Sources de l'Isère Glacier, Alpine glacier in Val-d'Isère, France

The Sources of the Isère Glacier lies in Savoie east of the Col de l'Iseran and the Val-d'Isère resort, along the Italian border. It consists of several ice masses beneath the Grande and Petite aiguille Rousse, the pointe du Gros Caval, the cime d'Oin and the cime de la Vache. Its meltwater gives rise to the Isère, a main tributary of the Rhône.

The glacier was long known as the Galise Glacier before taking the name of the Isère sources it feeds. Its meltwater forms the Isère, a main tributary of the Rhône, and the river's Gaulish name Isara, recorded by Ptolemy and Strabo, is said to mean "the impetuous, the rapid".

The glacier forms the birthplace of the Isère River, a waterway central to the valley's identity and daily life. Local communities have long viewed this ice mass as the heart of their watershed and mountain heritage.

Reaching the glacier requires a roughly two-and-a-half hour hike from Val-d'Isère, with the path following a mountain stream through high alpine terrain. Sturdy footwear and layers of warm clothing are essential, as the route is steep and mountain weather changes quickly.

The glacier was long called Glacier de la Galise before taking the name of the Isère sources. Its meltwater becomes the Isère, which the Gauls knew as Isara, a name recorded by Ptolemy and Strabo and meaning "the impetuous, the rapid".