Bagnour Hut and Lake Bagnour

The Bagnour refuge is located in the heart of the enchanting Alevé forest, the largest pine forest in Italy, at 2,017 meters above sea level. It has twenty beds and twenty-four internal seats, with half or full board service. The refuge is open every day from mid-June to mid-September, from September to June open on weekends and holidays (during the week only by reservation). The Bagnour refuge is the ideal destination for day trips or as a base for multi-day itineraries such as the Giro del Monviso. For information: +39 3204260190, +39 0175977135, sherpa.vallevaraita@libero.it.

The Bosco dell'Alevè is the most extensive pine forest in the Alps: it covers an area of about 825 hectares at an altitude of 1500 to 2500 meters above sea level. The forest is ancient, allegedly mentioned already in the éneis of Vergil and in the Historia Naturalis of Pliny the Elder. The name comes from the Occitan and literally means forest of stone pine (člvo = stone pine).
Near Rifugio Bagnour are two small lakes, surrounded by babbling streams, a popular destination.
From the restaurant Alevè bei Castello you can explore this unique, in the summer heat resin-scented forest on a small circular walk.

Stunning Swiss pine forest, more unique than rare. Lake Bagnour is almost a peat bog rather than a lake, but it is a magnificent place, and the nearby Bagnour refuge is an excellent base. Thanks to the refuge it is also possible to organize multi-day tours, such as crossing the entire Alevé forest towards Sampeyre with return from Colle di Luca and the Vallone dei Duc (or vice versa), or the climb to Cima delle Lobbie, or alternative routes to the classic tour of Monviso, always through the Vallone dei Duc.