| Map Size: | 275 |
| Photo Size: | 275 |
| Other Name: | Prealps — Préalpes (French) |
| Country: | France |
| Subdivision1 Type: | Regions |
| Parent: | Alps |
| Orogeny: | Alpine orogeny |
| Highest: | Haute Cime |
| Elevation Ft: | 10686 |
| Range Coordinates: | 43.9833°N 12.65°W |
The French Prealps (French: Préalpes françaises, in French pronounced as /pʁealp fʁɑ̃sɛz/) are a group of subalpine mountain ranges of medium elevation located immediately west of the French Alps. They roughly stretch from Lake Geneva southwest to the rivers Isère and Drôme; east to a line running from Chamonix, to Albertville, to Grenoble, to Gap, to Barcelonette; and south from Grasse to Vence.
In the northern subalpine regions, the various ranges are easily identifiable by geographical separations, such as the Voreppe Gorge between Vercors and Chartreuse, or Chambéry, which sits in a valley between the Bauges and Chartreuse ranges. In the southern subalpine regions, the ranges are generally disorganized and lack the wide, deep valleys that divide them in the north.
Three non-contiguous ranges traditionally comprise the southern French Prealps: the Alpilles, Mont Sainte-Victoire and Sainte-Baume.
| Chain | Range | Highest summit | Elevation (m/ft) | Comments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dents du Midi, Haute Cime | 3257m (10,686feet) | Highest summit in the French Prealps | |||
| 2965m (9,728feet) | |||||
| Hauts-Forts | 2464m (8,084feet) | Peak on French side of the range | |||
| Pointe Blanche | 2438m (7,999feet) | ||||
| 2750m (9,020feet) | |||||
| Arcalod | 2217m (7,274feet) | ||||
| 2082m (6,831feet) | |||||
| 2341m (7,680feet) | also called the French Dolomites | ||||
| Mont Jocou | 2051m (6,729feet) | ||||
| Mont Mare | 1603m (5,259feet) | ||||
| 2789m (9,150feet) | |||||
| Mont Céüse | 2016m (6,614feet) | also called the Pays du Buëch | |||
| Massif des Trois-Évêchés | 2961m (9,715feet) | ||||
| Les Monges | 2115m (6,939feet) | ||||
| Signal de Saint-Pierre | 1256m (4,121feet) | ||||
| Mourre Nègre | 1125m (3,691feet) | ||||
| Castellane Prealps | Puy de Rent | 1996m (6,549feet) | also called the Grasse Prealps | ||
| Maritime Prealps | Pointe des Trois Communes | 2080m (6,820feet) | Highest point on the Authion Massif | ||
| Non-contiguous | Tour des Opies | 498m (1,634feet) | Traditional southern range | ||
| Non-contiguous | Pic des Mouches | 1011m (3,317feet) | Traditional southern range | ||
| Non-contiguous | Joug de l'Aigle | 1148m (3,766feet) | Traditional southern range |
Among the best known peaks in the French Prealps are: