Wild camping around Bex
Bex reaches far beyond the town into the Vaud Alps. One night on upper Javerne's grass needs the entitled landholder's consent; it is a real route to ask about, not standing permission. At Solalex and Anzeinde, the federal Grand Muveran reserve bans free camping.
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 around Bex: the town is only the start
Bex is a mountain commune. Its territory runs from the Rhône to the Diablerets at 3'210 m. Les Plans-sur-Bex, Solalex, Anzeinde and Javerne all belong to it, so a request for Bex deserves an alpine answer. The town, road verges and the wooded valley floor are not the overnight ground considered here.75
Three places matter for a realistic hiking night. Solalex has broad worked pasture at the forest edge, with buildings and a car park. Anzeinde is a higher grazing basin beneath the Argentine and Diablerets. Upper Javerne has small grassy shelves above the trees, towards La Tourche. Their protected-area boundaries differ, while the consent rules apply to all of them.56
That gives Bex a restricted verdict: a useful option exists on reserve-free upper Javerne, provided the entitled holder agrees. It does not turn every meadow in the commune into a pitch. For the neighbouring high route, see the Muverans report; the Swiss overview explains the wider framework.12
The rule: Vaud Art. 27 and Bex Art. 23
The decisive cantonal rule is Article 27 of the Loi sur les campings et caravanings résidentiels, BLV 935.61. Occasional camping outside authorised sites is permitted only with the owner's agreement or, where applicable, the farmer's or tenant's. The additional commune permission starts at stays of more than four days. The consent requirement starts on the first night.2
"Le camping occasionnel, hors des places autorisées, n'est permis qu'avec l'assentiment du propriétaire du fonds ou, le cas échéant, du fermier ou du locataire."Vaud LCCR, Art. 27 para. 1: occasional camping outside authorised sites needs the owner, farmer or tenant's assent.
Bex makes the domain distinction explicit. Article 23 of its enacted police regulation forbids camping on public domain unless the municipality grants an exceptional authorisation. It sets the fee if it grants one. On private domain, occasional camping requires agreement from the owner, tenant, farmer or another entitled possessor. More than four days also requires municipal or delegated permission. A quiet alpine meadow does not supply that agreement by itself.1
The regulation was adopted in 2019 and approved by the canton on 7 February 2020; this is the adopted text currently published by Bex. It speaks of camping without an altitude or single-night exemption. The familiar advice that a discreet bivouac above the forest is usually tolerated is therefore incomplete in Vaud: discretion comes after consent, not instead of it.12
The fines are ceilings, not a camping price. Canton LCCR Article 44 allows up to CHF 10'000 for an intentional or negligent breach. For a breach of the municipal regulation, Article 10 refers to LContr, whose Article 25 provides up to CHF 500, or CHF 1'000 for recidivism or a continuing offence. Those are distinct legal bases, not a promise that the smaller amount is your maximum, and not two fines automatically added together. No fixed Bex camping tariff is published in its fixed-penalty list.218
Place by place: Javerne, Solalex and Anzeinde
- Upper Javerne, about 2'101 m: possible with consent. The small grass shelf at 46.21625 N, 7.06262 E, LV95 2'570'983 / 1'118'381, is above the forest on Bex ground, outside the federal reserve and the Vallon de Nant nature reserve. A small tent can physically fit on a shelf; this is a hillside, not a broad flat campground. The nearest mapped hiking path is about 143 m away. The Lavey-Morcles boundary is about 153 m away, so moving across the ridge changes the commune and its rules.56
- Solalex, about 1'461 m: no free camping. The checked hamlet at 46.28841 N, 7.13710 E lies in the partially protected sector of the federal Grand Muveran game reserve. Its flat pasture and nearby services do not remove that ban. Partial protection changes some wildlife measures; the federal camping rule still applies.53
- Anzeinde, about 1'879 m: no free camping. At 46.28942 N, 7.16224 E, the settlement and surrounding grazing basin are in the integrally protected reserve. Streams, wet ground, stock and refuge yards also make the central hamlet an unsuitable place to improvise a pitch. A refuge bed is an accommodation booking, not permission to put a tent on the surrounding pasture.59
The federal rule is Article 5 paragraph 1 letter e of the VEJ: free tenting and camping are forbidden in federal game reserves. Only the canton can grant exceptions. The fixed penalty is CHF 150, under OBV annex 2 item 12005. An owner's yes cannot override it. The same prohibition applies in the reserve whether the tent is discreet or visible from a refuge.34
Upper Javerne lies in the federal landscape inventory and the canton landscape inventory. Those labels do not themselves create a blanket camping ban. The mapped Vallon de Nant nature reserve has its own express camping prohibition, but its perimeter does not cover this shelf. Stay at the agreed point and avoid protected habitat; do not extrapolate the result across the whole Javerne parcel, which reaches into the reserve elsewhere.56
How to ask for a one-night spot at Javerne
Start with the municipality, with an actual point. The checked shelf lies on parcel 4871, Javerne. Bex lists that parcel as municipal private estate in its 2022 accounts and retains it in the financial-asset schedule of its 2025 accounts. Land owned by a municipality is not automatically public domain: its agricultural estate can be held and farmed under private rights. The current destination page names Hubert and Brigitte Granger at Alp Javerne, while the municipality's management report describes the Société d'alpage's management of the communal alps. A name in a tourism listing is a route to ask, not proof of permission or of the precise present rights.71
Contact Secrétariat municipal, Rue Centrale 1, 1880 Bex, commune@bex.ch, +41 24 463 02 67. Ask who is entitled to agree for parcel 4871 and your proposed coordinates, and have the question forwarded to that person. Explain the exact night, number of people, one small tent, arrival towards dusk and departure in the morning. Ask where animals, grazing operations and sensitive ground rule out a stay. Retain a clear reply rather than relying on silence.7
The useful answer is specific. Agreement for one point on private estate does not authorise public-domain ground, another parcel, multiple nights beyond the agreed stay or any reserve. For public domain Article 23 requires a municipal exception; Article 11 calls for a prior written request, and conditions and a fee may follow. No publicly posted standing approval for upper Javerne, nor a one-night fee there, was established. Ask early and plan the hut as your fallback.1
Once the holder has agreed, choose dry firm grass without wildflower patches, stock routes, fences or water points. Pitch late, leave early, take every scrap out and light no fire. Carry water and keep away from streams rather than treating cattle troughs as a campsite service. If conditions on arrival differ from the agreed plan, move on to your booked accommodation. Consent is permission to behave carefully, not a claim on the alp.57
A bivvy bag is not a published consent exemption
Bex and Vaud both regulate camping occasionnel; neither decisive clause grants an explicit exception for a planned one-night bivvy bag. Removing the tent therefore does not give a dependable route around the consent requirement. For an ordinary night, settle the point and assent before setting out.12
Inside Grand Muveran, the federal rule covers free camping as well as freely erected tents. Do not plan a reserve night on the argument that your shelter has no poles. An unplanned emergency involving genuine danger is a rescue situation; a booked hiking itinerary or a planned sunrise night is not one. For an ordinary night, settle the point and consent before setting out.3
Where to sleep if consent is missing
La Tourche is the direct high fallback for Javerne. The hut's own site places it at 2'198 m on Lavey-Morcles ground and offers 54 places. It gives two hours and 650 m of ascent from Javerne, and the staffed 2026 season from 12 June to 11 October. Reserve directly at tourche.ch, +41 24 485 22 18 or info@tourche.ch. Confirm the actual opening and route conditions for your date; the winter room has separate arrangements.9
At Anzeinde, book indoors at Refuge Giacomini. Its own accommodation page offers rooms and dormitory beds: anzeindaz.com/hebergement. That gives you a night in the basin without improvising a free tent in the protected pasture. On a longer route, book each hut directly and keep the accommodation plan separate from any consent request for a private alp.9
If upper Javerne's holder declines, or you have no clear reply, your answer for that meadow is no. Bex has alpine ground where permission can work, which is why the commune verdict is restricted. The personal decision still happens before the night, and the reserve sectors remain forbidden for free camping.123
General rules for wild camping
Once you have the entitled holder's agreement for reserve-free ground, these are the basics for one quiet night. They do not replace the law or the holder's conditions.
- 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 good-faith assessment as of October 2026, based on the public and official sources linked below. It does not replace legal advice and is not a binding statement of the current legal situation.
The verdict relies on the current Bex police regulation, Vaud camping and contraventions laws, federal reserve ordinance and fixed-penalty list, official federal and cantonal geodata, the Javerne cadastral extract and terrain. Individual consent for the shelf has not been obtained; the precise current farmer's rights must be confirmed with the municipality. No public permit establishing organised tent accommodation inside a refuge compound was found, so no such product is assessed here. No court ruling distinguishing a planned bivvy bag from occasional camping under these clauses was established. Mapped boundaries, grazing operations, accommodation seasons and ground conditions can change. Recheck current sources before your trip and follow signs and instructions on site. A true emergency bivouac is different from a planned camp. Anyone sleeping outdoors remains responsible for their behaviour and its consequences. Hikebeast, Leon Helg and Saftladen GmbH accept no liability for decisions based on this article and invite nobody to break applicable law.
Frequently asked questions
Is wild camping permitted around Bex?
Can I camp at Solalex or Anzeinde with the farmer's permission?
Who do I ask for a one-night stay at Javerne?
Does one night above the forest avoid the camping rules?
Where can I sleep without an alp consent request?
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
- Bex, current enacted Règlement de police, adopted by the municipality in 2019 and council on 15 May 2019, approved by the canton on 7 February 2020; current municipal collection read on 6 October 2026. Art. 23: public-domain camping requires exceptional municipal authorisation; occasional private-domain camping requires the owner, tenant, farmer or other entitled possessor's agreement; additional municipal permission beyond four days. Art. 11: prior written request for public-domain use, conditions and possible fee. Art. 10: contraventions referred to LContr. Art. 1 distinguishes private domain by ownership, possession or exclusive-use rights. Bex, règlement de police (PDF); Regulations index ↩
- Vaud, LCCR, BLV 935.61, current consolidated version read on 6 October 2026. Art. 27 para. 1: occasional camping outside authorised sites only with the owner, farmer or tenant's assent; commune permission for more than four days. Para. 2 reserves communal rules. Art. 44: intentional or negligent breach of the law, implementing regulation or decisions under it, fine up to CHF 10'000. Art. 42 expressly applies the law to occasional camping. Vaud LCCR, BLV 935.61 ↩
- Federal VEJ, SR 922.31, Art. 5 para. 1 letter e: free tenting and camping forbidden in federal game reserves; use of official campsites reserved; only the canton can grant exceptions. Grand Muveran has partial protection at Solalex and integral protection at Anzeinde; the camping rule applies to both. VEJ, SR 922.31 ↩
- Federal OBV, SR 314.11, annex 2 item 12005: free tenting or camping in federal game reserves, fixed penalty CHF 150. Current catalogue checked on 6 October 2026. OBV, SR 314.11 ↩
- Official federal geodata, swissIMAGE and swissALTI3D, read on 6 October 2026. Upper Javerne: 46.21625 / 7.06262, LV95 2'570'983 / 1'118'381, 2'101 m, Bex, outside the game reserve; grass shelf above the trees with room for a small tent, nearest mapped hiking path 143 m, Lavey-Morcles boundary 153 m. Solalex: 46.28841 / 7.13710, 1'461 m, partial Grand Muveran reserve; Anzeinde: 46.28942 / 7.16224, 1'879 m, integral reserve. All three in the BLN landscape Diablerets, Vallon de Nant, Derborence. map.geo.admin.ch; swissALTI3D ↩
- Canton Vaud official geodata and current ÖREB extract, read on 6 October 2026. Upper Javerne on parcel 4871, EGRID CH767783456731, in the mountain zone; outside canton wildlife and nature reserves, wildlife quiet zones, forest reserves and protected biotopes at the checked point. IMNS landscape object 188 covers upper Javerne and Anzeinde. Solalex and Anzeinde have the snow-season Grand Muveran quiet zone referring to federal reserve rules. Vallon de Nant plan 221 bis, adopted 9 March 1970, expressly bans individual and group camping in its perimeter; upper Javerne shelf outside it, although parcel 4871 reaches inside elsewhere. Current Bex RPE: mountain-zone building controls, no single-night consent exemption. Canton Vaud map; Javerne parcel 4871, ÖREB (PDF); Vallon de Nant, plan 221 bis (PDF); Bex RPE (PDF) ↩
- Bex accounts 2022, p. 98: parcel 4871 Javerne, 3'925'669 m², listed as municipal financial/private estate; accounts 2025, published 16 June 2026, p. 135, retain the Javerne parcel in the financial-asset schedule. Management commission report 2024: Société d'alpage manages communal alps since 1976; agreement renewed in 2006 until 2036. Current destination lists Hubert and Brigitte Granger at Alp Javerne; the precise holder's present camping-consent rights require confirmation. Municipal secretariat: Rue Centrale 1, 1880 Bex, commune@bex.ch, +41 24 463 02 67. Municipality describes its territory from Rhône to Diablerets, 3'210 m. Bex, comptes 2022 (PDF); Bex, comptes 2025 (PDF); Commission de gestion 2024 (PDF); Alp Javerne; Secrétariat municipal ↩
- Vaud LContr, BLV 312.11, current version read on 6 October 2026. Art. 25: municipal regulation fines up to CHF 500, or CHF 1'000 for recidivism or a continuing offence. These municipal ceilings do not replace the separate canton LCCR Art. 44 ceiling. LContr, BLV 312.11 ↩
- Direct accommodation operators, read on 6 October 2026. La Tourche: 2'198 m, 54 places, approach from Javerne two hours and 650 m ascent, staffed 12 June to 11 October 2026, +41 24 485 22 18, info@tourche.ch; hut on Lavey-Morcles ground. Refuge Giacomini: indoor rooms and dormitories at Anzeinde. Book directly and recheck seasons. La Tourche; Refuge Giacomini ↩