Rock peaks above Refuge de Cougourde carry the Franco-Italian border
To continue the route westward go round Lac de la Fous, then climb up the west flank of the valley to Pas du Mont Colomb (2548m), and there make a diversion to the right for the ascent of the easy 2816 metre Mont Colomb which rewards with some splendid views. On the descent from the pass take caution if snow is still lying. An ice axe may be useful here in the early part of the summer. The trail leads down to Madone de Fenestre and the refuge, and once again there are plenty of distractions to delay further progress on the hut-to-hut traverse. Among the excuses to delay are possible ascents of Cime St-Robert and Cime du Gélas, and the temptation to stray across Col de Fenestre to visit Rifugio Dado Soria. It would also be feasible for strong walkers to descend in Italy after a night at the Dado Soria hut, and head through the valley of the Gesso di Barra to its junction with the Rovina glen, then return towards the frontier ridge via the Vallone della Rovina, spend a night in the Genova hut, and next day return to France by way of Col de la Ruine above Refuge de Cougourde. This would give a brief introduction to the north flank of the mountains.
| Day 1: | St-Dalmas-de-Tende – Refuge des Merveilles |
| Day 2: | Refuge des Merveilles – Mont Bégo (or Cime du Diable) – Refuge des Merveilles |
| or: | Refuge des Merveilles – Mont Bégo – Refuge de Valmasque |
| Day 3: | Refuge des Merveilles (or Refuge de Valmasque) – Baisse du Basto – Refuge de Nice |
| Day 4: | Refuge de Nice – Mont Clapier – Refuge de Nice |
| or: | Refuge de Nice – Pas de Pagari – Rifugio Pagari |
| Day 5: | Refuge de Nice – Pas du Mont Colomb – Mont Colomb (optional) – Refuge de la Madone de Fenestre |
| or: | Rifugio Pagari – Pas de Pagari – Pas du Mont Colomb – Refuge de la Madone de Fenestre |
| Day 6: | Refuge de la Madone de Fenestre – Cime St-Robert or Cime du Gélas (optional) – Refuge de la Madone de Fenestre |
| or: | Refuge de la Madone de Fenestre – Col de Fenestre – Rifugio Dado Soria |
| Refugio Dado Soria – Gesso di Barra – Vallone della | |
| Rovina – Rifugio Genova | |
| Rifugio Genova – Col de la Ruine – Refuge de Cougourde | |
| Day 7: | Refuge de la Madone de Fenestre – Pas des Ladres – Refuge de Cougourde |
| Day 8: | Refuge de Cougourde – Cime Guilié or Tête de Ruine – Refuge de Cougourde |
| or: | Refuge de Cougourde – Col Guilié – Rifugio Franco Remondino |
| Rifugio Remondino – Punta dell’Argentera – Refuge de Cougourde | |
| Day 9: | Refuge de Cougourde – Le Boréon – St-Martin-Vésubie |
A more straightforward route across the mountains to Refuge de Cougourde resumes along GR52 from the Madone de Fenestre hut. The crossing here is made at the Pas des Ladres, but beyond the Lac de Trecolpas GR52 is abandoned in favour of an alternative trail which leads to the hut, while the waymarked route descends to the Vallée du Boréon. Since this is the last hut on our basic traverse it will be worth booking a bed for two or three nights in order to take advantage of the peak-bagging opportunities that abound. Rock climbers will be attracted to the quartet of Cougourde peaks that are thrust above the hut to the north-east, while mountain walkers with no pretensions towards climbing agility could find entertainment on the Cime Guilié or the Tête de Ruine. The two Lacs Bessons on the way to the Tête are also worth a visit in their own right, even if you have no interest in collecting summits. The big diversion here though, for experienced Alpine walkers, is to cross the border at Col Guilié and make for the Rifugio Franco Remondino, and there spend the night. Next day climb Punta dell’Argentera and return to the Cougourde hut. The West Col guide, Mercantour Park, gives the necessary route descriptions.
Finally descend to Le Boréon and on to St-Martin-Vésubie where a bus may be caught back to Nice.
The Maritime Alps
Location:
Astride the Franco–Italian border north of Nice. The range extends from Col de Larche in the north-west to Col de Tende in the south-east. In the heart of the region lie the Parco Naturale dell’Argentera and Parc National du Mercantour. The Maritime Alps form the southern limit of the Alpine chain.
Principal valleys:
On the Italian side these are Valle della Valletta, Vallone della Rovina and Gesso di Barra. Of the French valleys the main ones are the Tinée and Vésubie, with Vallée du Boréon, Vallon de la Madone de Fenestre and Vallon de la Gordolasque. Also Vallée des Merveilles, Vallon de la Minière and Vallée de Valmasque. The Vallée du Roya is important for access.
Principal peaks:
Punta dell’Argentera (3297m), Cime du Gélas (3143m), Mont Clapier (3045m), Mont Bégo (2872m)
Centres:
Valdieri and Terme di Valdieri on the Italian slope, St-Martin-Vésubie and St-Étienne-de-Tinée on the French side.
Huts:
A fair selection of huts exists on both sides of the range in the main areas of interest. Owned by either the CAF or CAI.
Access:
In Italy the best way is by train from Turin to Cuneo, and bus from there to Valdieri (for the Argentera). Train from Cuneo to Vernante (for the Palanfré). Trains also run from Nice to Cuneo. Nearest international airport is Turin. On the French side by plane or train to Nice. Train from Nice to St-Dalmas-de-Tende for the eastern Mercantour. Buses serve St-Martin-Vésubie from Nice and minibuses feed into selected tributary valleys.
Maps:
IGC sheet number 8, Alpi Marittime e Liguri for the Italian side of the mountains, at a scale of 1:50,000. The Didier Richard sheet 9, Mercantour massif et parc national – also at 1:50,000 has huts and the main walking routes clearly outlined for the French half of the range. For all areas of the French Alps, the most detailed maps for walkers are the IGN Serie Bleu at 1:25,000.
Guidebooks:
Mercantour Park – Maritime Alps by Robin Collomb (West Col) is useful for the main valleys and highest peaks in the national park. It also strays over the border for selected routes.
Walking the Alpine Parks of France & Northwest Italy by Marcia R. Lieberman (Cordee/The Mountaineers) describes a number of moderate walks in the Mercantour region.
Through the Italian Alps by Gillian Price (Cicerone Press) is a guide to the GTA (the Grande Traversata delle Alpi), which passes through the Alpi
