An old military road to the summit of Monte Grai

Monte Grai is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 1.920m (6,299ft) above the sea level, located in the Ligurian Alps, a mountain range on the border between France and Italy.

Monte Grai

The road to reach the summit is an old military dirt track. It’s called the military road of the Vallo Alpino. Open to traffic throughout the year, the road to the summit may be closed in winter when the weather is bad. Starting from the paved SP65 road, the ascent is 10.8 km (6.71 miles) long. 4x4 vehicle required. Unfortunately the asphalt runs out at ca. 1,550m and the gravel road up is not good enough. At this point the speed is limited to 20km/h, and it’s forbidden for vehicles up to 3,5tn.

Located within the Parco Naturale Regionale delle Alpi Liguri, the summit hosts a military barrack, nowadays partly used as an unguarded mountain refuge shelter (Rifugio Monte Grai). The constructions were built between the two World Wars. North of this mountain the Mediterranean influence appears to lose strength and the landscape is dominated by beautiful coniferous forests.

 

 

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