As of: 16 September 2026

Wild camping on the Abgschütz

The Abgschütz is the walking pass at 2'229 m where the path from Melchsee-Frutt tips over the crest into the Seefeld basin, 1 h 30 above the cable car. Obwalden asks no permit for one night, but the pass is grazed alp, and its owner wants to be asked first. With a yes, the dry grass west of the hut takes a tent.

Leon Helg
Leon Helg · Legal situation checked in September 2026
What do these mean?

Illegal A specific rule bans it, usually with a fine, and it can be enforced. Sleep somewhere else.

Not allowed No real place to camp here. A gated site, a developed area, or nowhere sensible to lie down, even if no fine is attached.

It depends You can sleep here, but there's a condition first: ask the landowner, book a spot, stay inside a set zone, or use a bivvy instead of a tent. The report says which.

Tolerated No rule clearly allows or bans it, but a single night is accepted in practice and nobody enforces against it. Normal for high bivouacs above the treeline.

Legal Camping one night is fine here. Either a rule allows it, or we checked every law and found nothing against it. Still: pitch late, leave early, no trace.

What "wild camping" means here: one night. A small tent or a bivvy bag, up towards evening, gone in the morning. Not a base camp, not a camper van. Most Swiss bans are written against camping; whether a single night also falls under them depends on the exact wording, so this article checks that wording. The full difference: wild camping vs bivouacking.

What the Abgschütz is: a crest with a cliff on one side and three communes on it

Wild camping on the Abgschütz is a question you ask at the signpost, where three marked paths meet: east back to Melchsee-Frutt by way of the Blausee, west along the crest past the shelter hut and down to the Seefeldsee, south up the ridge to the Hochstollen. The pin, LV95 2'660'873 / 1'181'336, is that junction, 2'229 m on the federal height service. The map prints two heights, and both are right: 2'229 m is the sign, 2'263 m is the grass knoll 130 m west-south-west that the Alpine Club attaches the name to.3

The crest runs east to west, and the whole north side of it is a limestone wall of about 150 m dropping into the Sachsler Seefeld basin; the commune line between Kerns and Sachseln runs along the top of that wall, 79 m north of the sign, and the shelter hut stands 13 m on the Kerns side of it. South of the crest is the alp pasture shelf of the Frutt side, all above the treeline, cattle on it in summer. The sign itself sits on a 22-degree grass slope with a scree fan between it and the hut: not a pitch. Of 529 cells in a 300 m box only twelve are under 10 degrees, and they all lie on the crest bench west of the hut or in the hollow behind the knoll.35

The third commune is the one that matters for the rest zone. Kerns, Sachseln and Lungern meet at a single point 200 m west of the sign, at the west end of that bench, and from there the Kerns/Lungern line runs south along the ridge towards the Hochstollen. Everything you can see from the pass to the west and south-west, the Kleinmelchtal slopes under the Chringengrätli and the west face of the Hochstollen ridge, is Lungern. That is where the wildlife rest zone lives.34

Obwalden put the permission in a statute, and Kerns repeats it

The act is the Gesetz über das Campieren of 4 December 2014, GDB 971.4, in force since 1 March 2015 and, re-read on 16 September 2026, unchanged: no amendment, no future version. It is built in two moves. Art. 6 sets the rule, and it is a ban: setting up tents, caravans and motorhomes to camp outside officially authorised campsites is not permitted. Art. 8 then carves the exception out of it, and it is the whole article in one sentence:1

"Zum einmaligen Übernachten darf ein Zelt, ein Wohnwagen oder ein Wohnmobil ohne Bewilligung ausserhalb bewilligter Campingplätze aufgestellt werden, wenn keine öffentlichen oder privaten Interessen beeinträchtigt werden."Gesetz über das Campieren of the canton of Obwalden, GDB 971.4, Art. 8 para. 1: for a single overnight stay a tent, caravan or motorhome may be set up without a permit outside authorised campsites, provided no public or private interests are impaired.

Read the marginal note, not just the sentence. Art. 8 is headed "Einmaliges Übernachten", a single overnight stay, so this is a one-night permission and not a camping permission; the second night in the same place falls straight back under Art. 6, and Art. 11 punishes camping without a permit and repeated breaches of the ban with a fine. The act names no amount, and neither will this article. The act also has no word for a bivouac at all: a night without a tent is not what Art. 6 bans, and Art. 8 covers the tent anyway.1

Kerns does not read the act narrowly. Its online counter entry "Campieren ausserhalb Campingplatz" restates the ban and then lists the exceptions, the one-night rule among them, in the act's own words: "zum einmaligen Übernachten darf ein Zelt, ein Wohnwagen oder ein Wohnmobil ohne Bewilligung ausserhalb bewilligter Campingplätze aufgestellt werden, wenn keine öffentlichen oder privaten Interessen beeinträchtigt werden." The commune publishes 46 regulations, none of them a police, camping or fixed-penalty act; the thirteen that could plausibly carry a clause were read after de-hyphenation with control terms, and the only camping words in the whole collection are a ban on camping on the school sports fields and the word "Zelt" for a market stall. The same is true of Sachseln and Lungern, whose regulations were checked because their lines run so close. The canton's own notice of June 2025 draws the same picture: outside protected areas one night is allowed, inside them there is an absolute ban.28

One caveat with a date on it. On 26 March 2026 the cantonal parliament accepted, 48 to 2, a postulate to restrict one-night stays in caravans and motorhomes; the postulate itself says hikers with a tent should keep the right. The government's answer of 3 March 2026 goes further and wants the tent night reviewed as well. No bill had been published by 29 September 2026, so Art. 8 applies unchanged, but check the law collection before a trip.141

The rest zone begins at the three-commune point, 200 m west, and only in winter

At the pin and at every candidate cell the federal identify sweep returns nothing: no game reserve, no wildlife rest zone, no BLN object, no mire, fen, floodplain or amphibian site, no forest reserve, no park, no military perimeter, with the invalid-layer control returning HTTP 400 and the positive control hitting the Kiental reserve on every run. The nearest federal object with a camping ban is the Hutstock game reserve, 4'234 m north-east in the same commune, where free tenting is banned by federal ordinance whatever the canton allows.39

The object that does reach this crest is cantonal. The wildlife rest zone Gibel - Kleines Melchtal (Nr. 17.1) has its nearest point 201 m west-north-west of the sign, and that point is the three-commune vertex itself: the zone's perimeter follows the Kerns/Lungern line south from there, so the whole zone lies in Lungern, and neither the pass, the hut nor the bench is inside it. The federal register carries it as legally binding, resting on the government decision of 21 January 2014 and the cantonal parliament's approval of 20 March 2014. What it forbids is not camping. The cantonal regulation behind it says so in one article:4

"Die Wildruhezonen dürfen in der Zeit vom 1. Dezember bis 30. April, die Wildruhezonen Nr. 1 bis 7 vom 1. Dezember bis 15. Juli nur auf den in den Plänen der Wildruhezonen gekennzeichneten Wegen betreten werden. Das Verlassen dieser Wege ist untersagt."Reglement über die kantonalen Wildruhezonen of the canton of Obwalden, annex 1 to GDB 651.150, Art. 3 "Weggebot": between 1 December and 30 April the rest zones may be entered only on the marked routes, and leaving them is prohibited. Nr. 17 is not among Nr. 1 to 7.

So between 1 December and 30 April a tent on the Lungern side of the crest is a tent off a marked route, and the federal fixed-penalty ordinance prices that at CHF 150; the zone also bans take-offs and landings and puts dogs on a leash. Outside that window the zone imposes nothing at all. In the hiking season the line matters only as a courtesy, and as the reason the bench east of the tripoint is the pitch and the slopes west of it are not.49

Whose ground it is, and what the private-interest clause means here

The cadastre puts the pass, the hut and the bench in one parcel, Kerns no. 1313, 638 hectares, and reads it as Alpwirtschaftszone: alp pasture, with the regional landscape-protection area Melchsee-Frutt-Tannen over the sign and the hut but not over the bench, and a hazard-zone overlay. All 134 surface restrictions on the parcel were tested; none is a nature-protection zone, and the landscape area is a building and terrain rule with no word about access or a night outdoors. The two nature objects of the area, the fen and the amphibian site "Sachsler Seefeld", start 690 m north, in Sachseln, below the cliff, and the Sachseln side of the crest is closed by its owner anyway: the Korporation Sachseln published a notice on 22 June 2026 banning overnighting and camping on the whole Seefeld pasture. One more reason the pitch lies south of the crest path, 17 m inside Kerns, and not on the cliff top on the line.5613

Obwalden publishes no owner names in the cadastre. Melchsee-Frutt's own page says the three alps of the plateau, Aa, Melchsee and Tannalp, belong "hauptsächlich" to the Alpgenossenschaft Kerns ausserhalb der steinernen Brücke, 2'053 hectares in all, and the corporation's own pasture map of the Hochalp Aa draws its outline around the whole pass, the shelter hut and the pool, where the cattle drink in summer. The pass is grazed alp of that owner. The plateau's tent leaflet, issued in July 2026 under frutt.ch, the lift business of the Korporation Kerns at the Alpgenossenschaft's address, allows one night in the signposted zone at the Balmeregg valley station and then says: "Ausserhalb der signalisierten Zone braucht es das Einverständnis des jeweiligen Landbesitzers." It asks for quiet from 22.00 and adds that "Widerhandlungen gegen das Campinggesetz des Kantons Obwalden können durch die Grundeigentümerin an die zuständige Strafbehörde zur Anzeige gebracht werden."7

The Abgschütz lies outside that zone, 3 km from it, on the same owner's pasture, so the consent sentence covers it: a night on the pass needs the Alpgenossenschaft's yes before you go. That is not a second ban. Art. 8 asks for no permit, but it holds only while no private interest is impaired, and a tent on grazed alp whose owner has asked to be asked impairs one. Whether it agrees to a night up here is not published, and neither is any fee. Corrected on 2 October 2026: an earlier version of this report quoted the plateau's 2021 leaflet, which had no consent sentence, and treated the pass as needing no one's yes.71

Ask the Alpenverwaltung before the trip: Korporation und Alpgenossenschaft Kerns a.d.st. Brücke, Sarnerstrasse 1, 6064 Kerns, 041 666 31 00, info@alpgenossenschaft-kerns.ch. The office is open on Monday, Thursday and Friday. Name the spot, and take a no as the answer. The plateau rule in full, with the Balmeregg zone: wild camping in Kerns.7

  • With the landowner's yes, the dry grass west of the hut, LV95 2'660'767 / 1'181'407 (WGS84 46.78107 N, 8.23437 E), 2'226 m, under 9 degrees of slope: 128 m north-west of the pass sign, 67 m west of the shelter hut, 8 to 12 m south of the crest path, 17 m inside Kerns, 78 m east of the Lungern line and the rest zone, outside the landscape-protection area. One night under GDB 971.4 Art. 8, with the consent the leaflet asks for. The pool 19 m to the west is where the cattle drink; leave it to them. Not the crest cells east of the hut, which sit 5 to 7 m from the Sachseln line on the cliff edge, one of them in the red hazard zone. Fallback, with the same yes: the hollow south-west of the 2'263 m knoll, 8 degrees, on the Hochstollen path. Corrected on 2 October 2026: an earlier version of this report recommended LV95 2'660'740 / 1'181'390, which lies in that pool.57
  • Not a second night. Art. 8 covers a single overnight stay; night two falls back under the Art. 6 ban.1
  • Not down at the Seefeldsee, and not on the Sachseln side of the crest. The lake and its whole shore are a cantonal nature reserve where Obwalden treats a tent as banned and fined, and the Korporation Sachseln has closed the Seefeld pasture around it to overnighting since June 2026: wild camping at the Seefeldsee.13
  • Not west of the three-commune point between 1 December and 30 April. That is the Gibel - Kleines Melchtal rest zone, legally binding, CHF 150 off the marked routes.49
  • The Schutzhütte Abgschütz, 85 m north-west of the sign on the crest, is a replica of the Grassenbiwak built by the Steinmanndli-Klub and inaugurated on 15 August 2013: always open, no bunks, no stove, not bookable. A roof in a storm, not the bed.10
  • On the plateau without asking, only Balmeregg. Melchsee-Frutt is a working alp whose landowner wants its consent outside the signposted one-night zone at the Balmeregg valley station, which has a public toilet and quiet from 22.00. Beds on the plateau: nine houses from the Hotel Frutt Mountain Resort to the Clubhaus Bergfrieden; no campsite. Nearest tent campsite: Camping Seefeld Park in Sarnen.711
  • Water and fire. None at the pass; the Aabach's mapped source is 212 m below on the Frutt side and karst dries it, so carry water up from the fountains at the Bergstation. Forest-fire danger in Obwalden has been level 3, "erheblich", since 11 September 2026: fires only in fixed fire sites, none on the bench.312
  • Getting there and back. Melchsee-Frutt to the pass along the marked path via the Blausee, 4.2 km and 384 m of climb, about 1 h 35; from the Seefeldsee 1 h 30 up. The gondola from Stöckalp runs until 18 October 2026, last descent 17.20 on weekdays and 17.50 at weekends; the last PostAuto 343 leaves Stöckalp at 17.40.11

General rules for wild camping

This applies wherever you are genuinely allowed to sleep outside, which on the Abgschütz means the dry grass west of the hut, for one night, once the landowner has said yes. It is not legal text, but decency and common sense, and on a working alp whose owner asks to be asked, it is also what keeps that yes possible for the next person.

  • No fire. An open fire has no place in the mountains. A gas stove is enough.
  • Pitch late, strike early. Set up towards evening, gone again early. A bivouac is one night, not a base camp.
  • Leave no rubbish. Everything you carry up you carry down, organic scraps and toilet paper included.
  • At least 50 metres from any water for the big business, so you do not foul what people and livestock drink.
  • Stay small and quiet. A small group, no speaker, no drone, dogs on the lead, and the alp staff's word goes.

Disclaimer

This article reflects my research and assessment to the best of my knowledge, as of September 2026. It is based on the publicly accessible and official sources linked below. It does not replace legal advice and is not a binding statement of the current legal situation.

Cantonal acts, communal practice and lift timetables change. A postulate accepted by the Obwalden parliament on 26 March 2026 targets one-night stays in caravans and motorhomes, and the government's answer of 3 March 2026 wants the tent night reviewed as well; no bill had been published by 29 September 2026. The owner of the pass parcel is inferred from the destination's description of the alps and the owner's own pasture map, not from a register. The commune lines and the rest-zone edge are computed from federal geodata, not measured on the ground. Before every tour, check the current sources yourself and follow instructions on site. A genuine emergency bivouac in distress is a separate question from a planned camp. Anyone who spends the night outside bears responsibility for their own conduct and any consequences themselves. Hikebeast, Leon Helg and Saftladen GmbH accept no liability for decisions made on the basis of this text, and call on no one to break applicable law.

Frequently asked questions

Is wild camping allowed on the Abgschütz?
It depends on the landowner's yes. The pass is in Kerns, canton Obwalden, whose camping act bans tents outside campsites in Art. 6 and then allows a single night without a permit in Art. 8, provided no public or private interest is impaired. The pass is grazed alp of the Alpgenossenschaft Kerns, and its tent leaflet of July 2026 asks for consent anywhere outside the signposted zone at Balmeregg: 041 666 31 00. No federal inventory reaches the pass, and the cantonal rest zone starts 200 m west and binds only from December to April.
What is the fine?
The act names none. Art. 11 of the Obwalden camping act punishes camping without a permit and repeated breaches of the ban with a fine, and gives no amount, so this article gives none either. What does carry a figure is the rest zone in winter: a tent off the marked routes inside it between 1 December and 30 April is CHF 150 under the federal fixed-penalty ordinance, and the zone begins 200 m west of the pass, in Lungern.
Where exactly is the rest zone, and does it cover the pass?
West of the three-commune point, wholly in Lungern, and no. Kerns, Sachseln and Lungern meet 201 m west-north-west of the sign, and the Gibel - Kleines Melchtal zone starts at that vertex and follows the Kerns/Lungern line south along the ridge. Neither the sign, the shelter hut nor the bench is inside it. In its season, 1 December to 30 April, it is an access rule: marked routes only, dogs on a leash, no take-offs.
Can I sleep in the shelter hut?
Only if the weather forces you. The Schutzhütte Abgschütz, 85 m north-west of the sign, is a replica of the Grassenbiwak built by the Steinmanndli-Klub in 2013. It is always open and has no bunks, no stove and no booking; the inauguration report says it serves solely as a shelter. Plan the night outside it, on the dry grass to the west, once the landowner has said yes.
Where do I pitch, and where not?
With the landowner's yes, on the dry grass 67 m west of the hut. LV95 2'660'767 / 1'181'407 (WGS84 46.78107 N, 8.23437 E), 2'226 m, 17 m inside Kerns and 78 m from the rest zone, east of the pool where the cattle drink. Not on the pass point, a 22-degree slope; not on the crest east of the hut, a cliff edge 5 to 7 m from the Sachseln line with a red hazard zone on it. And on the Melchsee-Frutt plateau itself, without asking only in the signposted Balmeregg zone, because the landowner wants its consent everywhere else.
Leon Helg

Leon Helg

Swiss filmmaker and software developer. Spends his free time in the Swiss Alps and maps his favourite spots for Hikebeast. Posts as @leon.helg on Instagram and TikTok.

Swiss Guide Wildcamping Checker Color Grading

Sources

  1. Gesetz über das Campieren (Campinggesetz) of the canton of Obwalden, GDB 971.4, of 4 December 2014, in force since 1 March 2015, re-read from the cantonal law collection on 16 September 2026 (single version, not abrogated, no future version listed): Art. 6 para. 1 ("Das Aufstellen von Zelten, Wohnwagen und Wohnmobilen zum Campieren ausserhalb behördlich bewilligter Campingplätze ist nicht gestattet."), Art. 7 (exceptions by communal permit for youth camps, large events and other justified cases; para. 3 temporary free camping on a house plot with the owner's consent), Art. 8 "c. Einmaliges Übernachten" para. 1 ("Zum einmaligen Übernachten darf ein Zelt, ein Wohnwagen oder ein Wohnmobil ohne Bewilligung ausserhalb bewilligter Campingplätze aufgestellt werden, wenn keine öffentlichen oder privaten Interessen beeinträchtigt werden.") and para. 2 ("Das einmalige Übernachten erfolgt auf eigenes Risiko."), Art. 10 (permit fees of CHF 100 to 1'000, a fee and not a penalty), Art. 11 para. 1 ("Mit Busse wird bestraft, wer vorsätzlich oder fahrlässig gegen dieses Gesetz oder darauf gestützte Verfügungen verstösst, insbesondere wer: a. ohne Bewilligung campiert; b. Auflagen oder Bedingungen der Bewilligungsbehörde nicht einhält; c. wiederholt gegen das Campingverbot ausserhalb eines Campingplatzes verstösst."). No franc amount anywhere in the act; no occurrence of "Biwak". gdb.ow.ch. ↩
  2. Einwohnergemeinde Kerns, online counter entry "Campieren ausserhalb Campingplatz", read 16 September 2026: "Das Aufstellen von Zelten, Wohnwagen und Wohnmobilen ausserhalb behördlich bewilligter Campingplätze ist nicht gestattet (Gesetz über das Campieren vom 4. Dezember 2014). Ausnahmen: Mit der Einwilligung des Eigentümers darf auf dem Grundstück des Wohnhauses vorübergehend unentgeltlich campiert werden. Zum einmaligen Übernachten darf ein Zelt, ein Wohnwagen oder ein Wohnmobil ohne Bewilligung ausserhalb bewilligter Campingplätze aufgestellt werden, wenn keine öffentlichen oder privaten Interessen beeinträchtigt werden."; contact Ordnung und Sicherheit, 041 666 31 31, gemeindekanzlei@kerns.ow.ch. Kerns regulations collection, 46 entries, read the same day: no Polizeireglement, no Camping-Reglement, no Ordnungsbussenreglement; thirteen acts scanned after de-hyphenation with per-file control terms, zero on Campier / Zelt / Biwak / Übernacht / Nächtig / Wohnwagen / Wohnmobil except the school-grounds ban in the Benützungsreglement Schul- und Sportanlagen and "Zelt" for market stalls in the Marktreglement. Baureglement Kerns (11 September 2012, version of 21 September 2023): Art. 23 Alpwirtschaftszone (federal and cantonal rules apply; only alp-farming buildings), Art. 32 Gefahrenzone (building overlay). Sachseln (30 regulations) and Lungern (25) checked the same way: no police, camping or fixed-penalty act, zero on every camping term in their building and road regulations. kerns.ch, kerns.ch/reglemente. ↩
  3. Official federal geodata, queried 16 September 2026 with tolerance 0 at the pin LV95 2'660'873 / 1'181'336 (gazetteer "Pass Abgschütz (OW) - Kerns", height service 2'228.9 m) and at every candidate cell: game reserves, wildlife rest zones (portal layer), BLN, floodplains, fens, raised bogs, mire landscapes, amphibian sites, dry meadows, Ramsar, Emerald, forest reserves and the military infrastructure plan return no object at any point; the invalid-layer control returns HTTP 400 on the point sweep and on the 3 km and 9 km box sweeps, the positive control at 2'626'000 / 1'154'500 returns game reserve Kiental. Commune layer filtered on the current year: Kerns at the pin; Sachseln line 78.8 m north (bearing 13, boundary point 2'660'890.5 / 1'181'412.8), Lungern line 201.2 m at bearing 295; three-commune point Kerns / Sachseln / Lungern at 2'660'689.9 / 1'181'419.5. Nearest objects: Hutstock game reserve (object 11, 3'502.9 ha, integral) 4'234 m bearing 59; fen "Sachsler Seefeld" (object 2589) 694.7 m bearing 349 and amphibian site "Sachsler Seefeld" (OW127) 691.1 m bearing 348, both in Sachseln; BLN Aareschlucht 6'727 m; forest reserve Wägisberg 1'612 m. Trail junction at the pin (three marked paths); Aabach mapped source 212 m bearing 134. Heights: DEM maximum 2'262.3 m at the knoll 2'660'728 / 1'181'301, shelter hut 2'226.6 m at 2'660'834 / 1'181'412. api3.geo.admin.ch. ↩
  4. Wildlife rest zone "Gibel - Kleines Melchtal (Nr. 17.1)", canton Obwalden, attributes read from the federal rest-zone layer on 16 September 2026: protection status "rechtsverbindlich", provision "R70" ("Zutrittsverbot abseits der eingezeichneten Wege, Leinenpflicht"), season "01.12. - 30.04.", basis "RRB Nr. 283, 21.01.2014, KRB 20.03.2014", additional "Start- und Landeverbot für Luftfahrzeuge einschliesslich Gleit-, Fallschirme und Speedflyer"; one polygon of 459.8 ha, nearest point 201.2 m from the pin at bearing 295 = the three-commune vertex, perimeter following the Kerns/Lungern line south; 13 of 13 interior samples return Lungern; union geometry cross-checked against live identify at 32 points on 8 bearings, 0 mismatches. Regierungsratsbeschluss über die kantonalen Wildruhezonen, GDB 651.150 of 21 January 2014 (version of 1 August 2021), enacting annex 1, "Reglement über die kantonalen Wildruhezonen vom 15. November 2011/21. Januar 2014": Art. 1 purpose, Art. 3 "Weggebot" (quoted in the text), Art. 4 (aircraft take-off and landing ban, dogs on a leash), Art. 12 penalties by reference to the federal hunting act Art. 18, the cantonal hunting act GDB 651.1 Art. 7 and the nature-protection ordinance GDB 786.11 Art. 34; annex list "17 Gibel - Kleines Melchtal, Lungern". No occurrence of Campier, Zelt, Biwak, Lager or Übernacht in the regulation. Plan "Schutz- und Nutzungsplanung Wildruhezonen" (A3, 1:100'000, 2021). gdb.ow.ch, ow.ch. ↩
  5. Cadastre of public-law restrictions (ÖREB), canton Obwalden, extract with geometry for Kerns parcel 1313, EGRID CH390478913687, 637.9 ha, read 16 September 2026: 139 restrictions, 134 polygons (all parsed and tested at the pin and at every candidate cell), 4 points, 1 line. At the pin: Grundnutzung "Alpwirtschaftszone, AW" (Baureglement Kerns Art. 23); cantonal "Landschaftsschutzgebiet" of regional importance, object "Melchsee-Frutt-Tannen, Gemeinde Kerns" (GDB 786.49 Ziff. 1 lit. e, effect under NLV GDB 786.11 Art. 11), which covers the sign and the hut and ends 51 to 80 m east of the bench cells; "Gefahrenzone mittlere Gefährdung" at the pin with the "erhebliche Gefährdung" polygon 0.5 m away; noise sensitivity III. No nature-protection zone anywhere on the parcel; the "Wildruhezone (überlagernd)" overlay starts 201.2 m away with the same geometry as the federal layer. Not concerned: groundwater protection zones and areas, watercourse space, forest reserves, static forest boundaries. Terrain: 25 m grid over a 300 m box, 529 cells, median slope 31.7 degrees, pin cell 22.1 degrees; candidate cells 2'660'698 / 1'181'386 (1.7 degrees, west edge of a seasonal pool, 24.5 m from the Lungern line), 2'661'073 / 1'181'411 (4.2 degrees, cliff top, 7.3 m from the Sachseln line, inside the red hazard zone), 2'660'948 / 1'181'411 (7.7 degrees, crest bench 4.8 m from the Sachseln line); pitch 2'660'767 / 1'181'407 (WGS84 46.78107 / 8.23437), dry grass on the SWISSIMAGE 10 cm aerial image, 2'225.6 m on the 2 m swissALTI3D model, 5.8 degrees at the point and 8.6 degrees at most in the 10 by 10 m window around it, 128 m at bearing 304 from the pin, 19 m east of the seasonal pool, the path 8 to 12 m north, 17 m south of the Sachseln line, about 50 m south of the cliff edge, 78 m east of the three-commune point, outside the landscape-protection area (60 m), in the medium hazard zone with the red zone 75 m away; fallback 2'660'698 / 1'181'261 (8.2 degrees, hollow south-west of the knoll). Corrected on 2 October 2026: this report had recommended the 10 m grid cell 2'660'740 / 1'181'390, which lies in that pool (0.0 degrees on the 2 m model, water on the aerial image, cattle around it). gis-daten.ch (ÖREB). ↩
  6. Canton Obwalden, Verordnung über den Natur- und Landschaftsschutz (NLV), GDB 786.11, Art. 11 "c. Wirkungen des Landschaftsschutzes" para. 1 ("In Landschaftsschutzgebieten können Eingriffe, die eine nachhaltige Veränderung des Landschaftsbildes zur Folge haben, nur unter grösstmöglicher Schonung der Landschaft und mit entsprechenden Auflagen bewilligt werden. Dies betrifft insbesondere umfangreiche Ablagerungen aller Art sowie den Materialabbau.") and para. 3 ("Das Landschaftsbild störende Umgebungsgestaltungen durch unpassende Terrainveränderungen und auffällige Pflanzungen exotischer Gehölze sind untersagt."), Art. 12 nature-protection zones, Art. 34 penalties; no occurrence of Campier, Zelt, Biwak, Übernacht, Zutritt or Betreten. Regierungsratsbeschluss über die Landschaftsschutzgebiete von regionaler Bedeutung, Teilerlass II, GDB 786.49 (27 November 2001, version of 1 August 2007), Ziff. 1 lit. e "Melchsee-Frutt-Tannen, Gemeinde Kerns". Regierungsratsbeschluss über die Naturschutzzone Sachsler Seefeld, Gemeinde Sachseln, GDB 786.45 (11 December 1995, in force 25 January 1996): enacts a cantonal Schutzplan, Massnahmenplan and Schutz- und Nutzungsreglement that can be consulted at the cantonal office and the Sachseln chancellery; the regulation itself is not online, and the objects it protects start 690 m north of the pass, in Sachseln. gdb.ow.ch (NLV), GDB 786.49, GDB 786.45. ↩
  7. Ownership and the plateau rule. Melchsee-Frutt Tourismus, page "Das Dorf", read 16 September 2026: the alps Aa, Melchsee and Tannalp "sind hauptsächlich im Besitz der «Alpengenossenschaft Kerns ausserhalb der steinernen Bücke»" (sic), "Die Alpen umfassen zusammen 2'053 ha Land, davon 1'415 ha Weideland."; "Mehr als die Hälfte der Landfläche der Gemeinde Kerns ist im Besitz der Korporation und der «Alpgenossenschaft ausserhalb der steinernen Brücke»." Obwalden publishes no owner names in the cadastre. The Alpgenossenschaft's own map "Nutzungsflächen Hochalp Aa" (2014, published on korporation-kerns.ch), read 1 October 2026: its pasture outline encloses the pass, the shelter hut and the pool; on the SWISSIMAGE 10 cm aerial image cattle stand at the pool. Korporation und Alpgenossenschaft Kerns a.d.st. Brücke, Alpenverwaltung, Sarnerstrasse 1, 6064 Kerns, 041 666 31 00, info@alpgenossenschaft-kerns.ch, office open on Monday, Thursday and Friday. Tent leaflet "Zelten auf Melchsee-Frutt / Übernachten im Zelt", issued under frutt.ch, the name of the Sportbahnen Melchsee-Frutt, whose site gives the address "Korporation Kerns · Sportbahnen Melchsee-Frutt, Sarnerstrasse 1, 6064 Kerns"; PDF created on 15 July 2026, linked from the home and arrival pages of melchsee-frutt.com, read 2 October 2026; it prints no list of signatories and refers to "die Grundeigentümerin": "Gesetzlich ist eine Übernachtung bei der signalisierten Zone bei der Talstation Balmeregg für eine Nacht erlaubt. Ausserhalb der signalisierten Zone braucht es das Einverständnis des jeweiligen Landbesitzers. Das Übernachten erfolgt auf eigenes Risiko. Bitte entsorge den Abfall ordentlich und gehe mit dem Holz sparsam und nachhaltig um. Eine öffentliche Toilette befindet sich bei der Talstation Balmeregg. Hinterlasse diese sauber. Wir bitten, die Nachtruhe ab 22.00 Uhr einzuhalten und Rücksicht auf Nachbarn zu nehmen. Widerhandlungen gegen das Campinggesetz des Kantons Obwalden können durch die Grundeigentümerin an die zuständige Strafbehörde zur Anzeige gebracht werden." It replaces the leaflet "Übernachten mit Zelt" of June 2021, which had no consent sentence and said breaches "werden" reported. Guest information page melchsee-frutt.com/touristinfo, section "Zelten", read 16 September 2026: "Eine Übernachtung bei der signalisierten Fläche bei der Talstation Balmeregg ist erlaubt." Corrected on 2 October 2026: this report had quoted the 2021 leaflet and read the pass as lying outside the landowner's rule. tent leaflet 2026 (PDF), melchsee-frutt.com, Das Dorf, Nutzungsflächen Hochalp Aa (PDF), korporation-kerns.ch. ↩
  8. Kanton Obwalden, Amt für Wald und Landschaft, public notice of 1 June 2025 following repeated violations, cited from the police news wire because the canton's own copy returned HTTP 404: outside protected areas "Im Kanton Obwalden ist es grundsätzlich erlaubt, ein Zelt, einen Wohnwagen oder ein Wohnmobil für eine einmalige Übernachtung ausserhalb bewilligter Campingplätze aufzustellen."; inside them "In Schutzgebieten jedoch gilt ein absolutes Campierverbot. Hier sind das Campieren, Biwakieren sowie das Abstellen von Wohnmobilen ausdrücklich untersagt.", naming among others the game reserve "Huetstock, Gemeinde Kerns"; offenders "muss mit einer Busse rechnen", no amount stated. Bote der Urschweiz, 26 March 2026, "Campinggesetz: Postulat fordert Überprüfung" (press): a postulate by Kantonsräte Niklaus Vogler and Franco Castelanelli asks the government to examine restricting the one-night rule for caravans and motorhomes; the act was unchanged on 16 September 2026. polizei.news, bote.ch. ↩
  9. Federal norms that do not reach the pass but frame it: Verordnung über die eidgenössischen Jagdbanngebiete (VEJ), SR 922.31, Art. 5 para. 1 lit. e ("Das freie Zelten und Campieren ist verboten. Vorbehalten bleibt die Benutzung offizieller Zeltplätze. Die Kantone können Ausnahmen bewilligen."), applying inside the Hutstock reserve 4'234 m north-east; Ordnungsbussenverordnung (OBV), SR 314.11, annex 2, no. 12005 (camping in a federal game reserve, CHF 150) and no. 12003 (entering a wildlife rest zone off the marked routes, CHF 150), the latter applying inside the Gibel - Kleines Melchtal zone from 1 December to 30 April. fedlex.admin.ch (VEJ), fedlex.admin.ch (OBV). ↩
  10. Schutzhütte Abgschütz, 2'660'834 / 1'181'412, 2'226.6 m. Melchsee-Frutt Tourismus, Frutt-Chronik, entry 2013: "Am 15. August 2013 wurde vom Steinmanndli-Klub die Schutzhütte auf dem Abgschütz eingeweiht." and "Sie ist eine Nachbildung des Grassenbiwaks am Titlis, die ursprünglich für das 100 Jahre-Jubiläum der SAC Sektion Engelberg erstellt wurde." Colour, labelled as such: gipfelbuch.ch report of 15 August 2013 ("Die Nachahmung des Biwak am Grassen dient lediglich als Schutzhütte. Sie verfügt weder Koch- noch Schlafstellen.") and route 21553 ("Auf dem Abgschütz (bei Wanderwegtafel auf 2222m) hat es eine gemütliche Wetterschutzhütte, die immer offen ist.", 1.5 h from the Frutt). Not an SAC hut, not run by the commune; current maintenance and any house rule not published. melchsee-frutt.com, gipfelbuch.ch. ↩
  11. Access and beds, read 16 September 2026: Sportbahnen Melchsee-Frutt, summer opening hours 2026, season 13 June to 18 October 2026, Gondelbahn Stöckalp to Melchsee-Frutt Monday to Friday 08.25 to 12.20 and 13.20 to 17.20, Saturday, Sunday and public holidays the same plus one descent at 17.50, possible lunch break at low traffic; Pendelbahn Distelboden to Bonistock 09.25 to 16.30. PostAuto line 343 Sarnen to Stöckalp (transport.opendata.ch, 16 and 19 September 2026): from Stöckalp hourly at xx.40, last 17.40, first from Sarnen 07.44. Walking: Bergstation Melchsee-Frutt (1'919 m) to the pass via the Blausee 4.2 km, +384 m / -74 m, about 1 h 35; Seefeldsee north end to the pass 2.3 km, +458 m, about 1 h 30; Hochstollen summit to the pass 1.4 km, about 40 min. Beds on the plateau (melchsee-frutt.com/hotels): Hotel Frutt Mountain Resort 114 rooms, 041 669 79 79; Frutt Living 10 rooms; Hotel Posthuis 45 beds, 041 669 12 42; Berghotel Distelboden 44 beds, 041 669 12 66; Berggasthaus Tannalp 60 beds, 041 669 12 41; Berghotel Bonistock 150 beds, 041 669 12 30; Bergrestaurant Erzegg 58 places, 041 669 06 00; Bärghuis Frutt 40 beds, 041 661 06 61; Clubhaus Bergfrieden 49 places, 041 669 00 70. No campsite on the plateau; nearest tent campsite Camping Seefeld Park, Sarnen. frutt.ch, melchsee-frutt.com/hotels, seefeldpark.ch. ↩
  12. Fire: BAFU forest-fire danger page, read 16 September 2026: canton Obwalden "Erhebliche Gefahr", level 3, since 11 September 2026. The absolute fire ban of 10 July 2026 in Nidwalden and Obwalden was lifted on 29 August 2026 when the level fell from 4 to 3; the standing measure since then is that fires in the forest and in the open may be lit only in fixed fire sites (press report of 29 August 2026; the cantonal notice returned HTTP 404). waldbrandgefahr.ch, polizeinews.ch. ↩
  13. The Sachseln side of the crest: Korporation Sachseln, owner of parcel 83 (34.55 km², the whole Seefeld and Älggi basin), notice on its homepage dated Flüeli-Ranft 22 June 2026, read 16 September 2026: "Bitte beachten Sie, dass auf der Älggi- und auf der Wolfisbergstrasse sowie auf dem Parkplatz der Älggialp und auf dem ganzen Weidegebiet auf der Älggialp und auf Seefeld das Übernachten und Campieren verboten sind." An owner's notice under the Civil Code, not a court order; under GDB 971.4 Art. 8 a published refusal is a private interest that a tent impairs. Korporation Sachseln, Chalchofen 1, 6073 Flüeli-Ranft, 041 662 20 90. The Seefeldsee itself lies inside the cantonal nature-protection zone Sachsler Seefeld (GDB 786.45, in force since 25 January 1996); the canton's reading, published 30 May 2025 and 14 August 2026, is a blanket camping ban in all nature-protection zones, bivouac included. Details in this series' Seefeldsee report. korporation-sachseln.ch. ↩
  14. Kanton Obwalden, postulate 53.25.05 "Anpassung Campinggesetz (GDB 971.4), Steuerungsmöglichkeit der einmaligen Übernachtung", filed on 4 December 2025 by Kantonsräte Niklaus Vogler and Franco Castelanelli of Lungern with 25 co-signatories, published in the Amtsblatt of 11 December 2025 and accepted by the Kantonsrat by 48 votes to 2 on 26 March 2026. It asks the government to examine allowing the one-night stay in caravans and motorhomes only on signposted public pitches or on private ones that need a permit, and it leaves the tent out: "Für Reisende mit Rucksack und Zelt soll es hingegen weiterhin erlaubt sein, in der Natur im Sinne von Art. 8 einmalig zu übernachten." The government's answer, RRB Nr. 326 of 3 March 2026, recommends accepting it and goes further: "Das Postulat bezieht sich ausdrücklich auf Wohnwagen und Wohnmobile. Im Rahmen einer allfälligen Gesetzesanpassung soll jedoch auch die Regelung der einmaligen Übernachtung mit dem Zelt überprüft und mitgedacht werden." No bill had been published by 29 September 2026, and the law collection listed GDB 971.4 unchanged, with no future version. RRB Nr. 326 (PDF), postulate (PDF), ow.ch, swissinfo.ch. ↩