The best thing to do is to start at Lake Lestio one day, camp out and cross over the next day, camp out again and head to the Italian side for Granero. You might as well go all the way to the top!
The access from the collapsed rock to the viewpoint is tedious. I've seen people do it by bike, then set off on a hike afterwards. If you can, it's a good idea!
It's a very popular hike with lots of Italians!!!

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Hello,

I was really lucky last year because I did this hike at the end of June, and there wasn’t much snow. Just a few patches of snow.
I was able to cross the tunnel and climb up to the pass.
This hike is very doable in a single day, but it’s still best suited to experienced hikers.
It took me about 9 hours (including a one-hour break), and on top of that the return journey was particularly tricky as I ended up with tendonitis (the first time in my life!)
You might want to try this hike again in August; the snow will surely have gone by then!
Wishing you all the best for your future hikes!

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Date of your route : Jul 18, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Hello,

Magnificent views of the Viso. The difficulty lies in the length of the route and the snow cover at the pass.
We didn’t complete the entire route. We stopped at the cliffs because the final part of the climb was very snowy and we had to think about the return journey.
A suggestion: do the hike over two days.
Day 1: from the Roche Écroulée car park to the Viso refuge.
Day 2: From the Viso refuge to the Col de la Traversette, then from the Col de la Traversette to the Roche Écroulée car park.

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Date of your route : Aug 26, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Here is a legendary hike in the Ristolas-Mont Viso National Park: after a climb of over four hours and a 1,200-metre ascent, you reach a historic site (the pass and the Traversette tunnel), which opens up to stunning panoramic views around Mont Viso. This France/Italy cross-border pass, home to the first transalpine tunnel dating from 1480, is in fact only accessible on foot for two to three months of the year.
We’ll first cross the Col de la Traversette at an altitude of 2,947 metres to admire Monte Viso in all its splendour. We’ll think of Hannibal, who is said to have passed through here with his elephants (yes, really—Daubram has even found photographic evidence!). A short but fairly steep descent on the Italian side will take us to the 55-metre tunnel, which we’ll use to return to France just as the mule caravans did in days gone by. Fancy discovering this lovely hike, finding out all about this pass, this tunnel, Hannibal, trade between France and Italy, and the smugglers? Then take a look…
Did you want to go there? Well, you’ll have to wait until next year: the snow has arrived and the tunnel is closed!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nu46cTux...

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Date of your route : Jun 30, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A wonderful hike on 30 June 2017.
Lovely sunny weather, few clouds, a slightly chilly breeze at the Col de la Traversette.
I set off on the hike at around 7.50 am from the Roche Écroulée car park, and took the Pré Michel Nature Trail to reach the Petit Belvédère du Viso.
The path leading to the Grand Belvédère du Viso is pleasant and offers lovely views of Mont Viso.
The serious climb begins just after the Grand Belvédère, and it takes about 2 hours and 15 minutes to reach the tunnel. I lost the trail at one point and had to continue over the rocks, before finding the path again just before the tunnel. There were no signs indicating the tunnel; I simply recognised the “pallet-style wooden door” that had been placed on the snowfield. Apparently, the tunnel had opened just a few days earlier on the French side.
No torch or lamp is needed to cross it; where it narrows and it gets dark, you just need to crouch down a bit to see the light coming from the Italian side. After the tunnel, I climbed up to the Col de la Traversette where I stopped for a bite to eat. So it took me 4 hours 10 mins from the car park. The wind had blown the clouds away on the Italian side and I could see the plain where the Po rises. On the descent, just after the tunnel, I found myself right next to a full-grown ibex, which didn’t flinch when I took photos. As I was experiencing pain in my left thigh during the descent (likely the onset of tendonitis), I took my time and arrived back at my car around 4 pm. Total duration of the hike: 8 hours.

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