Clue du Riolan, a balcony road in France

Clue de Riolan is one of France's most beautiful canyons. Located in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France, the canyon is carved by the Le Riolan river. It’sone of the famous French balcony roads.

Clue du Riolan

This real gem of a discovery is traversed by the D17, a small asphalted narrow road which enters the sunless trench of the Clue du Riolan. It’s 11.4 km long and links the towns of La Combe and Roquesteron.This amazing road, located in the  Vallée de l'Esteron (Esteron River Valley), is carved into the mountainside. It’s a road to die for (or die on, if you're not careful!). It’s normal for your palms to sweat looking at those photos, imagine what it must have been like before the barriers. There are a few unlit tunnels along the road.
It runs as a single track road along the mountainside for some distance with nowhere to pass another vehicle. Here one says a prayer that nobody is coming towards you until the road widens some kilometres further. The Clue of Riolan is the example of it as the erosion of the water has gradually produced a slow and beautiful work, has carved the white limestone deeply, without aggressivity.

This road is one of the most famous balcony roads in the country. A balcony road is a hair-raising lane cut into the sides of sheer cliffs. It’s a kind of road not for those who fear heights. There is little room for error on these roads. Drive with care as this is a mountain road with hairpin curves and narrow unlit tunnels. When you take this road as picturesque as it is narrow, with its many suprising meanders, drive carefully, and above all don't miss the parking spaces that have been provided.