Travelling with MM

26 July 2026

Col d’Izoard France

Day 83 Sunday 26 July 2026

Today was another outstanding day with a lovely walk to the Cascade Oules from Le Laus and a magnificent drive over the Col d’Izoard, finishing up in the tiny village of La Chalp.

After a very peaceful sleep at the Col de Lautaret we woke up to the clouds hugging the mountains peaks. We descended the valley to Briancon. As we have already stayed here a couple of times we only stopped to use the service point and do a quick shop.

Then it was up towards the Col d’Izoard. We stopped in Le Laus, a very small ski village, where we decided to hike to the Oules Cascade. The 3km uphill track followed the river in the Blétonnet valley through lovely meadows and pine forest. There was also amazing views of the Queyras mountain ranges. We pushed ourselves up the last steep section to the cascade.

Thats the cascade Oules that we walked to.

Then it was downhill all the way back to Bluey. We enjoyed a cooked lunch of sausages and a glass of red before the drive up to the Col d’Izoard 2360m.

On the way up we take a photo of Napoleon’s Refuge which was built during the reign of Napoleon III in 1858, thanks to a bequest from Napoleon 1st.

The road was first laid out in Vauban's time. As early as 1710, it appeared on maps and was made passable between 1893 and 1897. At first, it was a strategic military route to protect the French-Italian border. On August 12, 1934, the stele at the pass was inaugurated by the Touring Club de France and the Briançonnais and Queyras tourist offices. It pays tribute to General Baron Berge and the troops who built the Col de l'Izoard road. The Tour de France is now part of the history of this mythical pass. It has been crossed 36 times, the first in 1922.

There have been some improvements here since our last visit in 2014. It was quite fresh and the wind was blowing as we walked around the various lookouts that offered amazing views!