Hiking - Rifugio Emilio Questa and Lago delle Portette

Start from the Chalet Marano hotel parking lot. Follow the signs for the Lacs de Terre Rouge. Reach marker 92 and continue towards the Terre Rouge lakes, taking the path that climbs to the left. At the Terre Rouge lakes, follow the signs for Baisse de Druos, indicated by marker 93. The path overlooks the largest of the lakes and winds its way up to the pass without any particular difficulty. At Baise de Druos, continue on the path downhill towards the first Valescura lake, which you pass on your right. After the lower Valescura lake, reach a marker at its eastern end, where you should follow the signs for Lago del Claus and refuge Questa. You pass over an old military road. Reach the Lago del Claus marker and continue in the direction of the Emilio Questa refuge. Then reach the refuge overlooking the beautiful Lac des Portette and head for Passa delle Portette, indicated by the beacon, taking the path that rises to the right. From this point on, progress becomes more difficult. The first part of the ascent is relatively easy, but the slope soon becomes steep again. At the end, the path is very poorly marked and the terrain is unstable and slippery. Be careful on the last few meters of the climb. Beware of falling rocks. From the Pas des Portette, descend to the French side, entering the Mercantour National Park. At this point, there are no real tracks left, and you'll have to follow the few cairns scattered here and there. It's impossible to get lost in fine weather, however, as you can see Lac de Tavels on the first part of the descent. When you reach a flat area, you'll find a better-marked trail, which you should follow all the way to the lake. When you reach the lake, pass it on your right. Once you've reached the end of the lake, continue westwards, following the numerous cairns. You soon reach a scree slope which you need to climb up, then after a slight descent, you reach a second, much larger scree slope through which you need to follow the cairns at all times. From the Col Mercière, follow the signs to the Terre Rouge lakes, indicated by marker 95 located after the barrier marking the boundary of the Mercantour National Park. Follow a well-marked path until you come to the 92 marker you passed on the outward journey. Back at marker 92, follow the same route to Isola 2000 as on the outward journey.