Tour of the Estenc plateau

The history of the refuge is closely linked with the Route des Grandes Alpes connecting Lac Léman with the Mediterranean. It was built in the early 20th century by the French Touring Club with the very rudimentary means of the period by Italian workers, for whom the imposing Cantionnière house was built. Accessible in summer 1913 to the few automobiles which were around at the time, the road was to be inaugurated by President Poincaré in August 1914. But the declaration of war deprived the people of Entraunes of this visit. The building today serves as a refuge and has been fully renovated by Mercantour National Park.   Capacity: 36 in dormitories of 2, 4, 5 and 18. Prices and opening periods: lacantonniere.wixsite.com/refugelacantonniere Tel: 04.93.05.51.36 E-Mail: lacantonniere@gmail.com

The term “hay meadows” means areas of production of fodder which was not deliberately planted and which are rich in variety of species. The hay is harvested to feed animals. These meadows are part of the non-intensive and environmentally friendly practices and they encourage a wide variety of plants to grow. Mercantour National Park has 1000ha of hay meadows, included in a pastoral and grassland domain covering around 120000ha. Within this, 90 professional farms are based in the Park’s communes and 268 transhumant farmers are present in summer.

It is on the Estenc plateau at 1790m altitude that the source of the appears. Of course, this is not the biggest spring on the slope nor is it the highest but it is said that it is the only one never to have dried up. The Var is a coastal river whose 114km course ends in the Mediterranean between Nice and Saint-Laurent-du-Var.