As of: 19 October 2026

Wild camping on the Dündenhorn

The Dündenhorn rises to 2'861 m north of the Oeschinensee, above Kandersteg and the Kiental. Its top is where three communes meet, and three camping bans with them: one at the summit point, one from 0.4 m west of it, one from 3 m north-east.

Leon Helg
Leon Helg · Legal situation checked in October 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.

Wild camping on the Dündenhorn: one summit, three communes

Wild camping on the Dündenhorn is a question about a summit of 2'861 m in the Bernese Oberland, on the ridge between the Oeschinental and the Kiental, north of the Oeschinensee. The national map writes the name in dialect, Dündehore; it is the same mountain. The summit point lies at LV95 2'622'322 / 1'152'133, WGS84 46.52013 / 7.72953.6

Three communes meet on the top. The summit point itself is Kandersteg ground. Two metres north, north-east and east of it the ground belongs to Reichenbach im Kandertal, the Kiental side; two metres west it belongs to Kandergrund, along the ridge towards the Lägigrat. Kandersteg holds the south face, down towards the Oberbärgli and the Oeschinensee. Each of the three sides carries its own rule, and you can check the lines on map.geo.admin.ch.6

Nobody would sleep up here even if it were allowed. Within 30 m of the top the ground runs at a median of 52 degrees: a block of rock and scree with a cliff band to the west, where it drops 30 to 40 m within the first 20 to 30 m. The nearest patch under 20 degrees lies 299 m south and 213 m lower, on rock bands and scree.7

The law: three camping bans that meet at the summit

At the summit point, Kandersteg's building regulation decides. Its Art. 42 puts the Kandersteger Berglandschaft, the commune's protected mountain landscape, under the commune's protection, and the cantonal cadastre of public-law restrictions places the summit and the whole south face inside it. Under the heading on buildings and installations, para. 3 lit. c says:12

"Das Campieren ist verboten."Baureglement der Gemeinde Kandersteg, approved by the canton in March 2011, Art. 42 para. 3 lit. c. In English: camping is forbidden.

The building regulation does not define camping and has no bivouac exception. Whether its ban reaches a bivvy bag without a tent has never been tested, so do not count on it being spared. Kandersteg's police regulation does spare the tentless bivouac, but its definition opens with "In diesem Reglement", in this regulation: it governs the police regulation and does not reach the building regulation.15

From 0.4 m west, the Gehrihorn wildlife reserve. The Kandergrund side of the ridge lies in zone 3 of the cantonal Wildschutzgebiet no. 11 Gehrihorn, a reserve of 1'896 ha. Annex 2 of the Bernese wildlife protection ordinance (WTSchV, BSG 922.63) sets for all its zones, all year: "Freies/wildes Campieren und Biwakieren sind verboten." That sentence names bivouacking in so many words, so it catches a bivvy bag as much as a tent. The fixed fine is CHF 100 under the cantonal fixed-penalty ordinance.3

From about 3 m north-east, the federal Kiental game reserve. The Reichenbach side lies in the federal Jagdbanngebiet no. 3 Kiental, where Art. 5 para. 1 lit. e of the federal ordinance on game reserves (VEJ, SR 922.31) says: "Das freie Zelten und Campieren ist verboten." It names no exception for a night without a tent; only the canton could grant one, and it grants none for the Kiental. The fixed fine is CHF 150 under the federal fixed-penalty ordinance (OBV, SR 314.11, Annex 2 no. 12005).4

The lines run closer together than any phone can tell apart. Within 10 m of the summit point, seven tenths of the ground lies in one reserve or the other, and the rest, the Kandersteg wedge of the south face, lies in the Berglandschaft. A phone GPS is off by more than the 0.4 m and 3 m involved, and it would not matter: whichever side of the top you lie on, one of the three bans applies.62

Tent or bivvy bag: what each one costs up here

A tent breaks a fourth rule as well. Kandersteg's police regulation, in force since 1 January 2021, bans camping outside the areas designated and authorised for it, across the whole commune (Art. 7 para. 1). The police ordinance fines a breach a fixed CHF 200, within a frame of up to CHF 5'000 (Art. 26). The commune may grant exceptions on request (Art. 7 para. 2), but that permit belongs to the police regulation and does not lift the ban in the Berglandschaft or in the two reserves.5

Without a tent, the reserves and the Berglandschaft still apply. On the west side the Gehrihorn reserve bans bivouacking by name: a game warden can fine it CHF 100 on the spot, and a refused ticket goes to ordinary proceedings with a ceiling of CHF 20'000. On the north-east side the Kiental ban costs CHF 150. At the summit point, Art. 60 of Kandersteg's building regulation sends breaches to the penalty provisions of the Bernese building act and building ordinance (Art. 50 BauG, Art. 108 BauV), before a judge: there is no fixed fine, and a game warden or the police can report you.341

Kandergrund adds nothing that changes this. The commune publishes no police regulation. Its regulation on the use of communal property bans spending the night in vehicles and tents on public ground (Art. 17), with fines of up to CHF 2'000 (Art. 35). On the ridge its ground lies inside the Gehrihorn reserve anyway.8

Lower down: where the ground flattens, a reserve has begun

There is no lawful pitch a short way below the top either. On the Kandergrund side the first real shelf lies 946 m west-south-west and 416 m lower, at 2'445 m, with a bench at 2'434 m 607 m west: both inside the Gehrihorn reserve. On the Kiental side the first flat ground lies 1'169 m north-east, at 2'014 m, inside the Kiental reserve. On the Kandersteg side the whole slope under the summit lies in the Berglandschaft. The route down changes the rule, not the answer.7342

The one flat ground outside all three is an alp yard. At the Oberbärgli, 1'226 m south-south-east of the summit and 896 m lower, at 1'965 m, the ground lies 70 m outside the Berglandschaft and outside both reserves. It is the yard of a working alp, 37 m from the alp building Oeschibärgli 9, with eight alp buildings within 162 m: in sight of front doors, not a pitch below the Dündenhorn. Kandersteg's tent ban applies there; the alp has its own report, wild camping at the Oberbärgli.725

  • Blüemlisalphütte SAC, 2'834 m, about 3.4 km east-south-east of the summit, on the Kandersteg side by the Hohtürli. As of 19 October 2026 it is closed for the season, "wir sind im Winterschlaf", with its winter room open; bookings for 2027 open in January.9
  • The other huts are shut. The Doldenhornhütte above Kandersteg closed on 17 October 2026. On the Kiental side the Touristenlager of the Berghaus Bundalp, 033 676 11 92, was open until the end of September. The Berghaus Oberbärgli lies about 1.3 km south of the summit: ask before you go whether it still takes guests this late.97
  • With a tent: Camping Rendez-vous in Kandersteg, +41 33 675 15 34, down in the village; check its season before an autumn night.9
  • Not on the summit, the ridge or the slopes below it. Every side of the top lies in the Berglandschaft or in one of the two reserves. The same wildlife reserve covers the Gehrihorn, the same game reserve the Griesalp; how the levels fit together is in the Bernese Oberland overview and the national overview.134

General rules for wild camping

This applies wherever you are genuinely allowed to sleep outside, which near the Dündenhorn means a winter room, a hut in season or a campsite pitch in the valley, not the mountain. It is not legal text, it is decency in two reserves kept for wild animals.

  • 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. 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.

The verdict rests on Kandersteg's building regulation, published as a scan and read from it, the cantonal cadastre of public-law restrictions, the Bernese wildlife protection ordinance and the object sheet of the Gehrihorn reserve, the cantonal fixed-penalty ordinance, the federal ordinance on game reserves and the federal fixed-penalty ordinance, Kandersteg's police regulation and police ordinance, Kandergrund's regulation on communal property, and on federal and cantonal geodata and the terrain. No court has ruled on whether the building regulation's camping ban reaches a bivvy bag, or on how its Art. 60 applies to a person camping. The boundaries at the summit run within a few metres of each other; every distance is taken from official geodata, as accurate as the data and not as a marker on the ground. Huts and their seasons are as published in October 2026 and can change. 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 Dündenhorn?
No, not with a tent and not without one. The summit at 2'861 m lies in the protected Kandersteger Berglandschaft, where Art. 42 para. 3 lit. c of Kandersteg's building regulation forbids camping. From 0.4 m west the cantonal Gehrihorn wildlife reserve bans camping and bivouacking all year (WTSchV, BSG 922.63, Annex 2), and from about 3 m north-east the federal Kiental game reserve bans tenting and camping (VEJ, SR 922.31, Art. 5 para. 1 lit. e). The top is a rock block with a median slope of 52 degrees.
Is a bivvy bag without a tent allowed on the summit?
No. The Gehrihorn reserve west of the summit names bivouacking in its ban: "Freies/wildes Campieren und Biwakieren sind verboten." Kandersteg's police regulation leaves the tentless bivouac out of its own camping ban (Art. 6 lit. c), but only within the police regulation; the building regulation's ban at the summit point does not define camping and has no bivouac exception. The Kiental reserve's ban names no exception for a bivvy bag, and the canton grants none there.
What is the fine for camping on the Dündenhorn?
CHF 100 in the Gehrihorn reserve, CHF 150 in the Kiental reserve, and no fixed fine at the summit point. The cantonal fixed-penalty ordinance (KOBV, BSG 324.111, Annex 1 no. 29) prices a breach of a wildlife-reserve ban at CHF 100; the federal one (OBV, SR 314.11) prices free tenting or camping in a federal game reserve at CHF 150. Kandersteg's building regulation sends a breach to a judge under the Bernese building act (Art. 60), with no published amount; a report is possible. A tent anywhere in Kandersteg adds the police fine of CHF 200.
Is there flat ground near the Dündenhorn where a night is lawful?
Not on the mountain. The first shelf on the Kandergrund side, 946 m west-south-west at 2'445 m, lies in the Gehrihorn reserve; the first flat ground on the Kiental side, 1'169 m north-east at 2'014 m, lies in the Kiental reserve; the Kandersteg slope under the summit lies in the Berglandschaft. The only flat ground outside all three is the Oberbärgli alp yard at 1'965 m, 1'226 m south-south-east and 896 m lower, among alp buildings, where Kandersteg's tent ban applies; the Oberbärgli has its own report.
Where can I sleep if I climb the Dündenhorn in autumn?
In a winter room or in the valley. As of 19 October 2026 the Blüemlisalphütte SAC at 2'834 m, about 3.4 km east-south-east by the Hohtürli, is closed for the season with its winter room open. The Doldenhornhütte closed on 17 October 2026, and the Touristenlager of the Berghaus Bundalp on the Kiental side was open until the end of September. A tent goes to Camping Rendez-vous in Kandersteg, +41 33 675 15 34.
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. Baureglement der Gemeinde Kandersteg, adopted by the communal assembly on 29 April 2010 and approved by the cantonal Amt für Gemeinden und Raumordnung on 25 March 2011; listed in the cantonal cadastre of public-law restrictions as "Baureglement Kandersteg, vom 03.2011", in force. Published as a scan; read on 19 October 2026. Art. 42 "Kandersteger Berglandschaft", para. 1: "Die Kandersteger Berglandschaft steht unter dem Schutz der Gemeinde." Para. 2: "Im Schutzgebiet darf nichts unternommen werden, das dem Schutzziel zuwiderläuft." Para. 3 lit. c: "Das Campieren ist verboten." The act does not define camping. Art. 60: "Widerhandlungen gegen die Vorschrift dieses Reglements, gegen die übrigen Gemeindevorschriften und die gestützt darauf erlassenen Einzelverfügungen werden nach den Strafbestimmungen des BauG (Art. 50 BauG und Art. 108 BauV) vom Richter geahndet." Baugesetz des Kantons Bern (BauG), BSG 721.0, Art. 50, and Bauverordnung (BauV), BSG 721.1, Art. 108: penalty provisions written for building projects; neither sets an amount for a person camping, and no tariff for that case is published. Baureglement 2011 (PDF), belex.sites.be.ch (BauG), belex.sites.be.ch (BauV). ↩
  2. Cadastre of public-law restrictions on landownership (ÖREB), canton of Bern, extract for Kandersteg parcel 50, EGRID CH643546065082, 5.17 km², read on 19 October 2026. At the summit point: overlay "Kandersteger Berglandschaft", legal basis "Baureglement Kandersteg, vom 03.2011", in force, over the base designation "übriges Gebiet"; the overlay covers the Kandersteg side of the summit, the south face included. The Oberbärgli alp yard, LV95 2'622'681 / 1'150'961, lies 70 m outside it. oereb2.apps.be.ch. ↩
  3. Canton of Bern wildlife protection. Verordnung über den Wildtierschutz (WTSchV), BSG 922.63, Annex 2, object no. 11 Gehrihorn; object sheet of the cantonal hunting inspectorate, read on 19 October 2026: communes Frutigen, Reichenbach, Kandergrund; 1'896 ha; "Alle Zonen (1, 2, 3)", category F: "Freies/wildes Campieren und Biwakieren sind verboten."; category E: dogs on a lead from 1 March to 31 July; protection period 1 January to 31 December. Kantonale Ordnungsbussenverordnung (KOBV), BSG 324.111, Annex 1 no. 29: "Missachten von Verboten in Wildschutzgebieten (Art. 3 Abs. 1 Bst. f WTSchV i.V.m. Art. 31 Abs. 1 Bst. c JWG)", CHF 100. Gesetz über Jagd und Wildtierschutz (JWG), BSG 922.11, Art. 27 para. 4: game wardens may impose and collect fixed fines; Art. 31 para. 1 lit. c: a fine of up to CHF 20'000 in ordinary proceedings. belex.sites.be.ch (WTSchV), object sheet Gehrihorn no. 11 (PDF), KOBV, JWG. ↩
  4. 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." Ordnungsbussenverordnung (OBV), SR 314.11, Annex 2 no. 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". Federal inventory of game reserves, object no. 3 "Kiental", 8'392.1 ha, partial protection for the whole area; object sheet, 2023 revision. The Bern record of the same reserve, no. 24 "Kiental", repeats "freies Zelten und Campieren ist verboten". fedlex.admin.ch (VEJ), fedlex.admin.ch (OBV), object sheet no. 3 Kiental (PDF). ↩
  5. Gemeindepolizeireglement der Einwohnergemeinde Kandersteg, in force since 1 January 2021. Art. 6: "In diesem Reglement bedeuten: [...] c. Campieren: jede Form des Übernachtens oder vorübergehenden Verweilens in Zelten, Wohnwagen, Wohnmobilen, Autos oder ähnlichen Unterkünften. [...] Nicht darunter fällt das Übernachten im Freien ohne Zelt, im Iglu oder in einer Schneehöhle (Biwakieren)." Art. 7 para. 1: "Das Campieren ausserhalb der speziell dafür vorgesehenen und bewilligten Flächen ist nicht gestattet." Para. 2: the commune may grant exceptions on request. Art. 26: breaches are fined up to CHF 5'000. Gemeindepolizeiverordnung Kandersteg, in force since 1 January 2021, Art. 8 para. 3 lit. a: "Art. 7 Campingverbot 200.00". Police regulation (PDF), Police ordinance (PDF). ↩
  6. Official federal and cantonal geodata, read on 19 October 2026. Gazetteer (swissNAMES3D): "Dündehore", main summit, LV95 2'622'322 / 1'152'133, WGS84 46.52013 / 7.72953; height 2'861 m (swissALTI3D). Current-year commune boundaries (swissBOUNDARIES3D): the summit point in Kandersteg; Reichenbach im Kandertal 2 m to the north, north-east and east; Kandergrund 2 m to the west; Kandersteg to the south. Federal inventory of game reserves: the edge of the Kiental reserve 2.7 m north-east of the summit point. Federal register of wildlife rest zones: "Gehrihorn (Nr. 1011.Zone 3)" from 2 m west; cantonal WILDSG geodata: zone 3 of the Gehrihorn reserve 0.4 m west. Within 10 m of the summit point 70 % of the ground lies in one of the two reserves. No cantonal nature reserve at the summit: the nearest, no. 14 Fisi-Biberg-Fründen, lies 2.7 km south, no. 156 Tschingel 3.3 km north-north-east. No federal landscape inventory, park, mire, floodplain, dry meadow, amphibian site, forest reserve or military area at the summit. map.geo.admin.ch, geofiles.be.ch (wildlife reserves), geofiles.be.ch (nature reserves). ↩
  7. Terrain, buildings and imagery, read on 19 October 2026. swisstopo swissALTI3D, 2 m: median slope 52 degrees within 30 m of the summit point; on the west side the ground drops 30 to 40 m within 20 to 30 m. Nearest 10 by 10 m patch under 20 degrees: 299 m south, 2'649 m, LV95 2'622'383 / 1'151'841, rock bands and scree on the swissimage orthophoto. First shelf on the Kandergrund side: 946 m west-south-west, 2'445 m, LV95 2'621'401 / 1'151'919, mean slope 3.9 degrees; bench at 2'434 m, 607 m west. First flat ground on the Kiental side: 1'169 m north-east, 2'014 m. Oberbärgli alp yard: LV95 2'622'681 / 1'150'961, WGS84 46.50957 / 7.73415, 1'965 m, 1'226 m south-south-east of the summit; federal register of buildings: the alp building Oeschibärgli 9 37 m away, eight alp buildings within 162 m. Berghaus Oberbärgli about 1.3 km south of the summit. swissALTI3D, map.geo.admin.ch (swissimage). ↩
  8. Einwohnergemeinde Kandergrund, Reglement über die Nutzung der Gemeindeliegenschaften, approved by the communal assembly on 24 November 2023, in force since 1 January 2024, published with the tariff from 1 January 2026; read on 19 October 2026. Art. 17 para. 1: "Auf öffentlichem Grund ist das Übernachten in Fahrzeugen und Zelten (Campieren) verboten." Para. 2: the commune may grant exceptions in justified cases. Art. 35 para. 1: breaches can be fined up to CHF 2'000. The commune's published collection of regulations contains no police regulation, and its building regulation has no camping rule. Reglement Gemeindeliegenschaften (PDF), kandergrund.ch (regulations). ↩
  9. Huts and campsite. Blüemlisalphütte SAC, 2'834 m, Kandersteg side by the Hohtürli, about 3.4 km east-south-east of the summit, website read on 19 October 2026: closed for the season, "wir sind im Winterschlaf", winter room available, bookings for 2027 from January. Doldenhornhütte, website read on 19 October 2026: open from 14 May to 17 October 2026. Berghaus Bundalp, Kiental, Touristenlager open until the end of September 2026, 033 676 11 92 (listing read in September 2026). Camping Rendez-vous, Hubleweg 2, Kandersteg, +41 33 675 15 34. bluemlisalphuette.ch, doldenhornhuette.ch. ↩