Mountain refuge Cabane du Dersou

The environment Cabane du Dersou There is something left out of the inhabited cores and it works better as a step-by-step reference than a shelter to be reached without planning. At 660 metres of altitude, in the Grandfontaine sector and the Maison forestère de Saint-Pierre, it is located in a half-mountain forest strip where the reading of the map and the relationship between tracks, trails and diagrams is more useful than a simple approach by intuition.

Between the Donon and the great itineraries

Their practical interest is increased by the proximity of the Donon which exceeds 1,000 metres, and other nearby tops such as Le Petit Donon or Kohlberg. This gives you the courage to propose a day with nearby ascension or to fail a tour of this area of contact between Alsace and Lorraine. In addition, in the environment they pass long-range traces such as the GR 5 , GR 532 and GR 533 , so the cabin fits better as a support point within a journey than as an isolated destination without continuity.

In deciding whether to use it as a basis or only as an intermediate stage, that context should be taken into account. For a day base it can be used if the target is in the Donon massif and the network of roads is well known. As a point of passage, it makes more sense for those who link cords and signposted paths of several days, especially on itineraries where it is interested to share effort and keep room for time changes.

Logistics requires caution. The registered sources are several kilometres away, none especially immediate, so it is not appropriate to have water close to the shelter without first verifying it. Inner equipment or specific services must not be taken for granted. In reasonable planning, the important thing here is to arrive with sufficient autonomy, clear sector mapping and scope to reorient if long routes are chained through the Donon environment.