It is in the canton of Campan in the Midi-Pyrénées region (department 65) of France and around 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the Spanish border.

La Mongie is the largest skiable domain in the Pyrenees including the Superbarèges station.

It is also popular for cable car access to the Pic du Midi de Bigorre (2,872 m), on the summit of which is a 19th-century observatory.

Observatory equipment has been in place since 1905 and in 1963 NASA funded the installation of a telescope for photographs of the Moon in preparation for the Apollo missions.

The Tour de France has regularly passed through La Mongie on its passage over the Col du Tourmalet since the inclusion of the Pyrenees in 1910.