Wild camping on the Engelberger Rotstock

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.

The reserve names this summit

First, which mountain. "Engelberg Rotstock" resolves to one place in the federal gazetteer: the Engelberger Rotstock, 2'818.2 m, in Engelberg, canton Obwalden. It is not the Urirotstock, a different mountain across in Uri that lends its name to another federal reserve. Getting those two mixed up changes the canton, the commune and the answer.⁵

The summit lies inside federal game reserve no. 10, "Hahnen", 2'086.4 hectares, and the reserve is not a general one: it is typed as an area under integral protection. Its federal object sheet describes what it covers, and our summit is in the list by name:

"Das nordöstlich von Engelberg gelegene Schutzgebiet umfasst im wesentlichen drei Teile: den Nadelwald der subalpinen Stufe, die unbewaldeten Steilhänge und Felspartien am Hahnen, Wissberg, Engelberger Rotstock und grossem Sättelistock sowie die das weite alpine Hochland zwischen Hahnen, Ruchstock und Wissigstock mit dem Griessenfirn."Objektblatt 10 "Hahnen Kt. OW", federal inventory of game reserves. The sheet's special measures section reads in full: "Das gesamte Banngebiet ist integral geschützt." Its stated objectives are the conservation of the area as a habitat for wild mammals and birds, and the conservation of the grouse population.

That matters because it removes the usual argument about whether a boundary really covers a summit. Here the drafter wrote the name down.¹

What the federal ordinance forbids

Inside a federal game reserve the general provisions of the ordinance apply, and one of them is unambiguous:

"Das freie Zelten und Campieren ist verboten. Vorbehalten bleibt die Benutzung offizieller Zeltplätze. Die Kantone können Ausnahmen bewilligen."Verordnung über die eidgenössischen Jagdbanngebiete (VEJ), SR 922.31, art. 5 para. 1 let. e. In English: free tenting and camping are prohibited; the use of official campsites is reserved; the cantons may grant exceptions.

The price is published. The federal fixed penalty ordinance tariffs "Freies Zelten oder Campieren in eidgenössischen Jagdbanngebieten" at 150 francs. Behind that stands the federal hunting act with a ceiling of 20'000 francs, and its paragraph 3 makes the negligent case punishable too, so not knowing where the line ran is not a defence.²³

Obwalden really does grant a one-night right

This is the part worth carrying away from the article even if you never go to this summit, because Obwalden is one of the few cantons in Switzerland whose statute says yes in as many words. Its camping act of 4 December 2014 is built in three steps, and reading only the first one gets it wrong.

Step one, article 6, the principle: "Das Aufstellen von Zelten, Wohnwagen und Wohnmobilen zum Campieren ausserhalb behördlich bewilligter Campingplätze ist nicht gestattet." A flat prohibition on camping outside authorised campsites.⁴

Step two, article 7, the exceptions: the commune may authorise youth organisations, organisers of large events for at most four event days, and "andere begründete Ausnahmefälle". A separate paragraph allows temporary free camping on the plot of a dwelling with the owner's consent.⁴

Step three, article 8, and this is the one that matters:

"Zum einmaligen Übernachten darf ein Zelt, ein Wohnwagen oder ein Wohnmobil ohne Bewilligung ausserhalb bewilligter Campingplätze aufgestellt werden, wenn keine öffentlichen oder privaten Interessen beeinträchtigt werden. Das einmalige Übernachten erfolgt auf eigenes Risiko."Gesetz über das Campieren (Campinggesetz), GDB 971.4, art. 8 "c. Einmaliges Übernachten", in force since 1 March 2015. In English: for a single overnight stay a tent, caravan or motorhome may be set up without a permit outside authorised campsites, provided no public or private interests are impaired; the single overnight stay is at one's own risk.

So in Obwalden a single night is not a tolerated grey area, it is a statutory permission that needs no paperwork. The act's penalty article fines camping without a permit and, separately, repeated breaches of the ban outside a campsite, which is the same one-night-versus-stay logic seen from the other side.⁴

Why it does not save you here

Two independent reasons, and either would be enough. Federal law outranks cantonal law, and the federal ordinance bans free camping inside the reserve without carving anything out for cantonal permissions except a cantonal exception procedure, which is not something a hiker holds. And article 8 defeats itself here on its own wording: it applies only "wenn keine öffentlichen oder privaten Interessen beeinträchtigt werden", and an integrally protected federal reserve created to conserve grouse is precisely a public interest.²⁴

One caution about Engelberg specifically. The commune's own page on applying for a tent camp outside the campsite quotes the article 6 principle and describes the article 7 permit route, and says nothing about article 8. That is a permit page rather than a repeal, and a communal information page cannot remove a cantonal statutory right. But it does tell you the line the commune takes, and the commune is the authority you would be dealing with. Its building regulation, checked in full, contains camping only as a campsite zone.⁶

The cruel part: the summit is the only flat ground

Mountains usually make this question academic by being too steep to sleep on. This one does the opposite. Over an 800 by 800 metre box the median slope is 34.1 degrees and only 4 of 961 samples come in under 10 degrees, which is 0.4% of the ground. The single flattest reading in that whole box is the summit cap itself, 4.9 degrees at 2'818.2 m.⁷

So the one obvious place to lie down is the one place the reserve covers. That is worth saying plainly, because it explains why this spot gets asked about and why the honest answer has to be no rather than a shrug.

And the boundary is tight. The reserve perimeter carries 632 vertices and the summit point sits 3 m inside it. Walking out from the top on bearings from north clockwise round to west, you leave the reserve within 4 to 8 metres; only towards the south-southwest does the reserve run on, past 4 km. A 3 metre margin is inside the error of a phone GPS, so "I was just outside" is not something you could show, and it is not a plan.⁷

What is actually possible here

There is a lawful night in this area, and it is close. Because the reserve edge runs just below the top, ground outside it starts within metres, and two measured options are usable:

• 202 m east-south-east, 9.8 degrees at 2'639 m, outside the reserve. The nearest lawful ground to the summit.
• About 500 m north-east, 7.9 to 8.6 degrees at roughly 2'338 m, outside the reserve and appreciably flatter, at the cost of 480 m of descent.

Both sit clear of every federal protection layer except the Emerald site "Walenstöcke - Brisen", which is a habitat designation under the Bern Convention and not a camping rule.⁷⁸

Outside the reserve, Obwalden's article 8 is the rule that applies, so one night, one tent, no permit, provided you impair no public or private interests. In practice that means the things that make the difference between a bivouac and a nuisance: arrive late, leave at first light, no fire, no trace, and stay off the alp's working ground and away from any hut or private plot. The land still belongs to someone, and article 8 does not change that.⁴

Take the boundary seriously rather than approximately. The published perimeter is queryable, and 3 metres is not a margin you can eyeball at 2'800 m in poor light. If you want to use the ground east-south-east of the summit, check the coordinates before you go rather than deciding on the ridge.¹

And the ordinary alternative, if the weather or the light is against you: this is a day objective from Engelberg with beds in the valley. That is a duller answer than a summit bivouac, and it is the one that does not turn on a 3 metre line.

General rules for wild camping

You are on a mountain where the canton would let you sleep and the Confederation will not. Keep the part of that which is in your hands:

• 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

Everything here is a journalistic assessment as of September 2026, from the sources linked below, and it is not legal advice.

Illegal describes the summit, which lies inside an integrally protected federal game reserve whose object sheet names this mountain. It does not describe Obwalden, where a single night outside authorised campsites is expressly lawful without a permit under article 8 of the cantonal camping act.

The summit point measures 3 m inside the published reserve perimeter, which is well within consumer GPS error. That is a reason to treat the summit as covered rather than to gamble on which side of the line you are standing.

The commune of Engelberg publishes the cantonal principle and its permit route for tent camps and does not mention article 8. That is reported here as its published position, not as a repeal of cantonal law.

Frequently asked questions

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.

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Sources

1. Federal inventory of game reserves, queried 6 September 2026 at LV95 2'680'779 / 1'189'717, terrain surface 2'818.2 m, commune Engelberg. Identify returns the object "Hahnen", objektnummer 10, area 8'392.1 ha corrected to 2'086.4 ha as recorded in the layer, typ "Gebiet mit integralen Schutzbestimmungen". Its object sheet, "10. Hahnen Kt. OW", describes the area as comprising "den Nadelwald der subalpinen Stufe, die unbewaldeten Steilhänge und Felspartien am Hahnen, Wissberg, Engelberger Rotstock und grossem Sättelistock sowie die das weite alpine Hochland zwischen Hahnen, Ruchstock und Wissigstock mit dem Griessenfirn", states the objectives as conservation of the area as a habitat for wild mammals and birds and "Erhaltung des Rauhfusshuhnbestandes", and gives as its special measure: "Das gesamte Banngebiet ist integral geschützt." The perimeter carries 632 vertices and the summit point tests inside it, 3 m from the nearest edge. geo.admin.ch. ↩
2. Verordnung über die eidgenössischen Jagdbanngebiete (VEJ), SR 922.31, in the version in force. Art. 5 "Artenschutz" para. 1 introduces the general provisions applying in game reserves; let. e reads: "Das freie Zelten und Campieren ist verboten. Vorbehalten bleibt die Benutzung offizieller Zeltplätze. Die Kantone können Ausnahmen bewilligen." Art. 2 provides that the inventory forms part of the ordinance and is published electronically by the Federal Office for the Environment. fedlex.admin.ch. ↩
3. Federal sanctions. Ordnungsbussenverordnung (OBV), SR 314.11, annex 2, section XII, item 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 francs. Jagdgesetz (JSG), SR 922.0, art. 18 para. 1: "Mit Busse bis zu 20 000 Franken wird bestraft, wer vorsätzlich und ohne Berechtigung: ... e. Massnahmen zum Schutze der Tiere vor Störung missachtet"; para. 2 makes attempt and complicity punishable, para. 3 provides that negligent conduct in the cases of para. 1 let. a to g is punishable by fine. fedlex.admin.ch. ↩
4. Gesetz über das Campieren (Campinggesetz) des Kantons Obwalden, GDB 971.4, of 4 December 2014, in force since 1 March 2015. Art. 6 "Campieren ausserhalb von Campingplätzen, a. Grundsatz": "Das Aufstellen von Zelten, Wohnwagen und Wohnmobilen zum Campieren ausserhalb behördlich bewilligter Campingplätze ist nicht gestattet." Art. 7 "b. Ausnahmen" allows the Einwohnergemeinde to permit exceptions for youth organisations, for organisers of large events for at most four event days where the site is suitable, accessible and provided with sanitation and waste disposal, and "in andern begründeten Ausnahmefällen"; para. 2 provides that such exceptional permits may not impair public or private interests and that use is at one's own responsibility; para. 3 allows temporary free camping on the plot of a dwelling with the owner's consent. Art. 8 "c. Einmaliges Übernachten": "Zum einmaligen Übernachten darf ein Zelt, ein Wohnwagen oder ein Wohnmobil ohne Bewilligung ausserhalb bewilligter Campingplätze aufgestellt werden, wenn keine öffentlichen oder privaten Interessen beeinträchtigt werden", para. 2 "Das einmalige Übernachten erfolgt auf eigenes Risiko." Art. 11 "Strafbestimmungen" punishes with a fine, without naming a figure, anyone who intentionally or negligently contravenes the act, in particular whoever "ohne Bewilligung campiert" (let. a) or "wiederholt gegen das Campingverbot ausserhalb eines Campingplatzes verstösst" (let. c). Art. 10 sets communal fees for permits at 100 to 1'000 francs. gdb.ow.ch. ↩
5. Federal gazetteer, queried 6 September 2026: the search term "Engelberg Rotstock" returns exactly one summit, "Hauptgipfel Engelberger Rotstock (OW) - Engelberg", at LV95 2'680'779 / 1'189'717. The Urirotstock, which gives its name to federal game reserve no. 6, is a separate mountain and a separate object. geo.admin.ch. ↩
6. Communal position of Engelberg, checked 6 September 2026. The commune's service page for "Gesuch zum Aufstellen eines Zeltlagers ausserhalb eines Campingplatzes" states that under the cantonal camping act of 4 December 2014 the Einwohnergemeinde is competent to authorise tent camps outside the campsite, gives as the principle that "das Aufstellen von Zelten, Wohnwagen und Wohnmobilen zum Campieren ausserhalb des Campingplatzes nicht gestattet ist", and describes exceptions for youth organisations and for organisers of large events for at most four days, with applications to the security department. The page does not mention art. 8 of the cantonal act. The Baureglement of Engelberg of 18 May 2003 in the version of 7 March 2025, 89'506 characters with control counts of 285 for "Art.", 205 for "Zone" and 36 for "Gemeinderat", contains camping only as the Campingzone C of its art. 18, which is zoning for the establishment and extension of campsites, and carries no prohibition on free camping. gde-engelberg.ch. ↩
7. Terrain and boundary geometry, measured 6 September 2026 on the federal 2 metre terrain model and against the published reserve perimeter. Over an 800 by 800 metre box sampled at 25 m the elevations run from 2'322.0 to 2'818.2 m, the median slope is 34.1 degrees, and 4 of 961 samples fall under 10 degrees. The flattest sample in the box is the summit itself at 4.9 degrees and 2'818.2 m. Ray casting on 24 bearings at 1 m resolution leaves the reserve within 4 to 8 m on every bearing from north clockwise to west, at 19 m on bearing 135 and 91 m on bearing 150, while on bearings 210, 225 and 240 the reserve continues beyond 4 km. Candidates outside the perimeter: 9.8 degrees at 2'639.1 m, 202 m on bearing 120; 7.9 degrees at 2'337.8 m and 8.6 degrees at 2'340.1 m, 513 and 496 m on bearings 47 and 49. No building in the federal register within 800 m; the only features the road layer returns at the summit are unnamed unsealed tracks with no traffic classification, that is to say the summit path. geo.admin.ch. ↩
8. Other federal designations, queried 6 September 2026 at the summit and at both candidate points outside the reserve, each alongside a deliberately invalid layer id returning HTTP 400 while real layers return HTTP 200. All three points return empty results for wildlife rest zones, the BLN inventory, raised and lowland bogs, mire landscapes, forest reserves and parks of national importance. All three lie inside the Emerald site "Walenstöcke - Brisen", a habitat designation under the Bern Convention that carries no camping provision of its own. map.geo.admin.ch. ↩