Fort Carra, Mountain summit in Alpes-Maritimes, France

Fort Carra is a summit in the Alpes-Maritimes, above the upper Tinée valley between Saint-Dalmas-le-Selvage and Estenc, closing the Gialorgues valley to the west. Its top is a rock bar with two high points: a pointed, snow-streaked summit on the left and a broader, flat-topped massif on the right. Dark grey and brown sandstone lies in horizontal bands and ledges, with snow filling the gullies and covering the gentler lower slopes.

The peak received its name from early mountaineers who recognized the fortress-like shape of its rock columns in the 1800s. Routes to the summit developed gradually during the 1900s as French alpine climbing expanded and became more organized.

The name Fort Carra comes from the summit's rock bar, whose stacked sandstone strata resemble a military fort. The peak belongs to a group of summits bordering the Gialorgues valley to the west, between Saint-Dalmas-le-Selvage and Estenc, with the Kerbrat-Metge ridge, the pointe Côte de l'Âne, the Bec du Château and the cime Dieudé-Defly. Fort Carra is the most recognisable of them thanks to this summit wall.

The western face provides the most direct path, though climbing boots and ice gear are often needed due to weather conditions. Good footing on loose scree and rocky terrain is essential, so sturdy footwear and careful movement through exposed sections are important.

Fort Carra and the neighbouring peaks of the Gialorgues valley are built of stacked sandstone beds; the horizontal strata are what give the towers their castle-like look. The same layers are compared in turn to the American West and to the Dolomites.