Mountain refuge La Tournante

Intermediate stop at the Jura vaudois

The Tournant fits especially as a mountain-pass shelter in the surroundings of Le Chenit 1249 meters, within the wavy and wooded relief of the Jura vaudois. It is not located in a high-mountain or alpine environment, but in a strip where meteorology can change quickly and where visibility conditions the orientation. In this context, its usefulness is less to serve as a basis for great ascendations and more to provide a clear reference within a network of paths across the area, including the E4 and GR 5 Jura .

Guidance and use of the environment

The presence of long-range routes and local trails reinforces their role as a support point for linear days or through the Jurasian corral. The close one Gros Crêt , to just over 5 km, it helps to place the character of the land: looms, forest masses and more continuous than abrupt levels, where the map and the reading of the land remain important, especially if fog or weather comes in. In such an area, a shelter like this can also function as a navigation reference rather than as a simple final destination.

The logistics should be planned with autonomy. The nearest registered sources are from about 2.8 kilometres, so it is not wise to have immediate water in the shelter environment without prior verification. There is also no specific data on equipment or services, so it is reasonable to provide for a self-sufficient exit and to value the shelter as a basic shelter within a mountain day. Although the altitude is not extreme, the combination of open ground in some sections, forest and possible time changes in the Jura makes it advisable to review weather forecasting, mapping and descending alternatives before passing through La Tournante.