Mountain refuge Refuge de la Fontaine Hunoltstein

In this sector of the Vosgos, the presence of itineraries such as the GR 5 , GR 531 and GR 532 place this mountain shelter in a useful area for passing days, links between routes and stages that require a good reading of the map before leaving. Its location, on the heights above Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines , fits better as a support within a journey or a long route than as a point to which to trust all the logistics. It can also be used as a reference for moving through local variants and memory paths that go through these Upper Rhine forest lomas.

At about 940 meters of altitude, the land combines forest environment and rounded relief of half mountain, but very close to the sea are the Petit Brézouard and Grand Brézouard which raise the mountainous character of the area and help to focus on the divisive. This transition between forest, high slopes and soft crests makes weather and visibility change quickly, especially if the day links several cords. There is a source about 800 meters away, reasonable distance to plan the water but not to take it for granted without margin. It is therefore necessary to face the route with sufficient autonomy and to consider the shelter as a mountain support, not as a resource that can always be reached or that can always be dependent on the changing time, orientation or state of the land.