As of: 19 September 2026

Wild camping at Ferpècle

Ferpècle is where the Val d'Hérens road ends: a hamlet at 1'784 m, a dam, above it the gravel plain where two glaciers meet and the Bricola alp on its shelf at 2'416 m. A hamlet is not a pitch, so this report answers for the ground above it, and the answer is one: Evolène bans camping and anything like it, CHF 200 to 500, and the forefield carries a second, cantonal ban. Left: a dormitory, a hut, the campsites.

Leon Helg
Leon Helg · Legal situation checked in September 2026 · Published 19 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 at dusk, gone in the morning. No base camp, no camper van. Most Swiss bans are written against camping; whether a single night falls under them depends on the exact wording, and that wording is what this article checks. The whole difference: Wild camping vs bivouacking.

What Ferpècle is: a road end at 1'784 m, a glacier forefield at the treeline, an alp on a shelf at 2'416 m

Wild camping at Ferpècle is a question about the head of the Val d'Hérens, and it has three grounds. The road end at Les Salays, 1'784 m: a hamlet in the zone de mayens, the Cabanotel, a bus stop, a car park and the Grande Dixence dam 800 m on, with the Borgne's gravel flats beside it. Above the dam the valley opens into the forefield where the Glacier du Mont Miné and the Glacier de Ferpècle meet, a braided sandur at 1'950 to 2'000 m with a proglacial lake at each snout and larch terraces on its east bank. And on a shelf 400 m above the west side of the forefield, the Bricola alp at 2'416 m: a cluster of stone huts and ruins, one tall stone building, one large metal-roofed one, short-grazed pasture cut by rock bands, and the path that continues to the Cabane de la Dent Blanche. The gazetteer's label point for Bricola is a 29-degree rock band 21 m from the tall building; the only flat ground within 300 m, 6 degrees at 2'609'895 / 1'099'437, is the grass dooryard of the large building, 29 m from its wall and beside the path. The local treeline runs at about 2'050 m for trees and 2'200 m for krummholz, so Bricola is well above it and the forefield sits right at it, half in larch.7

Would anyone sleep here? Yes, and they do, on the larch terrace of the forefield (level, water, out of the wind) and on the grass beside the Bricola buildings. The terrain test alone already cuts the alp down: the flat ground is a dooryard in sight of a front door and a path. But the reason the chip says Illegal is not the terrain. It is that the whole of this valley head is in Evolène, and Evolène has written its rule down.7

The commune's rule: camping and anything like it banned across the territory, with a tariff and a sign

Valais has no cantonal camping ban, which is exactly why the communal article decides. Evolène's Règlement communal de police, adopted on 20 March 2018, approved by the Assemblée primaire on 13 June and homologated by the Conseil d'Etat on 21 November 2018, is the only police règlement on the commune's page, and no amendment has been published since: the Bulletin officiel carries every Evolène notice since March 2023 and returns none. Art. 4 al. 1 applies it "sur l'ensemble du territoire de la Commune d'Evolène", al. 2 lets the commune act on private ground, and Art. 54 al. 2 is the rule:1

"Le camping, le caravaning et ce qui leur est assimilable sont interdits en dehors des emplacements autorisés expressément désignés comme tels par l'Autorité."Règlement communal de police d'Evolène 2018, Art. 54 al. 2.

"Et ce qui leur est assimilable" is the clause that catches a tent for one night: an express extension to everything comparable, not a list of vehicles. The text never uses the words "bivouac" or "tente" (a fresh word-count on the scanned règlement: bivouac 0, tente 0, camping 3, caravan 4, with "police" at 84 as the control), so a fully tentless night in a bag is an untested edge, as the Col du Tsaté article in this series says of the same commune. Two things push that edge toward "caught": the commune's own road sign crosses out a tent, and on the forefield, as the next section shows, the canton's tariff names the bivouac outright. Art. 78 al. 1 sets the fine between CHF 10 and 10'000, CHF 1'000 at most for minors, and Art. 76 al. 3 makes negligence enough. And unlike the Tsaté article's reading, Evolène does publish a figure: the police page's "Garanties d'amendes" sheet lists "Camping en dehors des emplacements autorisés: 200.- / 400.- / 500.-", minimum, maximum, repeat, and the communal sign photographed on the commune's own flyer reads "Camping sauvage interdit / Wildes Kampieren verboten / Wild camping forbidden / Amende/Straffe/Fine frs 500". Since 2020 the Police intercommunale du Val d'Hérens writes the tickets.12

The exception the article names, "emplacements autorisés expressément désignés", exists and is not here. The commune has designated its three campsites, Evolène, Molignon in Les Haudères and the temporary site at Arolla, and on 4 July 2026 four car parks for self-contained camper vans (Fontanesse at Arolla, Tauge at Les Haudères, Télé-Evolène at Lannaz, Villaz): night parking only, CHF 15 plus tourist tax, a macaron on the windscreen, and only when the three campsites are full. Vehicles only, no tent zone anywhere, nothing at Ferpècle, Bricola or the forefield. There is no landowner-consent clause in the règlement, only "l'Autorité", the Conseil municipal, can designate a place, and Art. 4 al. 2 reaches private ground. That is the whole of why the verdict is Illegal and not It depends: nobody at Ferpècle, not the alp, not the Bourgeoisie, not the Cabanotel, can make a night lawful with a yes.21

The forefield's second ban: a protected floodplain where the canton names the bivouac

The gravel plain below the glaciers is not just Evolène ground. It is the alluvial site of national importance Nr. 131 "Ferpècle", 17.5 ha of braided Borgne and sandur from the two snouts down to 500 m below the confluence, listed in the federal inventory since 1992; the flats between the road end and the dam are object Nr. 130 "Salay", 14.1 ha. On 20 June 2007 the Conseil d'Etat put both, with buffer zones, under protection as "sites naturels protégés" (decision RS/VS 451.348, in force since 3 August 2007), ordered them onto information panels and into the commune's zoning as nature-protection zones, and wrote the bans in Art. 4 al. 1: among sixteen items, "h) le brûlage; i) le camping; ... p) le lâchage des chiens". The buffer is drawn in the cantonal cadastre as the communal "Zone de protection de la nature (73)", 24 ha, and the 2009 homologation of Evolène's zoning plan records that it was drawn to the decision.35

Where that puts the flat cells: the larch terrace on the east bank at 2'609'019 / 1'100'080 (1'958 m, 2.8 degrees), the most tempting ground in the valley, lies 70 m outside the federal object but 47 m inside the buffer, so inside the decision's Art. 4. The gravel margin at 2'609'019 / 1'099'605 (1'963 m), 15 to 30 m from the braids, lies 50 m inside the federal object itself. The sanction chain is cantonal: the nature protection act, LcPN Art. 34, punishes breaches of a protection decision, and its al. 2bis lets the canton collect small ones as fixed fines; the ordinance's Annex 4 lists them, and no. 6 reads "Bivouaquer et camper dans un site avec interdiction: Fr. 50", no. 7 "Faire du feu dans un site avec interdiction: Fr. 100", no. 3 loose dogs CHF 50. So on the forefield the realistic number is fifty francs on the spot from a game warden, a forester or the police, the bivouac is named, and the commune's CHF 200 to 500 stacks on top. Which one a patrol writes is not documented; both are law.43

What else is on this ground, and what is not: BLN, two cantonal game reserves, a forest reserve, the Zermatt line

Bricola, the forefield and the dam lie inside BLN object 1707 "Dent Blanche, Matterhorn, Monte Rosa", 26'957 ha; the road end is 122 m outside it. The BLN binds authorities and fines nobody. The cantonal cadastre puts Bricola in the zone agricole (alpages) under the landscape-protection overlay, 606 m from the nature zone, and Evolène's building règlement names camping only in its campsite-zone article; its Art. 67 lists "La remointze de Bricolla" among the alp buildings whose agricultural character must be kept, and its nature-zone article says access "may be limited" without a camping word. No federal game reserve within 10 km (Dixence, 10.2 km); no wildlife rest zone closer than 3.6 km, and the Val d'Hérens zones are "recommandée", non-binding, December to April. No moor, no dry meadow, no military perimeter, controls passing on every run.65

Two lines matter for a different reason. The canton's own districts francs, DFC 123 Bréona (1'749 ha) and DFC 124 Mont Miné (564 ha), are cantonal hunting bans under the cantonal hunting act, not federal Jagdbanngebiete: the federal camping ban and the CHF 150 ticket do not apply to them, the hunting act has no camping word, and its implementing règlement even allows hunters' bivouac tents on open ground subject to the other rules. But the DFC 123 boundary runs through the Bricola huts themselves, 7 m from the tall stone building, with the pasture north and east of the path inside and the dooryard cells south-west of it just outside, and the guide's old pin on the glacier sits 133 m inside DFC 124. From 21 September to 3 October 2026 that line tells you which side of the alp has shooting. The larch terrace on the forefield is also inside the Réserve forestière des Veisivis, a 2019 convention between the Bourgeoisie d'Evolène, the two alps and the canton that restricts logging for fifty years and states in so many words that free access, berry picking and mushrooming stay possible; it has no camping clause and adds nothing to the verdict.65

And the edge that does not help: the upper Glacier de Ferpècle belongs to Zermatt, whose police règlement has a landowner-consent exception. The commune line crosses the glacier axis at 2'612'070 / 1'094'330, 3'490 m, on the névé toward the Col d'Hérens. Everything below it, the tongue, the forefield, Bricola 5.6 km and 1'085 m lower, the Cabane de la Dent Blanche and its approach, is Evolène. The consent route reaches no ground a hiker would sleep on.6

  • Not at Bricola, not on the forefield, not at the road end. Bricola and the road end are commune-wide ban, CHF 200 to 500 on the tariff; the forefield is that plus the alluvial decision, CHF 50 on the spot with the bivouac named. The flat grass beside the Bricola buildings is a dooryard on the DFC line; the larch terrace is inside the nature zone; the sandur is inside the federal object and an outwash plain with a proglacial lake at each snout. No consent route exists on any of it.137
  • The Cabanotel de Ferpècle, at the road end. The former Hôtel du Col d'Hérens, reopened by anakolodge, Route de Saleu 1: open 7 May to 1 November 2026, seven double rooms, a family suite, and a dormitory of six places from CHF 54 per person with bedding, half board compulsory; doubles from CHF 145 plus half board. Ring first in September and October, the tourism office lists those months as to be confirmed: 079 686 50 04. Parking in front. The Buvette Le Petit Paradis just before the dam serves food to the end of October, no beds.9
  • The Cabane de la Dent Blanche. CAS section Jaman, 3'507 m, 34 places, 4 km and 1'100 m of moraine path above Bricola: guarded 20 June to 20 September 2026 weather permitting, CHF 54, members 37, half board 45, cash only, no reservation; outside the season a winter room with 20 places and a wood stove. 027 283 10 85. Not a place to reach at dusk with a tent on your back; a place to plan for.9
  • The campsites. Camping Molignon in Les Haudères, open all year: a small-tent pitch for a hiker without a car CHF 10 plus CHF 7.90 per adult in September plus tax, about CHF 19, the closest lawful tent to Ferpècle. Camping d'Evolène closes on 21 September 2026 until spring. Camping Arolla's temporary site ran to about 27 September. Camper vans: only the four communal car parks, CHF 15 a night, night parking only, and only when the campsites are full; caravans and camper vans on public ground elsewhere are banned by the parking règlement.92
  • The "Cabane de Bricola" is not a hut. The large building on the map is the former Hôtel de Bricola, bought by Grande Dixence SA in the 1950s and used as a shelter for the staff who maintain the water intakes; the company's own answer to a hut database reads "il ne s'agit pas d'un refuge ou d'une cabane publique". Zero beds, closed.8
  • Getting there, fire, hunting. PostAuto 383 from Les Haudères, poste to Ferpècle runs until 27 September 2026, 27 minutes; on a September Saturday up at 09:35, 11:33, 12:34, 15:35, 17:35 and last down 18:09. The road from La Forclaz is public and open into October; beyond the road end vehicles need communal authorisation. Bricola from Les Salays about 2 h 30 and 650 m. Fire: the cantonal general ban of June 2026 was lifted on 15 September; forest rules return at danger level 4; on the forefield fire is banned outright by the decision (CHF 100), commune-wide open fires are CHF 200 to 400 on the tariff. Hunting: the Valais season opens on 21 September 2026, permit A to 3 October, Monday to Saturday, on both flanks outside the two districts francs.1011

General rules for wild camping

This applies wherever you may actually sleep out, which at Ferpècle means a dormitory, a hut or a campsite, and nowhere on the alp or the forefield. It is not statute but decency and common sense, and in a valley where the commune has printed its tariff on a road sign it is also what keeps the campsites open and the alp friendly.

  • 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 in good faith, as of September 2026. It relies 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.

Communal règlements, cantonal decisions, tariffs and hut seasons change. The règlement was read from the commune's scanned PDF by OCR and checked against the page images; the Bulletin officiel carries Evolène's notices only since March 2023, so an amendment between 2019 and early 2023 would not show there; the owners of the alp parcels are inferred from a forest-reserve convention, not from the land register; the location of the photographed sign is not stated; and no fine actually issued at Ferpècle or Bricola is on record. Check the current sources yourself before every trip and follow the instructions on site. A genuine emergency bivouac in a situation of distress is a different question from a planned camp. Whoever spends the night outdoors bears the responsibility for their own conduct and all consequences. Hikebeast, Leon Helg and Saftladen GmbH accept no liability for decisions taken on the basis of this text and call on no one to break the law in force.

Frequently asked questions

Is wild camping allowed at Ferpècle?
No. Evolène's police règlement of 2018 forbids camping, caravanning and anything comparable outside places expressly designated by the authority, across the whole communal territory including private ground (Art. 4 and Art. 54 al. 2), with a fine of CHF 10 to 10'000 that the commune's own tariff sheet prices at CHF 200 to 500. No designated emplacement exists at Ferpècle, at Bricola or on the glacier forefield, and the forefield is in addition a protected alluvial site where a 2007 cantonal decision names camping and the canton's fixed-fine list names the bivouac.
How high is the fine?
CHF 200 to 500 on the commune's tariff; CHF 50 on the spot on the forefield. Art. 78 of Evolène's règlement sets a range of CHF 10 to 10'000; the police page's Garanties d'amendes sheet lists camping outside authorised places at CHF 200 minimum, 400 maximum, 500 on repeat, and the communal sign says 500. On the alluvial site below the glaciers the cantonal ordinance's fixed-fine list prices bivouacking or camping at CHF 50 and a fire at CHF 100; ordinary proceedings under the nature protection act remain possible. Which one a patrol writes is not documented.
Can I bivouac without a tent at Bricola?
Untested in the règlement, and not a route. Evolène's text bans camping, caravanning and what is comparable to them, and never uses the words bivouac or tent, so a bag-only night is an edge the article publishes as an edge. The commune's own sign crosses out a tent, and on the forefield the canton's tariff names bivouacking outright. Bricola's only flat ground is the dooryard of a closed building beside the path, on the boundary of the cantonal district franc Bréona, in view of everyone walking to the Dent Blanche hut.
Is there a hut at Bricola?
No. The building marked as a cabane is the former Hôtel de Bricola, owned since the 1950s by Grande Dixence SA and used as a shelter for the staff who maintain the water intakes; the company itself says it is not a public refuge. The nearest beds are the Cabanotel de Ferpècle at the road end (dormitory from CHF 54 with compulsory half board, open to 1 November 2026) and the Cabane de la Dent Blanche at 3'507 m (guarded to 20 September 2026, winter room after).
Where does the Zermatt consent route start?
On the névé at 3'490 m, nowhere useful. Zermatt's police règlement allows camping with the landowner's consent, and the upper Glacier de Ferpècle is Zermatt ground. The commune line crosses the glacier axis at 2'612'070 / 1'094'330 toward the Col d'Hérens. The tongue, the forefield, Bricola (5.6 km and 1'085 m lower), the Cabane de la Dent Blanche and its approach are all Evolène, where no consent clause exists.
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. Règlement communal de police de la Commune d'Evolène, adopted by the Conseil municipal on 20 March 2018, approved by the Assemblée primaire on 13 June 2018, homologated by the Conseil d'Etat on 21 November 2018, in force from homologation (Art. 81), replacing the règlement of 29 January 2008 (Art. 80); the last page notes "Ce règlement a été corrigé conformément aux instructions reçues par le Conseil d'Etat lors de son homologation". Read from the commune's scanned PDF (32 pages, no text layer), OCR at 300 dpi, every quote checked against the page image. Art. 2 al. 2 ("L'autorité communale (ci-après « l'Autorité ») est le Conseil municipal."); Art. 4 ("Champ d'application territorial": al. 1 "Les dispositions du présent Règlement sont applicables sur l'ensemble du territoire de la Commune d'Evolène", al. 2 "L'autorité communale peut intervenir sur le domaine privé dans le cadre de ses compétences."); Art. 54 ("Camping, pique-nique et caravaning": al. 1 picnic places to be left clean, al. 2 "Le camping, le caravaning et ce qui leur est assimilable sont interdits en dehors des emplacements autorisés expressément désignés comme tels par l'Autorité. Demeurent réservées les dispositions spécifiques de la Loi fédérale dur la circulation routière du 19 décembre 1958 et la Loi d'application de la législation fédérale sur la circulation routière du 30 septembre 1987.", al. 3 caravan rotation on the official travellers' site, al. 4 fees and guarantees); Art. 75 al. 1 (only the police and sworn communal officials draw up the procès-verbal); Art. 76 al. 3 ("Les contraventions au présent Règlement de police sont punissables même si elles procèdent d'une simple négligence."); Art. 78 ("Pénalités", al. 1 "Toute contravention au présent règlement, commise par un adulte, qui ne tombe pas sous le coup de la législation pénale fédérale ou cantonale sera punie d'une amende dont le montant ne peut être inférieur à 10 francs, ni supérieur à 10000 francs. S'agissant d'une personne mineure, le montant de l'amende ne peut excéder 1000 francs", al. 4 community service of up to 360 hours with the offender's agreement). Word-boundary counts on the de-hyphenated OCR text: bivouac 0, tente 0, camping 3, caravan 4, assimilable 1; controls "police" 84, "autorité" 62, "amende" 16. Amendments: the commune's règlements page lists only this text; the Bulletin officiel du Valais (Evolène's notices since 1 March 2023) returns no homologation of a new or amended Evolène police règlement 2019 to 19 September 2026 (controls: the same query finds the Grimisuat homologation of 23 June 2026; unfiltered total 1'439'130). Règlement de police (PDF), commune-evolene.ch (règlements), bulletin-officiel.vs.ch. ↩
  2. The tariff, the sign, the designated places, the police. Commune d'Evolène, police page, heading "Amendes types et tarifs", sheet "GARANTIES D'AMENDES" (Word document of 31 October 2018; columns Minimum / Maximum / Récidive / Sanctions adm.): "Camping en dehors des emplacements autorisés : 200.- 400.- 500.-", "Feux à l'air libre : 200.- 300.- 400.-", footer "Les frais administratifs ne sont pas inclus dans les garanties d'amendes"; the sheet carries no legal-basis line and reads as the police's deposit schedule inside the Art. 78 range. Poster "Camping sauvage interdit / Wild camping prohibited / Dans nos campings vous dormirez mieux!" (Commune d'Evolène and Evolène Région) and two-page flyer: "Selon l'article 54 du règlement communal : « le camping, le caravaning et ce qui leur est assimilable sont interdits en dehors des emplacements autorisés expressément désignés comme tel par l'autorité. » En cas d'infraction vous risquez une amende jusqu'à hauteur de 500 CHF. Le domaine public n'est pas un camping. La commune d'Evolène dit NON au camping sauvage.", with a photograph of the communal road sign (tent, camper-van and caravan pictograms crossed out, "Camping sauvage interdit / Wildes Kampieren verboten / Wild camping forbidden / Amende/Straffe/Fine frs 500"); the sign's location is not stated. Designated emplacements: Camping d'Evolène, Camping Molignon (Les Haudères), Camping Arolla (temporary site), and since 4 July 2026 the "dispositif exceptionnel de stationnement pour les camping-cars et véhicules autonomes": Parking Fontanesse (Arolla), Parking de Tauge (Les Haudères), Parking Télé-Evolène (Lannaz), Parking de Villaz, "Stationnement nocturne uniquement", CHF 15 per night plus tourist tax, macaron, "accessibles uniquement lorsque les trois campings de la commune sont complets", "Des contrôles sont effectués régulièrement" (Evolène Région campings page, quoting the commune; tourism site, quoted for the commune's scheme). Police intercommunale du Val d'Hérens since 1 January 2020, 027 207 23 36. Règlement pour le stationnement des véhicules d'Evolène (adopted 5 May 2021, homologated 20 September 2023), Art. 10 al. 2 ("Dans les zones A, B et C le stationnement de véhicules sans plaques de contrôle, de bétaillères, de remorques, de caravanes, de camping-cars, de machines de chantier, de poids-lourds et de machines agricoles est interdit sur le domaine public"; zone C is the rest of the communal territory), Art. 11 (CHF 10 to 10'000). The June 2024 communal news item "Le camping sauvage reste interdit sur le territoire de la Commune d'Evolène", quoted in the Col du Tsaté article on 4 August 2026, now redirects to the homepage and is not archived. Garanties d'amendes (PDF), commune-evolene.ch (police), flyer with the sign (PDF), evolene-region.ch (campings), Règlement de stationnement (PDF). ↩
  3. The alluvial sites. Décision concernant la protection des zones alluviales d'importance nationale "Lotrey", "Pramousse - Satarma", "La Borgne en amont d'Arolla", "Salay" et "Ferpècle", commune d'Evolène, Conseil d'Etat du Valais, 20 June 2007, RS/VS 451.348, in force since 3 August 2007 (BO 31/2007), not abrogated on lex.vs.ch on 19 September 2026; preamble "vu l'ordonnance fédérale sur la protection des zones alluviales d'importance nationale du 28 octobre 1992 (objets nos 127, 128, 129, 130 et 131)". Art. 1 al. 1 ("Les zones alluviales d'importance nationale "Lotrey", "Pramousse-Satarma", "La Borgne en amont d'Arolla", "Saley" et "Ferpècle" et leurs zones tampons, sises sur le territoire de la commune d'Evolène, sont déclarées sites naturels protégés. Leurs périmètres sont inscrits sur les extraits des plans parcellaires au 1:10'000 joints à l'original de la présente décision."), al. 2 ("Les sites protégés seront indiqués sur des panneaux d'information situés à des emplacements bien visibles et seront affectés, selon l'article 17 LAT, en zones de protection de la nature dans les plans d'affectations de zones de la commune."), al. 3 (integration into the RCC); Art. 4 al. 1 ("Dans les sites protégés sont interdites toutes activités portant atteinte à l'intégrité des sites et allant à l'encontre des buts de protection, notamment: a) toutes constructions et installations; ... e) l'exploitation touristique du lit de la rivière; ... h) le brûlage; i) le camping; j) la pénétration hors des chemins avec des véhicules de tous genres, excepté les véhicules agricoles; ... p) le lâchage des chiens (les chiens seront tenus en laisse)."); Art. 6 al. 1 (extensive traditional farming allowed in the buffer zones); Art. 8 (maintenance of the 130 kV line Chandoline, Ferpècle, Arolla and of the existing hydro works guaranteed); Art. 10 (forestry and nature staff, communal and cantonal police, game wardens and gardes champêtres must report breaches); Art. 11 al. 1 ("Les infractions à la présente décision seront punies par le département ou par le juge, selon les prescriptions de la législation sur la protection de la nature et du paysage."), al. 2 (restoration at the offender's cost). Federal object 131 "Ferpècle" (type "Cours d'eau", 17.51 ha, sheet coordinates 2'609'020 / 1'099'740, 1'965 m, inventory 1992, revision 2017; ring bounds E 2'608'756 to 2'609'290, N 1'099'162 to 1'100'314) and object 130 "Salay" (14.1 ha, bounds E 2'607'779 to 2'608'425, N 1'101'142 to 1'101'841; the bus stop is 75 m outside it, the road crosses it near 2'608'300 / 1'101'400). Conseil d'Etat, homologation of the new PAZ and RCC of Evolène, 26 August 2009: "Conformément à la décision du Conseil d'Etat du 20 juin 2007 concernant la protection des zones alluviales d'importance nationale « Lotrey », « Pramousse - Satarma », « La Borgne en amont d'Arolla », « Salay » et « Ferpècle », sur commune d'Evolène, les zones précitées sont classées en zone de protection de la nature". lex.vs.ch (451.348), Objektblatt 131 (PDF), homologation PAZ/RCC 2009 (PDF). ↩
  4. The cantonal sanction chain for the alluvial sites. Loi sur la protection de la nature, du paysage et des sites (LcPN), RS/VS 451.1, version in force since 1 January 2018: Art. 34 al. 1 ("Est puni d'une amende jusqu'à 20'000 francs celui qui, intentionnellement ou par négligence: a) a enfreint une interdiction ou une restriction édictée dans le cadre de la loi ou des prescriptions d'une décision de protection; ..."; the ceiling of ordinary proceedings, not the camper's bill), al. 2bis ("Jusqu'à concurrence d'un montant de 500 francs, les contraventions de droit cantonal peuvent être réprimées par une amende d'ordre selon la procédure simplifiée fixée par l'ordonnance. Il n'est pas tenu compte des antécédents ni de la situation personnelle du contrevenant."), Art. 34a (cantonal and communal police assist and investigate). Ordonnance sur la protection de la nature, du paysage et des sites (OcPN), RS/VS 451.100: Art. 37a (fixed-fine procedure, introduced 21 December 2011, in force 1 January 2012; competence of cantonal and communal police, game wardens, fish wardens, foresters and "les personnes en charge de la surveillance des sites protégés", sworn and on duty; the offender may refuse the fixed-fine procedure, in which case ordinary proceedings apply); Annex 4, Art. A4-1 "Liste des amendes d'ordre": no. 3 "Laisser des chiens en liberté dans un site avec interdiction Fr. 50", no. 6 "Bivouaquer et camper dans un site avec interdiction Fr. 50", no. 7 "Faire du feu dans un site avec interdiction Fr. 100", no. 9 "Autres infractions aux restrictions figurant dans les décisions de mise sous protection d'objet ou autre site digne de protection (notamment dérangement des animaux) Fr. 50". lex.vs.ch (LcPN), lex.vs.ch (OcPN). ↩
  5. Cadastre and zoning. RDPPF extracts with geometry (rdppf.apps.vs.ch, 19 September 2026): parcel Evolène 18362 (Bricola, EGRID CH185777669591, 50.4 ha; 6 restrictions, all surfaces), parcel 18360 (the forefield, EGRID CH886877669541, 134.1 ha; 9 restrictions, all surfaces), parcel 7559 (road end, EGRID CH173065205226, 516 m²; 2 restrictions); zone polygons returned whole, point-in-polygon valid at any point. Bricola label and its 6.3-degree cell: zone agricole (alpages) (61), zone de protection du paysage (71, the BLN line, 100 percent of parcels 18362 and 18360), outside the zone de protection de la nature (73) by 606 m and 659 m, outside the archaeological protection zone (75, 3.6 ha at E 2'608'797 to 2'609'037, N 1'099'545 to 1'099'854) by 785 m, outside the forest reserve ring by 675 m, noise sensitivity III. Forefield cells 2'609'019 / 1'100'080 and 2'609'019 / 1'099'605: zone inculte (92), landscape overlay, INSIDE the zone de protection de la nature (73) (24.0 ha ring, bounds E 2'608'747 to 2'609'249, N 1'099'258 to 1'100'407, 8.57 percent of parcel 18360) by 47 m and 41 m; the 2.8-degree cell also inside the Waldreservate ring (Veisivis, "avec interventions", 81.4 ha). Road end: zone de mayens (5), outside the landscape overlay by 133 m and the nature zone by 1'318 m. Règlement communal des constructions et des zones (RCCZ) d'Evolène (homologated 26 August 2009, partial PAZ modifications 2013; the RDPPF names oereblex attachment 7446 as the act in force; 107 pages; word counts camping 5, caravan 2, bivouac 0, "tente" 50 as the verb only, control "commune" 136): Art. 65 ("Zone 13 : zone de camping", the campsites; let. d winter closure during avalanche danger), Art. 67 c) ("La remointze de Bricolla ... 609.850 / 99.530" among the tsalés and remointzes of the zone agricole (alpages) whose agricultural character "doit impérieusement être maintenu"), Art. 69 a) ("Zone de protection de la nature", building restrictions, "Les accès peuvent être limités dans cette zone", no camping rule). Convention "Réserve forestière des Veisivis" of 3 December 2019 between the Bourgeoisie d'Evolène, the Alpage de Ferpècle, the Alpage des Veisivis and the canton (SFCEP), 334 ha, 197.3 ha of them in the Val de Ferpècle, 50 years to 2069, avenant of 16 November 2020: logging restrictions only; "A noter que le libre parcours en forêt, la cueillette des petits fruits et champignons sont toujours possibles, de même que la chasse est autorisée pour autant qu'il n'y ait pas de districts francs."; table 1: Bourgeoisie d'Evolène 90.7 ha "sans interventions", Alpage de Ferpècle 29.1 ha "sans interventions" and 77.5 ha "avec interventions". RDPPF extract 18362 (PDF), RCCZ Evolène (PDF), convention Veisivis (PDF). ↩
  6. Federal and cantonal geodata, 19 September 2026, identify at tolerance 0 at Bricola 2'609'820 / 1'099'512, at the forefield cells and at the road end, invalid-layer control HTTP 400 on every run, positive control 2'626'000 / 1'154'500 returns the Jagdbanngebiet Kiental; wrong ids tried and discarded: ch.bafu.wildtierkorridore and ch.bafu.bundesinventare-trockenwiesen_und_weiden (both 400; real ids read from layersConfig). BLN 1707 "Dent Blanche - Matterhorn - Monte Rosa" (26'956.9 ha): Bricola inside, boundary 2'471 m; forefield inside, 1'541 m; road end outside, 122 m. Jagdbanngebiete: none; nearest object 41 "Dixence" (integral part 3'953.1 ha) 10'177 m from Bricola, 8'562 m from the road end. Wildruhezonen: none; nearest "Grandpra (Nr. 82.0)" 3'622 m from the road end and 6'113 m from Bricola, then "La Coûta - Arolla (83.0)", "Pra Gra - Arolla 1 / 2 (84.0 / 85.0)", all schutzstatus "recommandée", 1 December to 15 April, decision 2014, basis Art. 37 LcChP; nearest binding zones Sorebois 1 and 2 at 8.2 km and more. Auen: object 131 "Ferpècle" HIT at 2'609'019 / 1'099'605 (50 m inside), 70 m from the larch-terrace cell, 560 m from Bricola; object 130 "Salay" 75 m from the road end. Flachmoore (nearest Vouasson 11.1 km), Hochmoore, Moorlandschaften, Amphibien: none in a 25 by 24 km envelope; TWW: nearest Bréona (7179) 4'275 m from Bricola, 1'740 m from the road end; Ramsar, Smaragd, national wildlife corridors, military Sachplan: none; Waldreservate: HIT "Réserve forestière des Veisivis" at the larch-terrace cell only. Communes (swissBOUNDARIES current year, bisected to 0.5 m): every ground here is Evolène; the Evolène / Zermatt line crosses the Glacier de Ferpècle axis at 2'612'070 / 1'094'330, 3'490 m (second transect 2'612'758 / 1'095'645, 3'541 m); Bricola is 5.65 km and 1'085 m below that point, the guide's glacier pin 3.1 km below. Valais SIT hunting map service (sit.vs.ch, layer 1102 "Districts francs"): DFC n° 123 Bréona (1'749 ha) and DFC n° 124 Mont Miné (564 ha), cantonal reserves under LcChP RS/VS 922.1 Art. 3 al. 1 let. b and the Arrêté sur l'exercice de la chasse 2026-2027 Art. 37 al. 3 ("tout type de chasse est interdit dans les DFC"), not federal Jagdbanngebiete (VEJ Art. 5 and OBV Ziff. 12005 do not apply; LcChP camping/tente/bivouac 0, control "chasse" 93; Règlement d'exécution 922.100 Art. 32 al. 9 allows hunters' bivouac tents "dans le terrain ouvert à la chasse ... sous réserve du respect des autres exigences légales en la matière (forêt, aménagement du territoire, règlements communaux, etc.)"): Bricola label 28 m outside DFC 123 (nearest vertex 2'609'853 / 1'099'515), the tall stone building 7 m outside, the 12.4-degree cell 2'609'845 / 1'099'537 inside, the 6.3-degree cell 31 m outside, the 9.9-degree cell 2'610'095 / 1'099'437 inside; the guide pin ferpecle_glacier 2'610'390 / 1'096'970 133 m inside DFC 124; forefield cells 636 m and 225 m outside; Cabane de la Dent Blanche outside both. api3.geo.admin.ch, BLN 1707 (PDF), sit.vs.ch (Chasse), lex.vs.ch (LcChP). ↩
  7. Terrain, 19 September 2026 (swissALTI3D 25 m grid, Arealstatistik land-cover grid at 100 m, survey 2013/18, 728 cells over E 2'607'800 to 2'610'400 and N 1'099'200 to 1'101'900 with heights from the federal height service, swissimage orthophoto, GWR building register). Treeline: the highest closed or open tree stands top out at 2'035 m (2'609'100 / 1'100'800, east side above the dam) and 2'013 m (2'609'200 / 1'099'700, east edge of the forefield below La Rionda); scrub forest (krummholz) reaches 2'193 m at 2'609'500 / 1'100'700 below Bricola and 2'143 m on the west flank: about 2'050 m for trees, 2'200 m for krummholz. Bricola: label cell 29.3 degrees at 2'404.6 m (gazetteer 2'366 m, spot height by the huts 2'416 m), median slope of the 300 m window 31.9 degrees, 3 of 529 cells under 10 degrees; the label is a rock band 21 m south-west of the tall stone building "Sentier de Bricola 18" (GWR: four storeys, residential class) and 30 to 40 m from four small stone huts and ruins (nos. 15, 17, 19, 21), the "remointze de Bricolla" of the RCCZ; 100 m south-east the large metal-roofed building "Sentier de Bricola 24 / 24.1" (non-residential class), the map's "Cabane"; the 6.3-degree cell at 2'609'895 / 1'099'437 (2'430 m, 106 m SE of the label) is grass 29 m west of that building beside the north-south path, the 9.7-degree cell 25 m further south is on the path, the 11.1-degree cell 2'609'895 / 1'099'462 the same grass shelf 40 m up-path, the 9.9-degree cell 2'610'095 / 1'099'437 (2'496 m, 285 m east) loose stones at the foot of the east slope inside DFC 123; torrents within 100 m. Forefield: median slope 20.0 degrees, 43 of 529 cells under 10; the 2.8-degree cell 2'609'019 / 1'100'080 (1'958 m) and the 3.5-degree cells 2'609'069 / 1'100'055 and 2'609'094 / 1'100'055 are a level terrace on the east bank in dense larch, 80 to 100 m east of the active braided channel, 70 m outside the federal Auen ring, 47 m inside the communal nature zone and inside the Veisivis forest reserve; the 2.9-degree cell 2'609'019 / 1'099'605 (1'963 m) is loose gravel on the vegetated margin of the braids, 15 to 30 m from the nearest channel of the Borgne de Ferpècle, 50 m inside federal object 131; the 3.6-degree cell 2'609'069 / 1'099'880 (1'995 m) open ground with scattered larches on the nature-zone line; La Rionda (2'609'294 / 1'099'880, 2'021 m, 24.0 degrees at the label) a scrub shelf 200 m east of the nature zone and 53 m from the forest-reserve ring; a proglacial lake at each snout in the orthophoto; the sandur lies upstream of the Ferpècle pumping station (the dam at 2'608'661 / 1'100'799 is about 800 m north of the 2.8-degree cell), so the risk is glacial and torrential, not a release; no danger notice specific to the forefield found. Road end: hamlet, zone de mayens, the Cabanotel, bus stop, car park, meadows around the buildings. api3.geo.admin.ch (profile), map.geo.admin.ch. ↩
  8. Owners and hydro. Convention "Réserve forestière des Veisivis" of 3 December 2019, table 1: Bourgeoisie d'Evolène (90.7 ha "sans interventions") and Alpage de Ferpècle (29.1 ha "sans interventions" plus 77.5 ha "avec interventions", the pastured "fond du Val de Ferpècle"); "Le secteur ne comprend pas de parcelles cadastrées" as of 2019; signed for the alp by its président Joseph Métrailler, La Forclaz. Commune d'Evolène, annuaire communal: Alpage de Ferpècle, Route de Saint-Martin 49, 1968 Mase, 027 283 31 64; agriculture et alpages page (alps organised as consortages). Bricola: parcel 18362 (50.4 ha, 62.6 percent zone agricole (alpages), 37.4 percent zone inculte) carries no published owner; the RCCZ lists "La remointze de Bricolla"; a remointze is the upper station of a lower alp, so Bricola is most probably the Alpage de Ferpècle's upper pasture: an inference, published as one, and irrelevant to the verdict because the règlement gives the owner no say. The former Hôtel de Bricola: refuges.info, "Ancien Hôtel et alpage de Bricola 2415 m (cabane non gardée)", quoting a written answer from Grande Dixence SA (colour, the owner's only statement on record): "l'ancien hôtel de Bricola a effectivement été acquis par la société Grande Dixence dans les années 50. Son affectation est dévolue uniquement à l'exploitation hydroélectrique. Il ne s'agit pas d'un refuge ou d'une cabane publique au sens touristique du terme, mais d'un abri pour le personnel en charge de l'entretien des prises d'eau", "Places prévues pour dormir: 0"; which of the two large buildings is the ex-hotel is not settled (refuges.info pins 609'836 / 99'521, the tall stone one; its description fits the metal-roofed one). Grande Dixence SA, station de pompage de Ferpècle: "Installée au fond du Val d'Hérens (alt. 1896 m), la station de pompage de Ferpècle capte les eaux des glaciers de Ferpècle et du Mont Miné. Chaque année, 3 pompes propulsent, sur 212 mètres de hauteur, environ 60 millions de m3 d'eau" toward the Maya reservoir and Arolla; no published access restriction around the dam beyond the tourism office's "prohibition of access to mountain huts and pastures in vehicles without special authorization"; no sudden-flow warning for the forefield found. convention Veisivis (PDF), commune-evolene.ch (annuaire), refuges.info (Bricola), grande-dixence.ch. ↩
  9. Beds, checked 19 September 2026. Cabanotel de Ferpècle (the former Hôtel du Col d'Hérens, reopened by anakolodge), Route de Saleu 1, 1985 Ferpècle, 079 686 50 04 / 075 413 50 04, info@cabanotel.ch: "Ouvert du 7 mai au 1er novembre 2026"; seven double rooms, one family suite, one double with shared facilities, one dormitory of six places "A partir de: CHF 54 par personne avec literie fournie", half board compulsory (menu découverte CHF 65); doubles from CHF 145 per night plus half board from CHF 38 per person; "Parking devant la cabanotel"; the tourism office lists May to June Thursday to Sunday, July to August daily, September to October to be confirmed. Buvette Le Petit Paradis, just before the dam, open to the end of October, 027 283 10 44 / 079 377 45 00, food only. Cabane de la Dent Blanche CAS (section Jaman), 3'507 m, 2'612'563 / 1'096'535, 34 places: "Eté 2026 La cabane est gardiennée du 20 juin au 20 septembre, selon conditions météo"; non-member CHF 54, CAS member 37, half board 45, youth 23 / 32; cash only, "Pas de réservation possible"; winter room with 20 places and a wood stove outside the season; 027 283 10 85; from Bricola about 4.0 km and 1'100 m on the moraine path. Camping Molignon, Les Haudères, open 1 January to 31 December: "Emplacement Petite tente (randonneur sans voiture)" CHF 10.00 plus adult CHF 7.90 (September to December; 9.90 July to August) plus tourist tax CHF 1.10. Camping d'Evolène: "Le camping ferme ses portes dès le lundi 21 septembre" 2026 until spring 2027; car and tent pitch CHF 18 plus adult CHF 10. Camping Arolla: the original site closed since 13 July 2025 (natural hazards); temporary site at Route de Tsallion 1 from 19 June 2026 "through September 27 (potentially through the end of September, depending on weather conditions)" (another paragraph of the same page says 13 September), CHF 15 per tent plus tax, no reservations. Camper vans: only the four communal car parks named in source 2. anakolodge.ch (dortoir), cabane-dent-blanche.ch, camping-molignon.ch, camping-evolene.ch, camping-arolla.ch. ↩
  10. Access. PostAuto line 383 Les Haudères, poste to Ferpècle (stop 8501747), SBB timetable data via transport.opendata.ch: service to Sunday 27 September 2026, none from 28 September; on 19 September 2026 up 09:35, 11:33, 12:34, 15:35, 17:35 (27 minutes), down from Ferpècle 10:15, 12:09, 13:08, 16:15 and last 18:09 (arrival 18:35); the tourism office says daily 27 June to 19 August, then weekends to 27 September, while the timetable shows service on 23 September and none on 22 September: check the day. Val d'Hérens tourism, "Balade de Ferpècle" and Bricola pages (tourism, colour): the Ferpècle road from La Forclaz "open from late April 2026 through at least October", "Parking is available in Salay" (fee not stated), "prohibition of access to mountain huts and pastures in vehicles without special authorization (access authorized for local residents)", "prohibition of camping outside designated areas"; Bricola from Les Salays about 2 h 30, 4.8 km one way, 650 m of climbing, T3 (this guide's hike). Camper-van overnight parking at Les Salays is banned by Art. 10 al. 2 of the parking règlement (source 2). transport.opendata.ch (line 383), valdherens.ch (Balade de Ferpècle), valdherens.ch (Bricola). ↩
  11. Fire and hunting, Valais. Chancellerie d'Etat, communiqué of 15 September 2026, relayed by the commune: the cantonal general open-air fire ban of 25 June 2026 is lifted with immediate effect; "à partir du degré de danger 4 (fort), tout feu demeure interdit en forêt et à proximité de celle-ci, soit dans un périmètre de 100 mètres"; communes may keep stricter rules; live danger map at vs.ch. On the alluvial sites fire is banned outright by decision 451.348 Art. 4 al. 1 let. h ("le brûlage"), fixed fine CHF 100 (OcPN A4-1 no. 7); commune-wide "Feux à l'air libre" CHF 200 to 400 on the Evolène tariff sheet. Arrêté sur l'exercice de la chasse en Valais 2026-2027, RS/VS 922.110, adopted 17 June 2026, in force 1 July 2026: Art. 8 al. 1 ("L'ouverture de l'exercice de la chasse 2026-2027 est fixée au 21 septembre 2026"); Annex 1 Art. A1-1: permit A (cerf, chamois, chevrette, sanglier, marmotte, renard, blaireau) 21 September to 3 October 2026, Monday to Saturday; Art. 37 al. 3 ("tout type de chasse est interdit dans les DFC"). communiqué 15.09.2026 (PDF), vs.ch (danger d'incendie), lex.vs.ch (chasse 2026-2027). ↩