Wild camping at the Furgglenfirst: the summit is rock, the ground is the pass
The Furgglenfirst is a limestone ridge with several tops, and the named summit takes no tent at all. So the honest question is not the summit, it is the Appenzell side ground below it, and there the answer turns on one phone call.
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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 summit takes no tent, so the question moves down the slope
Wild camping at the Furgglenfirst starts with a distinction that saves you a wasted walk. The Furgglenfirst is not a single peak but a stretch of the Alpstein main crest with several rocky tops, the highest of them the Hintere Hüser at 1'951 metres. That named summit is a scramble on limestone, and the Bogartenmannli beside it is a climbing tower about ten metres high. There is no ground up there to lie a tent on.7
So the useful question is not the summit. It is the ground you reach on the way to it from the Appenzell side: up from the Fählensee to Furgglenalp, then towards the Bogartenlücke, the 1'709-metre pass on the crest. The open slopes above the alp and the saddle itself, at or just above the treeline, are where a tent actually fits. That ground is in Appenzell Innerrhoden, in the commune of Schwende-Rüte, and everything below turns on it rather than on the rock above.7
On that ground the rule is a single paragraph from 1973, and it is an unusually forgiving one. Appenzell Innerrhoden is one of the very few Swiss cantons where camping outside a licensed site is regulated but not punished.
"Das gelegentliche Aufstellen von einzelnen Wohnwagen und Zelten ausserhalb bewilligter Campingplätze darf die Dauer eines Monats pro Jahr nicht überschreiten und ist an die Zustimmung des betreffenden Grundeigentümers gebunden."Campingverordnung (GS 935.610), art. 4: the occasional erection of individual caravans and tents outside licensed campsites may not exceed one month a year and is tied to the consent of the landowner concerned.
Two things follow. The route is the landowner's yes, which is why the useful part of this article is a name and a telephone number rather than a statute. And there is no fine behind it: the ordinance's penalty articles, arts. 11 to 15, were repealed on 31 October 2005 and nothing has replaced them. A full-text search across every Appenzell enactment in force finds the words Biwak, Biwakieren, Nächtigen and Wildcamping in none of them, and the cantonal fixed-penalty list was refreshed in 2025 without adding camping. So in Appenzell you cannot be fined for the tent itself.14
The published house rule points the same way. The Alpstein alps and the regional tourism board publish a plain-language line for the whole massif: "Kein wildes Zelten. Biwakieren mit Einwilligung des Grundeigentümers." No wild tenting, bivouacking with the landowner's consent. This is a house rule rather than a fined statute, but it is the operative expectation on the ground and it matches art. 4 exactly, consent is the door. It also settles the bivouac question locally: unlike a bare camping ban, this expects even a tentless sleeper to have the landowner's agreement.5
The summit sits on the St. Gallen side, and that changes little here. The named top is in the commune of Sennwald, canton St. Gallen. We looked for a cantonal or communal camping article or fine on that side and located none specific to this ground; St. Gallen's position on the Alpstein is a practice-level one, wild tenting not encouraged, tolerated in practice where the alp herds agree. Because the campable ground the verdict is about lies on the Appenzell side, the Appenzell framework and the alp's consent are what you plan around. Do not read a St. Gallen article number into this: we did not find one, and we are not going to invent one.8
No federal reserve here, and the door is a real alp
The federal layers that catch people elsewhere in the Alpstein do not reach this ground. Queried at the Appenzell-side point, the federal game reserve layer comes back empty. The nearest reserve is the Säntis one, about 4.9 kilometres west, far enough that it is not part of this decision at all. The wildlife rest zone layer is empty, and so is the mire layer. There is no integral-protection zone here where a landowner's yes would count for nothing.6
One federal layer does return a hit, and it does not fine you. The site sits inside the landscape inventory object Säntisgebiet, no. 1612. That inventory binds federal and cantonal authorities in what they may permit and build; it does not create a camping prohibition and it does not put a franc figure on a single night in a tent. So the honest reading is that the Säntisgebiet designation is a reason to camp lightly and out of sight, not a reason you can be penalised for being there.6
The treeline matters for where you actually pitch. In the northern Alps the treeline runs around 1'900 to 2'000 metres, and Furgglenalp at roughly 1'500 metres is well below it. Camping down at the alp buildings, in the trees and beside the working farm, is the discouraged option: it is below the treeline and on top of someone's yard. The ground that works is higher up, on the open slopes towards the pass and at the Bogartenlücke saddle itself at 1'709 metres, which is scree and rock at or just above the treeline. Pitch high, not at the buildings.7
Who to ask, and it is a real door. The reachable point on this side is Furgglenalp, an inn at about 1'500 metres near the Fählensee, run by Sebädöni and Anne-Sophie Räss, reachable on +41 76 304 52 98. They are the people who hold and work this ground, and asking them is both the courteous move and the one that makes art. 4 do its work: with the landowner's consent, a considerate night here is lawful and unfined. The nearest staffed alternatives are Berggasthaus Bollenwees at the Fählensee and Berggasthaus Staubern on the ridge to the south.
An AI forest engineer has said as much on the record. Martin Attenberger, speaking for the canton, has stated that for individuals and pairs with simple tents wild camping in the Alpstein is basically possible, with larger groups needing the landowner's permission. That is the same shape as art. 4 and the house rule: a single considerate tent, with the alp's agreement, is the tolerated case, and it is a group or a repeated camp that turns into a problem.9
On the fee, ask rather than assume. There is no published Furgglenalp figure for an overnight pitch. For calibration only, the neighbouring Fälenalp on the same massif and under the same framework runs at around CHF 12 per person a night, about 15 with prior notice, and that is word of mouth rather than a posted rate. Do not carry that number across as if it were Furgglenalp's. Treat any fee here as "ask the Senn", which is the correct answer and the one the consent route requires anyway.10
Where a tent fits, and where it does not
The rock first, because it decides most of this. The named Furgglenfirst summit and the crest around it are limestone: a walking scramble on the ridge, with the Bogartenmannli beside it a climbing tower roughly ten metres high. None of that takes a tent, and nobody would try to sleep on it. So the common-sense gate does the first cut here, the summit is out not on a statute but on its terrain.7
The ground that passes the same gate is the Appenzell-side open slopes above Furgglenalp and the Bogartenlücke saddle at 1'709 metres. This is grass, scree and rock at or just above the treeline, and it does take a small tent for a night. It is off the rock, above the buildings, and out of the immediate farmyard, which is exactly where a considerate camp belongs.7
Below the treeline is the wrong call even though it is closer to the door. Furgglenalp sits at about 1'500 metres, below the treeline, right by the inn and the working alp. Pitching there means camping in someone's yard and in the trees, which is the discouraged version of this even when the alp says yes. The point of walking up towards the pass is to be on open ground where a single tent reads as a night out rather than an encroachment.7
The AI-side ground is the one the verdict describes, and that is a deliberate choice. The named summit is canton St. Gallen, commune of Sennwald, and it is rock; the campable ground is canton Appenzell Innerrhoden, commune of Schwende-Rüte, reached from the Fählensee over Furgglenalp to the Bogartenlücke. That is why this article plans around the Appenzell rule and the Appenzell alp: it is where you can actually lie down, and it is where the framework is clear.6
One thing that is not law but is worth reading anyway. The regional tourism board publishes a line that the Alpstein is neither a tent site nor a campsite and that wild tenting is not permitted. It cites no article, and as set out above the canton has no camping fine, so treat it as the destination's position rather than a legal statement. Its practical half, though, points exactly where this article does: stay on the alp or in a mountain inn, and follow what the alp staff tell you.5
Where you can legally sleep
- Furgglenalp, at about 1'500 metres near the Fählensee, Sebädöni and Anne-Sophie Räss, +41 76 304 52 98. This is the door: ask here about a considerate night on the open slopes above the alp or at the Bogartenlücke, at or above the treeline, with the landowner's consent under the Campingverordnung.
- The open ground above Furgglenalp and the Bogartenlücke saddle, at or above the treeline, with the alp's yes. Off the rock, above the buildings, one night, no fire, everything packed out.
- Berggasthaus Bollenwees, at the Fählensee, and Berggasthaus Staubern on the ridge to the south, both staffed inns within reach on the same massif.
- Not the named summit or the crest, which is rock and takes no tent, and not the alp buildings themselves, which are below the treeline and on the working farm.
General rules for wild camping
This applies wherever you are genuinely allowed to sleep outside, which in the Alpstein means with the alp's yes and away from the rock and the farmyard. It is not legal text, it is decency and common sense, and on a massif that carries a quarter of the canton's overnight stays it is the reason the tolerance still exists at all.
- 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 August 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.
Appenzell Innerrhoden changed its commune structure in 2022 and a cantonal proposal to ban wild camping in the Alpstein was under discussion in 2025, so material written about this area may be out of date, and the position on the St. Gallen summit side is a practice-level tolerance rather than a located statute. Before every tour, check the current sources yourself, get the landowner's consent, 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.
Gems of Switzerland
My 141 favourite spots in the Swiss Alps. With directions and a wildcamping analysis for every spot.
Frequently asked questions
Is wild camping allowed at the Furgglenfirst?
Is there a fine for wild camping at the Furgglenfirst?
Where do you actually camp near the Furgglenfirst?
Who do you ask for permission at the Furgglenfirst?
Does the rule catch a bivouac without a tent?
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
- Campingverordnung des Kantons Appenzell Innerrhoden (GS 935.610), original of 12 June 1973, current version in force since 1 January 2013, not abrogated. Art. 4: the occasional erection of individual caravans and tents outside licensed campsites may not exceed one month per year and is tied to the consent of the landowner concerned, with special enactments of the district authorities reserved. Arts. 11 to 15, the penalty provisions, were each repealed by decision of 31 October 2005 in force the same day, as part of the cantonal parliament's own revision of the ordinance, so the ordinance carries no fine. Only the article numbers appearing here are cited; no St. Gallen or Sennwald camping article is asserted, none having been located. ai.clex.ch. ↩
- Alpstein Hausordnung, published by the Alpstein alps together with Appenzellerland Tourismus for the whole massif. Operative line: "Kein wildes Zelten. Biwakieren mit Einwilligung des Grundeigentümers." No wild tenting, bivouacking with the landowner's consent. This is a house rule rather than a fined statute, but it is the operative expectation on the ground and it matches art. 4 of the Campingverordnung: consent is the route, and unlike a bare camping ban it expects even a tentless bivouac to have the landowner's agreement. appenzell.ch. ↩
- Appenzellerland Tourismus, camping and overnight guidance for the Alpstein. The destination states that the Alpstein is neither a tent site nor a campsite and that wild tenting is not permitted, citing no article; as the canton has no camping fine, this is the destination's position rather than a legal statement. Its practical half directs visitors to a mountain inn or the alp and to follow the instructions of the alp staff. appenzell.ch. ↩
- Canton-wide sweep of Appenzell Innerrhoden, 1 August 2026, by full-text search across every enactment in force. Biwak, Biwakieren, Nächtigen and Wildcamping appear in none. The Polizeigesetz, the ordinance to it and the Übertretungsstrafgesetz contain no camping terms. The cantonal fixed-penalty ordinance (GS 311.010) had its annex revised in 2025 and its tariff was read in full: there is no camping, Zelt or Biwak entry, so there is no fixed-penalty camping fine in the canton. What a camper can be fined for in Appenzell is littering, night noise and public nuisance, none of which is camping as such. ai.clex.ch. ↩
- Alpstein wild-camping proposal, 2025. A cantonal proposal to prohibit wild camping in the Alpstein was reported in the regional press (Appenzeller Zeitung). It is a proposal only, not in force: the earliest route to adoption runs via the Landsgemeinde, at the earliest in 2028. As of August 2026 it changes nothing about the current position, which remains the Campingverordnung and the house rule. appenzellerzeitung.ch. ↩
- Official federal geodata, queried 1 August 2026 at the Appenzell-side campable ground, WGS84 47.2548 / 9.4247, LV95 2'750'324 / 1'235'667. The federal game reserve layer returns empty; the nearest reserve is the Säntis object no. 16, about 4.9 km west, not reaching this ground. The wildlife rest zone, mire, bog, fen, floodplain and other protection layers return empty. The landscape inventory returns object 1612 Säntisgebiet, which binds federal and cantonal authorities in what they may permit and does not create a camping prohibition or a fine against a camper. Tolerance zero, controls passed: every query ran with an invalid-layer control returning HTTP 400 while valid layers with no hit return HTTP 200 with an empty result set. The named summit for reference lies at WGS84 47.25667 / 9.44778, LV95 2'752'062 / 1'235'920, in canton St. Gallen, commune of Sennwald. map.geo.admin.ch. ↩
- Terrain and setting, 1 August 2026. The Furgglenfirst is a stretch of the Alpstein main crest with several rocky tops, the highest being the Hintere Hüser at 1'951 m; the named summit is a limestone scramble and the Bogartenmannli beside it is a climbing tower about ten metres high, neither of which takes a tent. The Appenzell-side approach runs from the Fählensee over Furgglenalp to the Bogartenlücke, the 1'709 m pass on the crest. In the northern Alps the treeline runs about 1'900 to 2'000 m; the Bogartenlücke and the open slopes above Furgglenalp are at or just above the treeline as scree and rock, while Furgglenalp at about 1'500 m is below the treeline. The common-sense gate places the campable ground on the open slopes and the pass, off the rock and above the alp buildings. map.geo.admin.ch. ↩
- St. Gallen summit side, 1 August 2026. The named Furgglenfirst top lies in the commune of Sennwald, canton St. Gallen. A search for a cantonal or communal camping article or fine specific to this ground located none, so no St. Gallen or Sennwald article number is cited here and none is asserted. The position on this side is a practice-level one, wild tenting not encouraged and tolerated in practice where the alp herds agree, rather than a written prohibition. Because the campable ground the verdict describes lies on the Appenzell Innerrhoden side, the Appenzell framework and the alp's consent govern in practice. sennwald.ch. ↩
- Practice and tolerance. Martin Attenberger, forest engineer for the canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden, is on record in the regional press (St. Galler Tagblatt) that for individuals and pairs with simple tents wild camping in the Alpstein is basically possible, with larger groups needing the landowner's permission. This matches the shape of art. 4 of the Campingverordnung and the Alpstein house rule: a single considerate tent with the alp's agreement is the tolerated case, and it is a group or a repeated camp that becomes a problem. tagblatt.ch. ↩
- Furgglenalp, the reachable door on the Appenzell side. An inn at about 1'500 m near the Fählensee, run by Sebädöni and Anne-Sophie Räss, contact +41 76 304 52 98, listed publicly on furgglenalp.ch. Nearest staffed alternatives are Berggasthaus Bollenwees at the Fählensee and Berggasthaus Staubern on the ridge to the south. No published pitch fee exists for Furgglenalp; for calibration only, the neighbouring Fälenalp on the same massif and under the same framework runs at around CHF 12 per person a night, about 15 with prior notice, word of mouth rather than a posted rate. Any Furgglenalp fee should be treated as "ask the Senn" rather than a set figure. See also the Hikebeast Fählensee article for the consent route and the fee calibration. furgglenalp.ch. ↩
Gems of Switzerland
My 141 favourite spots in the Swiss Alps. With directions and a wildcamping analysis for every spot.