Wild camping on the Ammertespitz
The Ammertespitz is a scree summit at 2'613 m with no ground to pitch on, and the boundary between Lenk and Adelboden runs over the top. Both communes allow an occasional tent only with consent. The nearest level shelf lies 462 m east-south-east, 216 m lower, in Adelboden.
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.
Wild camping on the Ammertespitz: a scree summit above the Ammertepass
Which mountain. The Ammertespitz, 2'613 m, is swisstopo's name for this summit between Lenk and Adelboden in the Bernese Oberland; it is also written Ammertenspitz. The summit point is at LV95 2'606'612 / 1'142'455, WGS84 46.43341 N, 7.52467 E. The Ammertepass lies 530 m to the south-east; our report on it is wild camping at the Ammertepass.45
A path leads to the top. From the saddle of the pass a path of 656 m climbs 173 m to the summit point, and in the national map data an alpine hiking route (Alpinwanderweg) continues from the top to the north-west.5
There is no level ground on the summit
The top is steep scree. On the 2 m elevation model the median slope within 30 m of the summit point is 36 degrees, 77 percent of that ground is steeper than 30 degrees, and a third is steeper than 45. The aerial image shows loose scree with gullies on the west shoulder and a shadowed north face below the top.5
The nearest level ground is lower down. The nearest 10 by 10 m patch under 20 degrees is 170 m away to the south-east and 77 m lower, and it is still a scree slope. Under 10 degrees the nearest is 311 m to the north, a small turf pocket under the north face, and no walkable line leads down to it from the top. The first real shelf is 462 m east-south-east at 2'397 m, 216 m below the summit and 873 m away by path, on the terrace north-east of the pass.5
The boundary runs over the top, and both communes ask consent
The summit point is in Lenk, and Adelboden begins 0.8 m north of it. The crest is the boundary between the two communes, and nothing on the ground marks it. What applies depends on the pitch you choose, not on the summit point.1
Both communes regulate camping, and both write a consent route into the regulation. The difference is who has to say yes.
Lenk: the landowner and the commune. Lenk's police regulation bans camping on public ground outside designated areas and lets the communal police allow exceptions. Its camping regulation of 1 November 1969 covers the rest of the territory, and its art. 6 says:1
"Das vereinzelte gelegentliche Campieren abseits von bewilligten Campingplätzen ist nur mit Zustimmung des Grundeigentümers und der Gemeindebehörde gestattet, wobei insbesondere die hygienischen Einrichtungen zu genügen haben. Der Gemeinderat setzt die Dauer des Campierens fest."Reglement über das Campingwesen der Gemeinde Lenk, art. 6, adopted by the Gemeindeversammlung on 1 November 1969 and approved by the cantonal government on 16 December 1969 (decision 8417). In English: occasional, isolated camping away from approved campsites is permitted only with the consent of the landowner and of the communal authority, the hygiene facilities must be adequate, and the Gemeinderat sets the duration.
"Vereinzelt gelegentlich" describes a single night, and the article permits it, with two consents. The police regulation, art. 21, bans "Übernachten in Fahrzeugen und Zelten" on public ground outside designated areas; its para. 2 lets the communal police allow exceptions in justified cases, and art. 50 sets fines up to CHF 5'000, with a warning instead in light cases. The 1969 regulation's own fine is up to CHF 200 (art. 25).1
Adelboden: the landowner alone. Adelboden's police regulation allows camping on public ground only at places the local police designate (art. 32), and its fine ordinance sets CHF 200 for a first offence and CHF 400 for a repeat within two years. Its camping regulation covers other land, and its art. 4 says:2
"Die vereinzelte, gelegentliche Aufstellung von Zelten ohne Entgelt auf anderen Grundstücken ist nur mit Zustimmung des Grundeigentümers gestattet."Campingreglement der Gemischten Gemeinde Adelboden, art. 4. In English: the occasional, isolated pitching of tents without charge on other land is permitted only with the landowner's consent. The same article adds that the commune may limit or prohibit camping on such land where the protected landscape would be materially impaired.
Bern and the federal government add no ban. Bernese nature-protection law contains no camping term, and the canton's wildlife ordinance bans free camping and bivouacking only in named wildlife areas, none of which covers the summit or the shelf. No federal inventory object, game reserve or wildlife rest zone covers the summit. The Ammertepass report reads both communal regimes in full, including what they mean for a tentless bivouac.34
Landscape protection, the BLN object and the wildlife zones: what they change
The summit lies in a communal landscape-protection area, the shelf in another. The cadastre shows Lenk's area Wildstrubel / Regenboldshorn over the summit point and Adelboden's area Bunder / Lohner over the shelf. Lenk's building regulation (art. 26) keeps new buildings out of its areas, and Adelboden's (art. 18) forbids fills, deposits and the removal of characteristic landscape elements in its area. Neither contains a camping term.12
The federal landscape object BLN 1513 covers the shelf, not the summit. The inventory object "Engstligenalp und Entschligefäll" begins 6 m from the summit point and covers the shelf. It binds federal and cantonal authorities in planning decisions and carries no penalty for a person with a rucksack.4
A tent ban begins 1.2 km east of the shelf. The cantonal nature reserve Engstligenalp (no. 244) covers the plateau that the pass route leads down to. Its protection decree of 4 June 2008 lists among the things forbidden in the snow-free season "das Aufstellen von Zelten und anderen Unterständen", and breaches are fined; the nature-conservation inspectorate can allow exceptions. The reserve boundary is 1.2 km east of the shelf and 1.6 km from the summit, so the summit and the shelf are outside it, and the plateau is not a place to carry a tent to.34
No year-round wildlife zone is close. The nearest binding wildlife rest zone, Adelboden Fitzer, begins 605 m from the summit and 461 m from the shelf, and it bars access only from 20 December to 30 April, with crossing on the marked route allowed. The canton's wildlife-protection areas lie 4.6 km away or more. Lenk's communal wildlife area W4, 1.3 km away, is listed as a recommended wildlife rest zone, and its article in the building regulation asks everyone to take wildlife into account; it contains no camping ban.134
Whose ground it is, who to ask, and what hikers report
The summit, the west shoulder and the pass have no parcel. The Bern cadastre records none there. Swiss civil law presumes that ground "dem der Kultur nicht fähigen Lande, wie Felsen und Schutthalden" has no private owner, and canton Bern supervises its use. For a pitch on the Lenk side that leaves the commune as the one door: the camping regulation covers the whole commune territory, but the texts do not say whether bare scree counts as public ground under the police regulation, and no decision or published practice answers it.61
The shelf lies on Adelboden parcel 41, and both pastures have registered operators. The shelf is on the surveyed parcel no. 41, 1'279 ha, whose owner the cadastre does not name. In the federal 2025 land-use data it lies in a summer pasture of 1'631 ha, operator number BEB120677; the summit and the pass lie in another summer pasture of 220 ha, operator number BEB119975, which also covers the Ammertenhütte. No open source names the operators. Adelboden's rule asks for the landowner's consent, and the commune's administration is the place to learn who that is.62
No standing permission and no fee are published. Nothing published offers a night on this ground or puts a price on it. Say where you want to pitch and for how many nights when you ask: the Gemeindeverwaltung Lenk, +41 33 736 32 00, for the commune's consent and the duration it sets (Lenk's art. 6), or the Gemeindeverwaltung Adelboden, +41 33 673 82 10, for the shelf.12
What hikers report. Trip reports on hikr.org describe a tent pitched above the Ammertenhütte (hike of 15 July 2016) and one at about 2'600 m by point 2'591, near the Ammertehore (hike of 12 August 2018). Neither mentions contact with an owner, a warden or the police, and none describes a night on the Ammertespitz. They are anecdotes and not a permission.8
Where you can sleep: the shelf below the pass with consent, or the Ammertenhütte
The nearest level ground is the shelf below the pass, in Adelboden. About 370 m2 lie under 5 degrees and about 1'300 m2 under 8, at 46.43148 N, 7.52999 E (LV95 2'607'021 / 1'142'241), 2'397 m, 462 m east-south-east of the summit and 216 m lower. From the air it is a gravel fan with rills on its west side and turf beside it, and the marked pass route passes 21 m from its centre, so pitch off the path and away from the rills. The shelf is inside BLN 1513 and the landscape-protection area Bunder / Lohner, neither with a camping clause.54
One small pitch, one night, and the yes comes first. Adelboden asks for the landowner's consent for an occasional tent without charge. The ground is registered summer pasture, so expect livestock, sheep above all: the Ammertenhütte's own notice asks guests to hook the door shut as protection against sheep, and the federal guard-dog map shows no dog pasture within 9 km, though it lists only what the cantons reported. Do not carry on east to the Engstligenalp plateau with a tent: it is the reserve described above.267
Ammertenhütte, 1'830 m, about 1.1 km south-west of the summit on the Lenk side: a private shelter with 6 beds, not staffed, CHF 20 a night including firewood, paid in cash into the box or by Twint. A reservation is not possible; bring a hut sleeping bag, take your rubbish with you, and note that the spring water is not drinking water. Hut phone +41 79 240 64 91.7
General rules for wild camping
This applies wherever you are genuinely allowed to sleep outside, which near the Ammertespitz means one small pitch on the shelf below the pass, with the landowner's consent. Keep off the path, carry your water and leave nothing behind.
- 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 October 2026, based on the official and public sources below. It does not replace legal advice and is not a binding statement by a public authority.
Communal regulations, consent practice and opening dates change; Lenk's camping regulation dates from 1969, and a commune can revise it. The ground on the summit and the shelf was judged from official aerial imagery and the federal elevation model, not surveyed on site. The landowner's own conditions would add to this text, and so would a court prohibition; none has appeared in the cantonal gazette in the past six months. 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 night. Anyone who spends the night outside bears responsibility for their own conduct and its consequences. 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 Ammertespitz?
Which commune is the summit in?
Is the Ammertenspitz the same mountain?
Where can I pitch instead?
What is the fine?
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.
Sources
- Gemeinde Lenk, read 1 October 2026. Gemeindepolizeireglement of 11 December 2007, in force since 1 January 2008: art. 21 para. 1 "Campingverbot": "Auf öffentlichem Grund ist das Übernachten in Fahrzeugen und Zelten (Campieren) ausserhalb der speziell dafür vorgesehenen Flächen verboten."; para. 2: "Die Gemeindepolizei kann in begründeten Fällen Ausnahmen bewilligen."; art. 44 para. 3: "Die Bestimmungen des Campingreglements bleiben vorbehalten."; art. 50 para. 1: "Wer gegen Bestimmungen dieses Reglements oder eine gestützt darauf erlassene Allgemeinverfügung verstösst, wird mit Busse bis zu 5000 Franken bestraft.", para. 2: a warning in light cases. Reglement über das Campingwesen, adopted by the Gemeindeversammlung on 1 November 1969 and approved by the cantonal government on 16 December 1969 (decision 8417), published as a scan: art. 2 "Unter Campieren versteht man das vorübergehende Verweilen in Zelten, Wohnwagen, Wohnschiffen oder ähnlichen beweglichen und unbeweglichen Einrichtungen. Das blosse Aufstellen von Zelten, Wohnwagen etc. fällt ebenfalls unter den Begriff des Campierens."; art. 6 (quoted in the text); art. 25: "Widerhandlungen gegen die Vorschriften dieses Reglementes werden mit Busse bis Fr. 200.-- bestraft." Baureglement, approval copy of 7 February 2025 with amendments up to 3 July 2025: art. 8 para. 1 "In der Campingzone gilt das Campingreglement der Gemeinde Lenk."; art. 26 para. 3, communal landscape-protection areas (annex 3, L1 Wildstrubel/Regenboldshorn): "Es dürfen keine neuen oberirdischen Gebäude und Anlagen errichtet werden."; art. 30 para. 2, communal wildlife areas (W4 Metsch/I de Louene/Am Bummere): everyone must take the needs of the wildlife into account. Cadastre of public-law restrictions (Canton Bern): the summit point has no parcel (HTTP 204), so the extracts of the neighbouring Lenk parcels 63 (EGRID CH450446223597, 8 surfaces) and 1377 (EGRID CH386646352825, 11 surfaces and 1 point) were tested polygon by polygon: the zone "Uebrige" and the landscape-protection area "Wildstrubel / Rägeboldshore" cover the summit point, which lies 1 m from their edge. Gemeindeverwaltung Lenk, Kronenplatz 3b, 3775 Lenk, +41 33 736 32 00, info@lenkgemeinde.ch. ↩
- Gemeinde Adelboden, read 1 October 2026. Published regulations. Ortspolizeireglement of 1 July 2009, amended to 1 January 2021, art. 32 para. 1: "Auf öffentlichem Grund ist das Campieren nur an den von der Ortspolizeibehörde bezeichneten Stellen gestattet. Das Aufstellen von Wohnwagen ist gebührenpflichtig." Gebühren- / Bussenverordnung Ortspolizeiwesen of 1 September 2009, item 4 "Campieren auf öffentlichem Grund", offence art. 32 Ortspolizeireglement and Campingreglement: first offence CHF 200, repeat within two years CHF 400. Campingreglement der Gemischten Gemeinde Adelboden, art. 2 "Unter Campieren versteht man das vorübergehende Verweilen in Zelten, Wohnwagen oder ähnlichen beweglichen und unbeweglichen Einrichtungen."; art. 4: "Das Campieren auf öffentlichen Strassen und Plätzen ist verboten. Die vereinzelte, gelegentliche Aufstellung von Zelten ohne Entgelt auf anderen Grundstücken ist nur mit Zustimmung des Grundeigentümers gestattet. Der Grundeigentümer hat in diesem Fall dafür zu sorgen, dass die notwendigen hygienischen Einrichtungen zur Verfügung stehen. Wenn die begründete Gefahr besteht, dass das schutzwürdige Landschafts- oder Ortsbild dadurch wesentlich beeinträchtigt wird, so kann die Gemeinde das Campieren auf solchen Grundstücken zeitlich beschränken oder gänzlich untersagen." Baureglement, approval copy of 14 January 2014, updated to December 2024, art. 18 para. 4 (landscape-protection area I Bunder / Lohner): "Alle Vorkehrungen, die dem Schutzzweck widersprechen, wie Auffüllungen und Ablagerungen, Eingriffe in Wasserhaushalte und das Entfernen von landschaftsprägenden, wertvollen und typischen Elementen, sind nicht gestattet."; no camping term. Cadastre of public-law restrictions (Canton Bern), Adelboden parcels 41 (EGRID CH453646053560, 94 surfaces and 6 points) and 45 (EGRID CH494605393524, 83 surfaces and 3 points), tested polygon by polygon: the agricultural zone, the landscape-protection area "Bunder Lohner" and a hazard indication cover the shelf, and "BLN-Gebiet Nr. 1513 Engstligenfälle und Engstligenalp" covers it too. Gemeindeverwaltung Adelboden, Zelgstrasse 3, 3715 Adelboden, +41 33 673 82 10, info@3715.ch. ↩
- Canton Bern, official law collection (BELEX), read 1 October 2026 with an in-text positive control per act: Naturschutzgesetz BSG 426.11, Naturschutzverordnung BSG 426.111, Jagd- und Wildtierschutzgesetz BSG 922.11, Kantonales Waldgesetz BSG 921.11 and Polizeigesetz BSG 551.1 contain no camping, tent, bivouac or overnighting term, so canton Bern has no general camping prohibition. Verordnung über den Wildtierschutz BSG 922.63, annex 2: the sentence "Freies/wildes Campieren und Biwakieren sind verboten" appears only in listed objects; in the cantonal wildlife-protection data (WILDSG, file of 24 September 2026, 166 polygons parsed, positive control a hit in the Dürrenwald zone) the summit point, the shelf and the pitches tested lie in none, and the nearest, Grosser Lohner (no. 15) and Lenk (no. 30), lie 4.6 km away and carry no such sentence. Schutzbeschluss Naturschutzgebiet "Engstligenalp", Regierungsratsbeschluss 991 of 4 June 2008: no. 3 "Gemeinde Adelboden: Grundbuchblatt Nr. 41 teilweise."; no. 4 "In der schneefreien Zeit sind zusätzlich untersagt: ... l) das Aufstellen von Zelten und anderen Unterständen;"; no. 5 "Das Naturschutzinspektorat kann in begründeten Fällen Ausnahmen von den Schutzbestimmungen bewilligen."; no. 10 "Widerhandlungen gegen diesen Beschluss werden mit Busse bestraft." The reserve boundary (cadastre geometry) is 1'634 m from the summit point and 1'246 m from the shelf centre, to the east. ↩
- Federal and cantonal geodata, read 1 October 2026. Swisstopo: the summit point "Ammertespitz" (swissNAMES3D, main summit) at LV95 2'606'612 / 1'142'455, 2'612.6 m on swissALTI3D; the municipal boundary layer, current year, returns Lenk at the point, and ray casting on eight bearings with bisection to 0.1 m puts Adelboden 0.8 m to the north. Federal inventories (geo.admin.ch, identify at tolerance 0, run with an invalid layer id that returns HTTP 400 and a positive-control point in the Kiental game reserve that returns its polygon): no hit at the summit point for game reserves, wildlife rest zones, BLN, floodplains, fens, raised bogs, mire landscapes, amphibian sites, dry meadows, Ramsar and Emerald sites, forest reserves, national-importance parks and military sites. BLN object 1513 "Engstligenalp und Entschligefäll": its boundary is 6 m from the summit point and the shelf centre lies 164 m inside it. Wildlife rest zones within 6 km: "Adelboden Fitzer (Nr. 4002.00)", legally binding, provision R40 "Zutrittsverbot, durchqueren auf eingezeichneter Route gestattet", protection period 20 December to 30 April, basis communal building regulation, resolved 2023, 605 m from the summit point and 461 m from the shelf centre; "Lenk W4 Metsch/I de Louene/Am Bummere (Nr. 2204.00)", recommended only, 1'295 m from the summit point. The nearest federal game reserve (Leukerbad) is 4'765 m away, the floodplain Engstligenalp 1'634 m, the fen Chlusi 1'631 m. From the cadastre extracts: cantonal nature reserve Engstligenalp (no. 244) 1'634 m, Engstligenfälle (no. 21) 2'258 m, communal protected area Chlusi 1'796 m; the communal wildlife area Metsch/I de Louene/Am Bummere (Lenk, in force) 1'294 m. ↩
- Terrain and map data, read 1 October 2026. Swisstopo swissALTI3D (2 m, 2025 tiles): within 30 m of the summit point the median slope is 36 degrees, 77 percent of the ground is steeper than 30 degrees and 31 percent steeper than 45; the nearest 10 by 10 m window with no cell over 20 degrees is 170 m away at bearing 146 degrees (LV95 2'606'707 / 1'142'313, 2'536 m), over 15 degrees 284 m (bearing 335), over 10 degrees 311 m (bearing 349, LV95 2'606'555 / 1'142'761, 2'514 m, a turf pocket under the north face). The shelf: centre LV95 2'607'021 / 1'142'241, WGS84 46.43148 / 7.52999, 2'397 m, 462 m from the summit point at about 118 degrees; 1'328 m2 of 10 by 10 m windows at 8 degrees or less and 372 m2 at 5 degrees or less, the latter 468 to 481 m from the summit point; commune Adelboden. Swisstopo swissTLM3D hiking routes: a path of 656 m from the route junction at the pass (2'443 m) to the summit point with 173 m of climbing, and an Alpinwanderweg of 2'250 m running north-west from the summit point; the pass route passes 21 m from the shelf centre, 217 m along it from the junction. Swissimage aerial image (map.geo.admin.ch): loose scree with gullies on the west shoulder, a shadowed north face below the top, and on the shelf a gravel fan with rills beside turf; no troughs or ponds within 100 m of the shelf centre. Approach figures are estimates from the elevation model, not measured on foot. ↩
- Ownership and use of the ground, read 1 October 2026. Cadastre of public-law restrictions and parcel service of Canton Bern: no parcel (HTTP 204) at the summit point, the west shoulder, the pass and the pocket under the north face; the shelf lies on parcel 41 of Adelboden (EGRID CH453646053560, 12'789'454 m2), whose owner the extract does not name. ZGB art. 664 para. 2: "An den öffentlichen Gewässern sowie an dem der Kultur nicht fähigen Lande, wie Felsen und Schutthalden, Firnen und Gletschern, und den daraus entspringenden Quellen besteht unter Vorbehalt anderweitigen Nachweises kein Privateigentum." Einführungsgesetz zum ZGB, BSG 211.1, art. 78 para. 1: "Die Benutzung und Ausbeutung des herrenlosen Landes und der öffentlichen Sachen, insbesondere der See- und Flussbetten, steht unter staatlicher Aufsicht." Federal land-use data (reference year 2025-01-01, geo.admin.ch): the summit point and the pass lie in the summer pasture polygon 101064 (219.6 ha, operator number BEB119975), the shelf in polygon 101760 (1'631 ha, operator number BEB120677); no operator name is published in an open source. Federal guard-dog pastures (geo.admin.ch, data status 1 October 2026; the layer returns features within 15 km, so it answers): none within 9'440 m of the summit point; the map shows only areas the cantons reported and does not guarantee completeness or currency. ↩
- Hut and operators, read 1 October 2026. SAC tourist portal, Ammertenhütte, 1830 m: "Privatunterkunft mit 6 Betten am Bergweg von der Lenk zum Ammertenpass. Nicht bewartet."; "Wasser von einer Quelle (kein Trinkwasser)."; "Reservation nicht möglich."; "Übernachtung pro Person inkl. Brennholz 20.- bezahlbar bar ins Kässeli oder per Twint."; "Die zusätzliche Türsicherung nach dem Verlassen unbedingt einhaken (Schutz gegen Schafe). Abfall bitte mitnehmen, Hüttenschlafsack verwenden."; hut phone +41 79 240 64 91. The building "Ammertenhütte" (swissNAMES3D) lies at LV95 2'605'845 / 1'141'618, 1'135 m from the summit point at bearing 223 degrees. ↩
- Background, not official sources, read 1 October 2026. hikr.org trip reports: 6-tägige Wanderung von Gstaad zur Engstligenalp (hike of 15 July 2016: "Oberhalb der Ammertenhütte konnten wir unser Zelt auf einer wunderschönen Matte neben einer Ruine aufschlagen.") and Ammertehore et bivouac à 2600m (hike of 12 August 2018, a tent at about 2'600 m by point 2'591); neither mentions contact with an owner, warden or police, and none of the 57 reports read for the summit, the pass and the hut describes a night on the Ammertespitz. Lenk-Simmental Tourismus, Ammertenspitz (2613 m ü. M.), updated 27 July 2026: a ski tour from the Engstligenalp via Triescht, Schönbüel and the Ammertepass; no mention of camping. The regional tourism site adelboden-lenk-kandersteg.ch writes "Wildcampen ist nicht gestattet" on its Kandersteg page only; its Lenk and Adelboden pages carry no such statement. ↩