Refuge de Longon, Mercantour – Mountain Refuge Above the Tinée Valley

Alpine Pastures, High Trails, and a Remote Base in the Southern Alps

Refuge de Longon is a staffed mountain refuge in the Mercantour National Park above the Tinée Valley in the southern French Alps. It sits on open alpine pasture below the Col de la Moutière and serves as a stopping point on the GR5 (Grande Traversée des Alpes), the long-distance route that crosses the French Alps from Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean.

The refuge stands in high pastureland with marked footpaths approaching from the valley and continuing across cols and ridgelines toward neighbouring valleys. Terrain is open and mountainous, with grassy slopes near the refuge and rockier ground higher up.

There is no road access. Approaches are on foot via mountain trails, most commonly from Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée. The refuge provides dormitory accommodation and meals during the staffed season, functioning as an overnight base for multi-day routes across the Mercantour.

From the refuge, paths continue along the GR5 toward the Vens lakes and the Col de la Moutière or descend toward Auron and the upper Tinée. Walking conditions vary from pasture tracks to stony alpine trails with sustained ascent and descent.