Refuge de la Croix du Bonhomme

The Refuge de la Croix du Bonhomme is a mountain refuge in the French Alps, situated at an altitude of 2,443 metres in the Beaufortain massif above Bourg-Saint-Maurice in the Savoie department. It is owned and operated by the Fédération Française des Clubs Alpins et de Montagne (FFCAM), the French federation of alpine and mountain clubs, and serves as a key stopover for hikers and mountaineers on long-distance routes through the region. The refuge offers dormitory accommodation, meals, and a base for summit attempts and traverses. The facility is a typical high-mountain hut: basic but essential infrastructure for alpinists, with a resident warden during the guarded season. Its official website provides booking, access information, and updates. The refuge is part of the FFCAM network of more than a hundred huts across the French Alps and other mountain ranges. In August 2026 the refuge closed completely to the public to undergo a major rehabilitation project. According to the official website, the work aims to improve the visitor experience, enhance working conditions for the wardens, and reduce the refuge's environmental footprint. No accommodation or visitor services will be available during the construction period, and the site is strictly off-limits. The renovated refuge is scheduled to reopen in summer 2029. The FFCAM has launched a fundraising campaign to support the ambitious renovation, seeking additional support beyond public partners and its own financial commitment. As a commercial entity, the refuge operates within the non-profit structure of the FFCAM, but it functions as a hospitality and tourism service brand, with its own identity, booking system, and warden team. Its remote location and the multi-year closure make it a notable case of high-mountain infrastructure renewal in the French Alps.

The Refuge de la Croix du Bonhomme is a mountain refuge in the French Alps, located at the Col de la Croix du Bonhomme in the Beaufortain massif. It sits at an altitude of 2,443 metres within the territory of Bourg-Saint-Maurice in the Savoie department. The refuge is owned and operated by the Fédération Française des Clubs Alpins et de Montagne (FFCAM), the national federation of alpine and mountain clubs in France. As part of the FFCAM's network of mountain huts, it has long provided shelter and sustenance for hikers and climbers traversing the Beaufortain region, including those on the Tour du Beaufortain and other long-distance routes. The refuge's exact founding date is not recorded in the available evidence, but it has been a fixture of the area for many decades. It is typically staffed by a warden during the summer season, offering dormitory accommodation and meals. The warden as of the 2026 season is Guenole Loteria. In the 2020s, the FFCAM initiated a major rehabilitation project for the refuge. The goal was to modernise the facilities, improve the working conditions for the wardens, and reduce the environmental footprint of the hut. The project required significant funding, and despite support from public partners and the FFCAM's own investment, a public fundraising campaign was launched to gather additional resources. The refuge closed completely to the public on 17 August 2026, and no accommodation or visitor services will be available during the construction period. The site is strictly off-limits to the public. The renovated refuge is expected to reopen in summer 2029. This closure represents a significant interruption in the refuge's service to the mountaineering community, but it also underscores the challenges of maintaining high-mountain infrastructure in the face of environmental and economic pressures. The FFCAM's commitment to the project reflects its broader mission to support mountain sports and ensure safe, sustainable access to the Alps.

• Refuge closes completely to the public for major renovation.

• Renovated refuge scheduled to reopen.

Essential high-mountain refuge in the Beaufortain, part of the FFCAM network, currently undergoing major renovation.

• Dormitory accommodation

  Shared sleeping quarters for hikers and climbers.

• Half-board meals

  Evening meal and breakfast provided by the warden.

1. 1Accueil, Refuge de la Croix du Bonhommerefugecroixdubonhomme.ffcam.fr
2. 2Refuge du col de la Croix du Bonhomme - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
3. 3Refuge de la Croix du Bonhomme - Wikidatawikidata.org