Grenoble Alpes University Hospital (Michallon)
CHU Grenoble Alpes – Hôpital Albert Michallon
- 24/7 emergency
- Stages 1, 2, 12, 13
Boulevard de la Chantourne, 38700 La Tronche
GR54 Tour des Écrins · Checked October 2026
GR54 Tour des Écrins emergency & health guide: hospitals, mountain rescue, 112 and 15
The nearest hospital with a 24/7 emergency service for each of the 13 stages, mountain-rescue numbers for the Isère and the Hautes-Alpes, Écrins National Park rules, and pharmacies, shops and bus stops along the loop.
In an emergency call 112; it works on any phone. For a medical emergency you can also call 15 (SAMU). For mountain rescue call the secours en montagne on 04 76 22 22 22 in the Isère and 04 92 22 22 22 in the Hautes-Alpes. Say which stage you are on, the nearest refuge or pass and, if you can, your GPS coordinates. If you have no signal, the refuge staff can raise the alarm.
Rescue numbers
| Number | What it is |
|---|---|
| 112 | European emergency number for all emergencies, from any phone. It reaches the fire and rescue service or the SAMU, who send the helicopter. |
| 15 | SAMU: medical emergencies and medical advice, 24/7. |
| 04 76 22 22 22 | Mountain rescue in the Isère (secours en montagne 38): Le Bourg-d'Oisans, Clavans, Besse and the Plateau d'Emparis, the Valjouffrey, Valsenestre, the Muzelle and the Lauvitel. |
| 04 92 22 22 22 | Mountain rescue in the Hautes-Alpes (secours en montagne 05): La Grave, the Alpe de Villar-d'Arène, Le Monêtier, the Vallouise, Champoléon and the Valgaudemar. |
| 114 | Emergency calls by text, chat or video for deaf and hard-of-hearing people. |
Mountain rescue is done by specialist gendarmerie and police teams, usually by helicopter. Treatment, ambulance transfers and repatriation are not free for everyone, so carry travel insurance that covers mountain rescue.
Rules to know
- Dogs are banned in the core of the Écrins National Park, even on a lead or carried. The GR54 crosses the core on most stages, so it cannot be walked with a dog.
- Camping is banned in the core zone. A one-night bivouac with a small tent is allowed from 7 pm to 9 am, at least one hour's walk from roads, car parks and the park boundary (the Pré de la Chaumette is an exception). At the Lac de la Muzelle and the Lac du Lauvitel you may only bivouac in the marked zones. Rules from the park director's decree of 26 June 2026.
- No fires; a small gas stove is tolerated, but alcohol, petrol and wood stoves are not. No drones below 1,000 m above the ground without permission, no picking plants or stones, no mountain bikes in the core. Carry out all your rubbish.
- Livestock guard dogs (patous) protect the flocks on the high pastures. Stop when they come, let them see you, then walk on calmly and go around the flock.
- In June and early July snow can lie on the north side of the high passes, especially the Col de la Muzelle and the Col de la Vaurze; an ice axe and crampons may be needed. The rock step between the Col du Vallon and the Lauvitel is dangerous in rain.
- EU, EEA and Swiss visitors get public health care with an EHIC, UK visitors with a GHIC; everyone else pays in full.
Before each stage, check the Météo-France mountain forecast (meteofrance.com, or call 3250) and the national park news for path closures. Afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer, and the floods of late August 2026 damaged roads in the Vallouise and the Vénéon.
Nearest hospital for each stage
| # | Stage | Hospital (24/7 emergency) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Le Bourg-d'Oisans → Clavans-le-Bas | Grenoble Alpes University Hospital (Michallon) |
| 2 | Clavans-le-Bas → Refuge des Mouterres | Grenoble Alpes University Hospital (Michallon) |
| 3 | Refuge des Mouterres → Refuge de l'Alpe de Villar-d'Arène | Briançon hospital |
| 4 | Refuge de l'Alpe de Villar-d'Arène → Le Monêtier-les-Bains | Briançon hospital |
| 5 | Le Monêtier-les-Bains → Vallouise | Briançon hospital |
| 6 | Vallouise → Refuge du Pré de la Chaumette | Gap hospital (CHICAS) |
| 7 | Refuge du Pré de la Chaumette → Refuge de Vallonpierre | Gap hospital (CHICAS) |
| 8 | Refuge de Vallonpierre → La Chapelle-en-Valgaudemar | Gap hospital (CHICAS) |
| 9 | La Chapelle-en-Valgaudemar → Refuge des Souffles | Gap hospital (CHICAS) |
| 10 | Refuge des Souffles → Le Désert-en-Valjouffrey | La Mure hospital |
| 11 | Le Désert-en-Valjouffrey → Valsenestre | La Mure hospital |
| 12 | Valsenestre → Refuge de la Muzelle | Grenoble Alpes University Hospital (Michallon) |
| 13 | Refuge de la Muzelle → Le Bourg-d'Oisans | Grenoble Alpes University Hospital (Michallon) |
Hospitals
Briançon hospital
Centre hospitalier des Escartons de Briançon
- 24/7 emergency
- Stages 3, 4, 5
24 avenue Adrien Daurelle, 05100 Briançon
Gap hospital (CHICAS)
Centre hospitalier intercommunal des Alpes du Sud (CHICAS) – site de Gap
- 24/7 emergency
- Stages 6, 7, 8, 9
1 place Auguste Muret, 05000 Gap
La Mure hospital
Centre hospitalier Fabrice Marchiol – La Mure
- 24/7 emergency
- Stages 10, 11
62 rue des Alpes, 38350 La Mure
Pharmacies, cash and supplies
- Pharmacies: Le Bourg-d'Oisans, Le Monêtier-les-Bains, Vallouise
- ATMs: Le Bourg-d'Oisans, Vallouise
- Shops: Le Bourg-d'Oisans, Le Monêtier-les-Bains, Vallouise, La Chapelle-en-Valgaudemar
- Bus stops: Le Monêtier-les-Bains, Vallouise, La Chapelle-en-Valgaudemar, Le Désert-en-Valjouffrey, Le Bourg-d'Oisans
At night, on Sundays and on public holidays a duty pharmacy (pharmacie de garde) covers each area: call 3237 or search by town on 3237.fr. Pharmacies are in Le Bourg-d'Oisans, La Grave, Le Monêtier-les-Bains and Vallouise; the Valgaudemar, Valjouffrey and Valsenestre have none, and the refuge stages have no shops. Carry a small first-aid kit, cash and food for two days.
Pharmacies, ATMs, shops and stops: © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hospitals and health centres checked online.
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