GR5 — Larche to Nice conditions today
Mercantour · Pas de la Cavale · Nice · Alpes-de-Haute-Provence & Alpes-Maritimes
- Settled on Pas de la Cavale (3°C, gusts 9 km/h)
- No significant new snow on the high route
Best day to go
Best: Thu 15 Oct (100) — Settled on Pas de la Cavale (1°C, gusts 16 km/h)
What's limiting the score
Hazards & advisories
Huts, cols & altitudes
The last GR5 section from the Ubaye to the Mediterranean: over the Pas de la Cavale (the section's high point) into the Mercantour, down to Bousiéyas and Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée, across to Roya and the Refuge de Longon, then down the Tinée to Saint-Sauveur, Saint-Dalmas-Valdeblore, Utelle and Levens to Nice. Weather risk is storms on the high Mercantour, summer heat and dry stages low down, and Mediterranean autumn downpours that can cut roads in the Tinée valley.
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Bookings, access & safety
GR5 — Larche to Nice questions
- Is the GR5 — Larche to Nice open right now?
- No closure is currently reported in the news and official sources we monitor. The live score is 100/100 (Excellent).
- When is the best time to walk the GR5 — Larche to Nice?
- Best season: late June – September and lower stages also May–June and October. Check hut opening dates, and expect afternoon thunderstorms in summer and snow on the high cols outside it.
- How high does the GR5 — Larche to Nice go?
- The highest point we track is Pas de la Cavale (2,671 m). No overnight stop is above 3,000 m; the challenge is the daily climbing and weather on the cols.
- Do I need a permit or bookings for the GR5 — Larche to Nice?
- Hut and gîte bookings — Book ahead in summer; confirm opening dates.; Mercantour National Park rules — No dogs in the park core; bivouac only under the park rules — confirm with the Parc national du Mercantour. Rules change — confirm with the refuges and park authorities.
- Where does the avalanche level come from?
- From the official Météo-France avalanche bulletin (BRA) for the massif — or the Swiss SLF bulletin on Swiss stages — whenever one is in force (early November to early June). Otherwise the level shown is a model estimate and is labelled as such.
- How is the GR5 — Larche to Nice score calculated?
- Hourly forecasts for every waypoint, corrected to its real altitude (MET Norway Locationforecast), feed six factors: weather on the cols (wind, cold, cloud, thunderstorms), snow and avalanche danger, rain against published European landslide thresholds, trail weather, views and access. Météo-France orange/red warnings, flood vigilance and credible closure reports cap the score.
Weather forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Not an official forecast. Always follow Météo-France warnings and avalanche bulletins, préfecture and park notices and refuge guardians. Emergency: 112.
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