As of: 15 September 2026

Wild camping at the Batöni falls

Batöni is the cirque at the head of the Weisstannental where three waterfalls drop onto one floor, 1'529 m, a T2 walk of 4 km and 530 m from the last bus stop. The grass would take a tent. It also lies 1.6 km inside the federal game reserve Graue Hörner, CHF 150 on the spot, and the reserve begins 700 m past the village, so nothing on this branch is legal ground. The lawful night is in the other.

Leon Helg
Leon Helg · Legal situation checked in September 2026 · Published 15 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 Batöni is: a grass floor under three waterfalls, and ground people would sleep on

Wild camping at the Batöni waterfall arena is the question the place asks by itself: from the Weisstannen Oberdorf bus stop a white-red-white mountain trail, T2, climbs 4.1 km and 532 m up the eastern branch of the valley, past the Unterlavtina alp huts and a water intake, to a cirque where the Piltschinabach (81 m), the Sässbach (86 m) and the Muttenbach (45 m) drop onto one floor. A 51 m suspension bridge, built in October 2017 and hung 10 m above the bed because its predecessors kept washing away, crosses the outflow at 1'529 m. Reckon 1 h 45 up and 3 to 3.5 h for the round trip; there is no inn on the way.913

The pin, LV95 2'745'732 / 1'202'609, is the grass shelf on the east bank at the confluence, 30 m from the bridge. The elevation model reads 10.7 degrees at the pin, 7.1 degrees 35 m south-west, a gravel stream bed to the north and cliffs and forest around; only 4 of the 529 cells in the 600 m box are under 10 degrees, and they are this shelf. The cantonal forest layer says not forest, the cadastre says "übriges Gemeindegebiet", the building register holds a single non-residential hut of 1982 68 m north of the pin. Hikers describe a shaded stone basin, wet after storms, avalanche debris on the trail until early July, no meadow. But it is grazed alp grass beside a stream with water in every direction, and on a dry August evening people would sleep here. So the ground does not decide this one. The line does.413

One federal sentence, and the canton has not softened it

"Das freie Zelten und Campieren ist verboten. Vorbehalten bleibt die Benutzung offizieller Zeltplätze. Die Kantone können Ausnahmen bewilligen."Federal ordinance on game reserves (VEJ), Art. 5 para. 1 lit. e: free tenting and camping is banned in the reserves, official campsites excepted, and only the cantons may grant exceptions.

Federal game reserve no. 15 Graue Hörner lies "zwischen dem Weisstannental und dem Taminatal im hintersten Teil beider Täler", 4'055 hectares of integral zone plus two partial zones, and the arena floor is 1'626 m inside the integral part. The ordinance's camping ban carries no zone qualifier, so it applies in the partial zones too; its only partial-zone carve-out is about weapons. Behind it stands the hunting act, which punishes disregard of the protective measures with a fine and reaches negligence as well as intent, and the federal fixed-penalty list, which tariffs "Freies Zelten oder Campieren in eidgenössischen Jagdbanngebieten" at CHF 150. The CHF 20'000 sometimes quoted is the act's ceiling in ordinary proceedings, not what a camper is charged.123

Canton St. Gallen could grant an exception and has not. Its hunting act, hunting ordinance and hunting rules contain no camping word at all and mention the reserve only as a red-deer management area; what they do give the wardens is police power, including "Bussenerhebung auf der Stelle". The reserve is Wildhut district 3, warden Rolf Wildhaber, +41 58 229 00 56. The canton-backed notice of Pizolbahnen, the commune of Mels and the Wildhut, first issued in July 2022 and re-issued word for word on 3 July 2026, says it plainly for the same reserve: "Dort ist Campieren und Biwakieren strikt verboten! Es werden Kontrollen durchgeführt und Zuwiderhandlungen werden gebüsst." It is written for the Pizol lakes side and never names Batöni; the reserve it names is this one.58

Nobody below the canton can help. Inside a federal reserve the landowner's consent is legally irrelevant, and the cirque is private alp ground anyway: the cantonal alp map draws the boundary between the Alpkorporation Lavtina, a cattle alp of about 600 ha with one herder and no dairy, and the Alpkorporation Valtüsch straight through the confluence at the pin. Neither publishes a word about tents, and inside the line none of it would count.10

Where the reserve begins: 690 m past the village, and it rings the whole falls side

The boundary was computed from the federal vector geometry against the marked trail. From the trail node 81 m from the village centre the path runs 4'048 m to the arena. It enters the partial zone at 692 m (LV95 2'745'241 / 1'205'429), on the gravel road behind the village where an official reserve board stands, and the integral zone at 2'107 m, at the Unterlavtina junction. From the 692 m mark to the falls, 3'356 m without a gap, every metre is inside the reserve. Around the village centre, which is itself outside, the reserve edge sits at 275 m on bearing 120, 380 m due east, 420 m due south, 580 to 640 m on the other falls-side bearings; only down-valley, from west round to north, is the ground open. There is no legal pitch on this branch of the valley, and the nearest point outside all three reserve polygons from the arena is 2 km away over the trailless eastern rim.4

What the commune and the canton add is nothing that reaches the arena, and it is worth saying so. Canton St. Gallen has no camping norm of general application. The commune of Mels publishes 51 acts on the cantonal platform and six more on its own site; not one is a police, fixed-penalty or camping regulation, and its Gemeindepolizeireglement is silent on tents. Its protection ordinance bans camping in exactly two places, the listed nature reserves and the Chapfensee habitat, and the 6.27 km² parcel that holds the arena contains no nature reserve; the two overlays that do cover the pin, the "Lebensraum Kerngebiet Graue Hörner" and geotope no. 23 "Wasserfälle und Typuslokalität Batöni", forbid buildings, roads, extraction, events and terrain works, not a night. The UNESCO label Tektonikarena Sardona binds authorities, not campers. Strip all of that away and the verdict does not move: the federal sentence is enough on its own.674

What is actually possible: the western branch is outside the reserve

The Weisstannental forks at the village. The eastern branch, Batöni and Lavtina, is the reserve. The western branch is not: Vorsiez, Obersiez and the Foopass lie outside all three reserve polygons, and from Vorsiez westward the trail never touches the line again. The road from the village to Vorsiez crosses the partial zone for about half its 3.7 km, so the walk-in is not a place to pitch either, but the alp at its end is.4

Alp Siez, a private Alpkorporation with 1'139 ha of land from 1'130 m at Vorsiez to 2'488 m on the Wissgandstöckli, runs a restaurant, two 3-bed rooms and a Matratzenlager with 35 places under the stall roof at Vorsiez, CHF 75 per night with half board, rooms CHF 105 plus CHF 45 half board, open daily from mid May to mid October; on Sundays and holidays bus 432 runs through from Sargans to Vorsiez. That is the sanctioned bed 60 minutes from the village, and the honest recommendation.11

The corporation's own high floor is the tent question. Obersiez, the alp's upper Stafel at 1'641 m, is a wide grazed pasture floor between two gravel stream beds: median slope 7.4 degrees, 265 of 361 measured cells under 10 degrees, not forest, 1.6 km outside the nearest reserve polygon, no wildlife rest zone, no federal inventory, an ordinary hunting revier, and a communal "Schongebiet" overlay that bans roads and extraction and says nothing about sleeping. Neither the canton nor Mels bans a tent there. What is missing is the yes: alpsiez.ch has no line on camping in either direction, so nothing here is a standing arrangement anyone can rely on. With the corporation's consent, asked at the Vorsiez restaurant or by mail, a night on the Obersiez floor is lawful ground in a valley that otherwise has none; without it, it is pasture in full view of the alp huts at the upper edge of the trees, and this article does not recommend it. No fee is published. The cows are up there for about ten weeks in midsummer, and the herder's hut stands 200 m from the flattest cells.1146

Two more places for completeness. The Foopass, 2'223 m on the St. Gallen and Glarus line, is legally the cleanest ground in this article, above the treeline and outside the reserve, with no camping norm on either side and the nearest Glarus rest zone 1.6 km away and winter-only; it is also a 29-degree saddle with a dozen cells under 10 degrees, a place to cross, and the reserve's western edge runs across the upper Foo pasture just below it. And the village floor at 1'007 m, which the notice's consent rule would allow with the farmer's yes, is farmland in sight of houses below the treeline: a roof option, not a camp.1448

What the maps and the pages say

At the pin the federal identify sweep, run with a failing-layer control and a positive control, returns the game reserve and the UNESCO site and nothing else: no wildlife rest zone, no BLN object, no park, no mire, floodplain or amphibian object, no forest reserve, no military perimeter. The cadastre extract for parcel 340 was read with its geometry, all 60 restrictions polygons and all tested at the pin: the core-habitat and geotope overlays above, a noise level, a water-space reservation. The nearest cantonal rest zone is the Calfeisental one beyond the ridge, 1.5 km south, winter-only.47

The pages people read first are less exact than the law. Heidiland's Batöni page says "Wildcamping ist verboten" and, in its FAQ, "Wildcamping ist im Weisstannental verboten", with no norm cited: true inside the reserve and the protected zones, wrong for the western branch. The UNESCO Sardona page asks for respect for a sensitive area inside a game reserve and names no rule. The four no-camping boards the Wildhut, Mels, the Ortsgemeinde Weisstannen and Pizolbahnen put up in 2022 stand on the Pizol lakes side, and no fine or control at Batöni itself has reached the press between 2024 and 2026; that is the absence of a record, not tolerance. One thing to know before you plan the walk: a 150 m³ rockfall in April 2026 closed the Hochwart trail above the falls until June; the trail from the village to the arena was not the one hit.138

  • Alp Siez, Vorsiez, 1'139 m: Matratzenlager with 35 places under the stall roof, CHF 75 with half board, two 3-bed rooms at CHF 105 plus CHF 45 half board, daily from mid May to mid October, Monday closed from mid September, wirt@alpsiez.ch, +41 81 723 17 48; 60 minutes from Weisstannen on foot, Sunday bus 432 to the door11.
  • Hotel Alpenhof, Weisstannen, summer season 14 May to 18 October 2026, no overnight stays Sunday to Tuesday, single from CHF 136, double from CHF 240 for two with half board, +41 81 723 17 63; and Hotel Gemse, open seven days, single CHF 95, double CHF 140, +41 81 723 17 0512.
  • Spitzmeilenhütte SAC, 2'087 m, 50 places, from Weisstannen over Obersiezsäss in 5.5 to 6.5 h, T3; it is the hut of the western branch. The Batöni trail leads on to the Sardonahütte over the Heidelpass, inside the reserve the whole way12.
  • The Obersiez alp floor with the Alpkorporation Siez's yes, hedged as above: ask first, no published fee, in view of the huts, the corporation's ground11.
  • A campsite does not exist in the Weisstannental. The nearest tent site, Camping Bad Ragaz, 21 km by road, closes from 20 September 2026 until mid April 2027; the Pizolbahnen motorhome pitch at Bad Ragaz takes no tents12.
  • Plan the bus. Line 432 Sargans to Weisstannen runs hourly, last return from Weisstannen Oberdorf at 19:47; the arena is normally reachable only from early July once the winter's avalanche debris has been cleared, and not at all in winter13.
  • Not the arena, not Unterlavtina, not the trail. Everything from the reserve board 690 m past the village to the falls is CHF 150 ground.

General rules for wild camping

This applies wherever you are genuinely allowed to sleep outside, which in the Weisstannental means the western branch, the Alp Siez Lager or the corporation's floor with its yes, never the falls side. It is not legal text, but decency and common sense, and next to a reserve that reintroduced the ibex to the Swiss Alps in 1911 it is also the reason the wardens still have time to count deer instead of tents.

  • 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.

Reserve boundaries, communal acts, alp arrangements and timetables change. The boundary distances are computed from the federal vector geometry against the swissTLM3D trail, not measured on the ground; the board at the reserve edge is the authority on site. The Alp Siez consent is a route to ask, not a published arrangement. Before every tour, check the current sources yourself, check the trail status after the April 2026 rockfall 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 at the Batöni waterfall arena?
No. The arena floor lies 1'626 m inside the integral zone of federal game reserve no. 15 Graue Hörner, where the federal ordinance on game reserves bans free tenting and camping. The fixed penalty is CHF 150, the cantonal wardens may collect it on the spot, and canton St. Gallen has granted no exception. No landowner can permit a tent inside the reserve.
Where exactly does the reserve start?
692 m along the trail from the village. The marked trail from Weisstannen enters the partial zone on the gravel road behind the village, where an official board stands, and the integral zone at the Unterlavtina junction 2.1 km in; the last 3.35 km to the falls are inside without a gap. On the falls side the reserve rings the village at 275 to 640 m. Down-valley, and in the western branch beyond Vorsiez, the ground is outside.
What is the fine?
CHF 150 on the spot. The federal fixed-penalty list tariffs free tenting or camping in a federal game reserve at CHF 150, and the St. Gallen hunting act gives the wardens the power to collect fines on the spot. The CHF 20'000 sometimes quoted is the hunting act's ceiling in ordinary proceedings, not the camper's fine. Mels itself has no camping fine; the commune's police regulation is silent on tents.
Where can I legally pitch a tent near Batöni?
In the western branch, with the alp corporation's yes. Vorsiez, Obersiez and the Foopass are outside the reserve, and neither the canton nor Mels bans a tent there. The Obersiez alp floor at 1'641 m is flat pasture on Alpkorporation Siez ground; the corporation publishes nothing about tents, so ask at the Vorsiez restaurant or by mail first. Without that yes it is pasture in view of the alp huts, and the Matratzenlager at Vorsiez is the better night.
Where do I sleep then?
Alp Siez at Vorsiez, or the village hotels. The Alp Siez Matratzenlager has 35 places for CHF 75 with half board from mid May to mid October; the Hotel Alpenhof and the Hotel Gemse are in Weisstannen; the Spitzmeilenhütte SAC is 5.5 to 6.5 h up the western branch. There is no campsite in the valley, and Camping Bad Ragaz is closed from 20 September 2026 to mid April 2027.
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. Verordnung über die eidgenössischen Jagdbanngebiete (VEJ), SR 922.31, as of 1 February 2025, Art. 5 para. 1 intro and lit. e: "In den Banngebieten gelten folgende allgemeine Bestimmungen: [...] e. Das freie Zelten und Campieren ist verboten. Vorbehalten bleibt die Benutzung offizieller Zeltplätze. Die Kantone können Ausnahmen bewilligen." The only partial-zone carve-out in Art. 5 is lit. d on weapons, so lit. e applies in the integral and the partial zones alike; only the canton, never a landowner, can grant an exception. fedlex.admin.ch. ↩
  2. Ordnungsbussenverordnung (OBV), SR 314.11, as of 1 August 2026, Anhang 2 Ziff. 12005: "Freies Zelten oder Campieren in eidgenössischen Jagdbanngebieten (Art. 18 Abs. 1 Bst. e und Abs. 3 JSG, Art. 5 Abs. 1 Bst. e VEJ) 150"; Ziff. 12003 (entering wildlife rest zones off the marked routes, 150), 12004 (leash duty in game reserves, 150), 12006 (drones in game reserves, 150). Jagdgesetz (JSG), SR 922.0, Art. 18 para. 1 lit. e (fine up to CHF 20'000 in ordinary proceedings for disregarding protective measures) and para. 3 (negligence punished with a fine). fedlex.admin.ch. ↩
  3. BAFU, Objektblatt Nr. 15 Graue Hörner (2023 revision file, 4 pages): "Das Schutzgebiet liegt zwischen dem Weisstannental und dem Taminatal im hintersten Teil beider Täler und umfasst grossflächig alpine und subalpine Gebiete. Die Waldflächen sind relativ klein. Alpweiden, Geröllhalden und Felspartien dominieren das Gebiet."; Zielsetzung "Erhaltung des Gebiets als vielfältigen Lebensraum für wildlebende Säugetiere und Vögel"; "c) Besondere Massnahmen. Das Banngebiet umfasst einen integralen (I) und einen partiellen (II) Teil." No camping-specific special measure; the map on page 1 shows the partial zone reaching the southern edge of Weisstannen. api3.geo.admin.ch. ↩
  4. Official federal and cantonal geodata, queried 15 September 2026 at LV95 2'745'732 / 1'202'609 (Batöni, 1'529.3 m) with tolerance 0, the invalid-layer control returning HTTP 400 and the positive control hitting game reserve Kiental: game reserves HIT, feature 920 "Graue Hörner", "Gebiet mit integralen Schutzbestimmungen", object 15, 4'055.3 ha, pin 1'626 m inside the nearest edge; UNESCO "Schweizer Tektonikarena Sardona" HIT (label); wildlife rest zones, BLN, parks, floodplains, mires, amphibian sites, Ramsar, Emerald, forest reserves and the military plan empty. Commune layer (current year): Mels SG, BFS 3293. Boundary computation against the swissTLM3D trail (features 3768189 and 3759592, node 81 m from the village centre 2'744'926 / 1'205'981): trail length 4'048 m, partial zone 922 entered at 692 m (2'745'241 / 1'205'429), integral zone 920 at 2'107 m (2'745'513 / 1'204'281, Unterlavtina junction), 3'356 m inside without a gap; nearest point outside all three polygons from the pin 1'990 m at bearing 108; reserve edge from the village centre 275 m (bearing 120), 380 m (90), 420 m (180), 365 m (240), 490 m (210), 530 m (60), 580 m (30), 640 m (150), open from 270 through 0. Village-to-Vorsiez trail 3'705 m, about half inside the partial zone, leaving the reserve for good 170 m before Vorsiez; Vorsiez, Obersiezsäss (2'738'876 / 1'205'250, 1'641 m, 1'643 m outside), the Obersiez valley and the Foopass (2'737'001 / 1'200'647, 2'223 m, 2'035 m outside the integral zone) outside all three polygons; Walabütz Flurname point inside the partial zone, the Beiz building outside. Terrain (swissALTI3D, 25 m grid): pin cell 10.7 degrees, 7.1 degrees 35 m SW, 4 of 529 cells under 10 degrees in the 600 m box; Obersiezsäss box median 7.4 degrees, 265 of 361 cells under 10, 93 under 6; Foopass box median 29.5 degrees, 12 cells under 10. Building register (400 m envelope): one building, "Lavtina-Patöni 4", non-residential, 1982, 68 m north of the pin. ÖREB St. Gallen, parcel 340, EGRID CH446639777016, 6'273'262 m², 60 restrictions, all surfaces, all tested: at the pin "übriges Gemeindegebiet", noise level III, potential water space, Geotopschutzgebiet, Lebensraum Kerngebiet; no nature-protection zone anywhere on the parcel; cantonal forest layer: not forest. map.geo.admin.ch. ↩
  5. Canton St. Gallen: Gesetz über die Jagd, den Schutz der wildlebenden Säugetiere und Vögel sowie deren Lebensräume, sGS 853.1 (as of 1 April 2024), Jagdverordnung sGS 853.11 and Verordnung über die Jagdvorschriften sGS 853.111, read in full: no camping, tent, bivouac or overnighting word in any of them, the federal reserve named only as red-deer management area 201 in the ordinance's annex; Art. 62 para. 2 of the act gives the Wildhut and the appointed supervisory organs police powers, "c) Bussenerhebung auf der Stelle". Amt für Natur, Jagd und Fischerei, team page (updated 20 August 2026): "Rolf Wildhaber, Wildhüter Kreis 3, +41 58 229 00 56, rolf.wildhaber@sg.ch, zuständig für [...] Foo, Precht, Eidg. Jagdbanngebiet Graue Hörner"; the Siez revier belongs to Wildhüter Kreis 4. ANJF page on the reserve: international significance since the ibex reintroduction of 1911; no camping line. A full-text search of the current cantonal collection finds no exception under VEJ Art. 5 para. 1 lit. e for this reserve. gesetzessammlung.sg.ch. ↩
  6. Canton St. Gallen and commune of Mels, the absence of a camping norm: Strafprozessverordnung sGS 962.11, Anhang Ordnungsbussen (in force 1 May 2026), section 21 "Widerhandlungen gegen Gemeindereglemente", Ziff. 21.6 "Unberechtigtes Campieren auf öffentlichem Grund" CHF 80, a tariff that presupposes a communal ban; Ziff. 22.1 Wildruhezone CHF 100; no item for federal game reserves. Gemeindepolizeireglement Mels of 2 October 2001 with the II. Nachtrag of 28 October 2023: no camping, tent, bivouac, overnighting or motorhome word; its footnote to Art. 2 lists Ziff. 21.6 among the tariffs a delegate may apply, but no Mels regulation contains the underlying prohibition. All 51 Mels acts on the cantonal platform and six further documents on mels.ch scanned with controls: no police, fixed-penalty or camping regulation; the Baureglement carries camping only as zoning (Zeltplätze Art. 18bis and 78), the Kurtaxenreglement as a levy. Canton St. Gallen has no camping norm of general application (Übertretungsstrafgesetz sGS 921.1, Naturschutzverordnung sGS 671.1, Polizeigesetz sGS 451.1, forest and planning acts read in the corpus). publikationen.sg.ch. ↩
  7. Schutzverordnung der Politischen Gemeinde Mels (decided 6 March 2003, 25 May 2004 and 23 November 2004; publication of 28 October 2025; core-habitat and geotope polygons in force 6 November 2006): Art. 7 Naturschutzgebiete ("die Nutzung zu Erholungs- und Freizeitzwecken, wie Lager, Zelten, Campieren und das Anfachen von Feuer, ausser an bezeichneten Stellen" banned), Art. 16bis Lebensraum Chapfensee ("das Lagern, Zelten und Campieren" banned), the only two camping bans in the ordinance; Art. 15 Lebensraum-Kerngebiete ("Die Lebensraum-Kerngebiete gelten als Schutzgegenstände [...] Untersagt sind insbesondere: Die Erstellung von Bauten und Anlagen; [...] Bau oder Ausbau von Strassen; Erstellung von Transportanlagen [...]; Abbauvorhaben [...]; Touristische Veranstaltungen oder sportliche Anlässe; Moto-Cross (Trial); Mountain-Biking abseits der gekennzeichneten Strassen."), Art. 13 Geotopschutzgebiete (terrain works and changes to the water regime banned), Art. 11 Einzelobjekte (substance and appearance to be preserved), Art. 24 (fine, negligence included). Anhang 5 no. 4 "Wasserfall Batöni: Naturdenkmal", Anhang 6 no. 23 "Wasserfälle und Typuslokalität Batöni: Landschaftswert erhalten", Anhang 7 "Lebensraum Kerngebiet Graue Hörner: Jagdbanngebiet Graue Hörner". mels.ch. ↩
  8. Pizolbahnen AG, Gemeinde Mels and Wildhut, notice "Camping und Biwakieren" (PDF created 25 July 2022, re-issued 3 July 2026 with identical rule text, linked from the five-lakes page): "Das Campieren und Biwakieren von Einzelpersonen und kleinen Gruppen in der freien Natur ist im Kanton St.Gallen an den meisten Orten erlaubt bzw. nicht verboten. Nicht erlaubt ist das Campieren im Eidg. Jagdbanngebiet, in Naturschutzgebieten und in weiteren Gebieten, die nach kommunaler Schutzverordnung geschützt sind." "Von der Wildseeluggen bis nach dem Schottensee befindet sich ein Jagdbanngebiet. Dort ist Campieren und Biwakieren strikt verboten! Es werden Kontrollen durchgeführt und Zuwiderhandlungen werden gebüsst." "Für mehrtägiges Campieren / Biwakieren ist die Zustimmung des Grund- bzw. Waldeigentümers einzuholen. Für einfaches Biwakieren ist dies meist nicht erforderlich." Written for the Pizol lakes side; Batöni is not named. pizol.com. ↩
  9. Ortsgemeinde Weisstannen (weisstannental.ch), read 15 September 2026: "Der Weg ab Weisstannen bis Batöni: Wanderzeit 1.45 Std., Höhendifferenz ca. 532 Meter, Distanz 4.1 km, keine Einkehrmöglichkeiten, nur im Sommer begehbar (möglicherweise Vieh auf den Weiden)"; the suspension bridge "Spannweite 51,2 Meter, Stegbreite 0,8 Meter, Profilhöhe 10,0 Meter, Tragseil 95,0 Meter, Bauzeit 9. bis 20. Oktober 2017"; parking in the village, before the Erlenbach bridge or at the church; the Alpkorporationen directory (Lavtina, Siez, Gafara, Kloster, Foo, Walenbütz, Älpli, Matels, Galans, Hahnenboden, Valtüsch, Scheubs, Valtnov, Steinälpli, Tüls, Laui; no "Batöni"); no camping word on any page. Trail: white-red-white Bergwanderweg, Sardona-Welterbe-Weg Nr. 73 stage 4. weisstannental.ch. ↩
  10. Ownership: AREG St. Gallen and Mels Tourismus, "Übersichtskarte der Alpen in Mels" 1:50'000 (20 August 2024), boundary between Alp Laftina (Alpkataster 3293/91/8) and Alp Valtüsch (3293/91/1) drawn through the confluence at the pin, map tolerance about 50 m; Mels Tourismus data sheet Alp Lavtina 2026: "Eigentümerschaft: Alpkorporation Lavtina", "Alpfläche ca 600 ha", "Höhenlage der Weiden: 1'300 bis 2'000 m ü. M.", Stafel Unterlavtina, Oberlavtina, Jägeri, "Heeb Ivan, Hirt", "Jährliche Alpmilchproduktion: keine", "Alpauffahrt: 11. Juni 2026". Ortsgemeinde Mels lists its own five alps (Ebenwald, Precht, Schwarzenberg, Hochschwendi, Vorderspina); the arena is not among them. The ÖREB extract publishes no owner; neither corporation publishes a consent, a fee or a tolerance, and inside the reserve none would count. melstourismus.ch. ↩
  11. Alpkorporation Siez (alpsiez.ch), every page read 15 September 2026: "Die Alp Siez unterteilt sich in Vorsiez, Glätti und Obersiez."; "eine privatrechtliche Korporation des kantonalen Rechts"; "Der Grundbesitz setzt sich aus 1'139 ha Land, wovon 807 ha Weide, 160 ha Wald und 172 ha unproduktiv sind, zusammen. [...] Der tiefste Punkt liegt im Vorsiez auf 1'130 m ü. M., der höchste, das Wissgandstöckli, auf 2'488 m ü. M."; the cows spend about ten weeks of midsummer at Obersiez, which has a herder's hut (2008/09) and a small hydro plant; "Übernachten können Sie bei uns entweder in zwei 3-Bett-Zimmern oder im Matratzenlager mit 35 Schlafplätzen", "Preis Halbpension pro Nacht: Fr. 75.- (inkl. Abendessen, Frühstück / exkl. Kurtaxe)", rooms "Fr. 105.- (exkl. Kurtaxe)" plus half board Fr. 45; "Von Mitte Mai bis Mitte Oktober täglich geöffnet [...] Ab Mitte September Montag Ruhetag"; "Wanderzeit ab Weisstannen für die 3.5 km lange Strecke bis zur Alp rund 60 Minuten"; Sunday and holiday bus 432 to Vorsiez. No word on tents, camping or bivouacs anywhere on the site. Contacts: corporation alp@alpsiez.ch, +41 79 678 03 23; Gastwirtin Karin Etter wirt@alpsiez.ch, +41 81 723 17 48. alpsiez.ch. ↩
  12. Beds and campsites, read 15 September 2026: Hotel Alpenhof Weisstannen, "Sommersaison 2026: 14. Mai bis 18. Oktober 2026", "Hotel: sonntags bis dienstags (Winter auch mittwochs) keine Übernachtungen", "Doppelzimmer ab 240.00 CHF pro Nacht und 2 Personen (ab 2 Nächte) [...] inkl. Frühstück und Halbpension", "Einzelzimmer ab 136.00 CHF", +41 81 723 17 63; Hotel Restaurant Gemse Weisstannen, open seven days, "Einzelzimmer CHF 95.00", "Doppelzimmer (2 Pax) CHF 140.00", +41 81 723 17 05; Alp Walabütz Besenbeizli (no beds, "Die Alp Walabütz bietet keine Übernachtungen an.", closed from 19 September 2026); Spitzmeilenhütte SAC, 2'087 m, 50 places, "Weisstannen - Obersiezsäss - Hütte [...] Wanderzeit: 5.5 - 6.5 Std. Distanz: 15.6 km. Aufstieg: 1'300 m [...] Schwierigkeit: T3", +41 79 610 36 39; Camping Bad Ragaz AG, Seestrasse 41, tents from CHF 19.60, "Der Camping Bad Ragaz bleibt vom 20. September 2026 bis Mitte April 2027 geschlossen.", +41 81 511 67 99; Pizolbahnen Wohnmobil-Stellplatz Bad Ragaz: "Anhängerzüge mit Wohnwagen und Zelte sind nicht erlaubt". No campsite exists in the Weisstannental. alpenhof-weisstannen.ch. ↩
  13. Access, pages and press (the pages are colour, not sources for the verdict): bus 432 Sargans to Weisstannen, Oberdorf, SBB timetable read for 16 and 20 September 2026, hourly, last return 19:47, Sundays and holidays with four runs through to Vorsiez (Sargans 08:06, 10:06, 12:06, 14:06). Heidiland, Batöni page: "Wildcamping ist verboten. Bitte weiche auf die offiziellen Übernachtungsangebote im Weisstannental und der Umgebung aus." and FAQ "Wildcamping ist im Weisstannental verboten.", no norm cited; route data 4.1 km, 532 Hm, 1:45, T2, "in den Wintermonaten aufgrund von Lawinengefahr und etwaigem Steinschlag nicht möglich". UNESCO-Sardona, Wasserfallarena Batöni: "Das Gebiet rund um die Wasserfallarena Batöni ist ein sensibler Naturraum und befindet sich in einem Jagdbanngebiet. [...] respektiere bitte die Natur und die dort lebende Tierwelt." W&O, 29 July 2022: four no-camping boards at the Wildseeluggen, Wildsee, Schottensee and the geotope boundary, backed by "der politischen Gemeinde Mels, der Ortsgemeinde Weisstannen, der Wildhut wie den Pizolbahnen", "dass das Campingverbot auch kontrolliert und fehlbares Verhalten gebüsst wird". Gemeinde Mels via Nau.ch, 28 April 2026: rockfall of about 150 m³ behind the falls, Hochwart trail above Batöni closed to mid June 2026. Bächli Bergsport blog, 18 May 2026: an "offizielles Schild" at the reserve edge on the gravel road behind Weisstannen; wording not given. No fine or control at Batöni reported 2024 to 2026. heidiland.com. ↩
  14. Foopass, both sides: Mels Tourismus data sheet Alp Foo (2019), "Alpkorporation (38 Mitglieder, 792 Anteilrechte)", 696 ha, "Höhenlage der Weiden 1750 bis 2223 m ü. M.", main building 1'875 m, "hinterste Alp im Weisstannental", contact per the Ortsgemeinde directory Ines Ackermann, +41 79 603 05 01; the reserve's integral edge runs across the upper Foo pasture (gazetteer point "Foo" 4 m from the line, the registered buildings 1'700 m outside). Canton Glarus: Jagdgesetz VI E/211/1, Verordnung zum Jagdgesetz VI E/211/2 (Art. 33 para. 1 "Jede unnötige Beunruhigung und Störung des Wildes in den Einständen, Brut- und Futterstellen ist verboten", CHF 150 under the cantonal fixed-penalty ordinance III F/1/1), Wildruhezonenverordnung VI E/22/7 (Art. 5 para. 1 access off the marked routes banned during the rest period only; nearest zone Nr. 14 Färispitz 1'623 m from the pass, 21 December to 30 April), Bannbezirke VI E/22/3 (none near the pass), Polizeigesetz V A/11/1: no camping article in any of them. Gemeinde Glarus Süd, 152 published documents read: no police, camping or public-ground regulation; its wild-camping measures of 25 June 2024 and 19 May 2025 are property bans on commune land at the Muttenkopf, Oberblegisee, Tierfed and Panixerpass, none of them near the Foopass, whose Glarus side is the private Alp Ramin. gesetze.gl.ch. ↩