Glacier Noir, Mountain glacier in Vallouise-Pelvoux, France

Glacier Noir is a mountain glacier in the northern slopes of Écrins National Park, with a surface covered in dark rock and debris. This rocky layer comes from the surrounding peaks and gives the glacier its distinctive appearance.

Until at least 1866 the Glacier Noir and Glacier Blanc formed a single glacial system above the Pré de Madame Carle. During the Little Ice Age the combined ice reached its maximum extent in 1815, ending near the height of today's Cézanne Hut (1,874 m). About a kilometre further down the valley lies the old Fontfroide terminal moraine, left by an advance before the 16th century.

The name means "black glacier", from the ablation moraine that covers the lower tongue and shields it from the sun. In French, any debris-covered glacier is called a glacier noir. The meltwater runs down the Torrent du Glacier Noir, the Gyr, the Gyronde and the Durance to the Rhône and the Mediterranean.

The hike to Glacier Noir takes about 2 hours from the Pré de Madame Carle parking area via clearly marked trails. Multiple viewpoints along the route allow visitors to observe the glacier from different angles and positions.

The dark rubble on the lower tongue comes mostly from the northern branch, fed by the bowl below the Col des Avalanches at the foot of Pic Coolidge and the Barre des Écrins. This moraine cover shields the ice from direct sun, so the snout reaches about 2,200 m, some 200 m lower than the Glacier Blanc's foot.