As of: 26 September 2026

Wild camping on the Ginalshorn

The Ginalshorn, 3'027 m, stands on the crest between the Turtmanntal and the Ginals above Unterbäch. The line of a federal game reserve runs over its summit. On the Ginals side a terrace at 2'909 m lies 200 m outside it, and no rule there forbids one night.

Leon Helg
Leon Helg · Legal situation checked in 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 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 Ginalshorn: a 3'027 m summit between two valleys

Wild camping on the Ginalshorn means a night at or near the top of a 3'027 m summit on the crest between the Turtmanntal to the west and the Ginals, the high valley above Unterbäch, to the east. The federal gazetteer calls it "Hauptgipfel Ginalshorn (VS) - Ergisch" and puts it at WGS84 46.23712 / 7.74045 (LV95 2'623'281 / 1'120'676). The summit point lies in the commune of Ergisch. The commune of Unterbäch begins about ten metres to the south-east, and the boundary between the two communes follows the crest.3

No marked path leads to the top, from either side. The nearest official trail is the Alpine route over the Niggelinglicke, about 1.3 km to the south. The summit is a rounded dome of grey scree without vegetation. To the east the Schwarzus Tälli drops towards the Ginals in steps of scree, slabs and patches of turf; to the west the slopes drop into the Turtmanntal. No building stands within 1.7 km.3

Would anyone sleep here if it were allowed? Yes, just below the top. The nearest shrubs grow 1.3 km to the west and about 750 m lower, on the Turtmanntal flank, so the whole summit area lies far above the tree line. The dome itself has one near-level strip, 10 to 20 m south-south-east of the highest point: room for a bivvy bag, tight for a tent and fully exposed to wind and weather. Level ground in quantity begins a quarter of an hour further east, in the Schwarzus Tälli.3

The rule: game reserve no. 40 Turtmanntal, and a line over the summit

The rule that decides the night up here is federal. Federal game reserve no. 40 Turtmanntal covers both sides of the lower Turtmanntal. On the right bank, the Ginalshorn's side, its object sheet has it reach "vom Borthorn bis zum Ergischhorn", from the Borthorn to the Ergischhorn, over wide alpine pastures, scree and rock. And it adds: "Das gesamte Banngebiet ist integral geschützt", the whole reserve is under integral protection.2

Where the line runs. From the Altstafelhorn it follows the crest south and up the Roti Ritze ridge to the Ginalshorn. At the summit it turns and follows the crest south to the Borthorn, 2'992 m, then east along the ridge to the Schwarzi Blatte and down to the Niggelinglicke, 2'839 m, and from there west along the Alpine path. Inside: the Steitälli with the Chummetjisee, the Chleis Grätji, the Riebgrat, the Wyssfliewang and the whole Turtmanntal flank below the crest, with the Schafalpu and the Tschafil, and the Niggelingu slope between the Borthorn ridge and the Niggelinglicke path. Outside: the Schwarzus Tälli and the Ginals basin, in Unterbäch.3

At the top, the line runs over the summit. The two official maps differ by about a metre there. On the federal inventory map the summit point lies just outside the line, while points ten metres west, north and east of the top are inside; ten metres south is outside. On the canton's hunting map the summit point lies just inside. A metre is less than the width of the line on the map, and on the ground the crest is all you have to go by. So the summit is on the line: do not sleep on it. The near-level strip south of the top is no answer either, because it lies only 3 to 7 m outside the line. The Säntis has a reserve line across its summit too.137

Check it before you stop: open map.geo.admin.ch with the layer "Hunting Ban Reserves", the federal game reserves, and compare it with the GPS position on your phone. The canton's hunting map at sitonline.vs.ch shows the same reserve.3

Inside the line, federal law is short:

"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 lit. e. In English: free tenting and camping are prohibited; the use of official campsites is reserved; the cantons may grant exceptions.

The fine is fixed: CHF 150 on the spot, under Anhang 2 Ziff. 12005 of the federal fixed-penalty ordinance (OBV, SR 314.11). Only the canton can grant an exception, not a commune and not a landowner, and none is published for hikers. Inside the line, dogs must be on a lead, also CHF 150 (Ziff. 12004), and drones are banned. The reserve is policed by the canton's game wardens.137

A bivvy bag is no way round it. The ordinance names tenting and camping, not the bivouac, and no court has ruled on a night in a bivvy bag in a federal game reserve. Against a fixed fine, that is an argument, not a plan. Treat everything inside the line as closed for the night, with or without a tent.1

East of the crest: what Unterbäch, Ergisch and the canton say

Unterbäch, the Ginals side. The Schwarzus Tälli and the terraces east of the summit lie in the commune of Unterbäch. Its police regulation, adopted by the communal assembly on 22 May 1997, runs from Art. 1 to Art. 13. It deals with night-time quiet, drunkenness, pollution, animals and irrigation water, among other things, and it has no camping article. Its building and zoning regulation, approved by the Valais government, the Staatsrat, on 27 November 2009, wants a building permit for "das Aufstellen von mobilen Wohnwagen, Zelten und dergleichen ausserhalb eines bewilligten Campingplatzes für mehr als 60 Tage": caravans, tents and the like outside an approved campsite, for more than 60 days (Art. 5). The ground east of the summit is zoned as the rest of the communal territory, rock and wasteland (Art. 87). The new zoning plan, on public display since 1 September 2026, brings no camping rule either.4

Ergisch, the summit and the Turtmanntal side. The summit point is on Ergisch ground. Ergisch's police regulation, approved by the Staatsrat on 4 February 1998, runs from Art. 1 to Art. 12 and has no camping article either. Its published building regulation lists campsites, caravans and movable huts among the works that need a permit, not a tent for a night. On the Turtmanntal flank below the summit, though, Ergisch's ground lies in the game reserve, and there the federal ban decides.5

The canton. Valais has no cantonal rule against a single night outside. Its building ordinance wants a permit for tents outside an approved campsite only beyond three weeks or twelve tents (BauV, Art. 17 para. 2 lit. a). Its nature protection ordinance fines tenting only in an area where it is banned, which takes a protection decision, and none covers the Ginalshorn or the Schwarzus Tälli. Under Art. 163 para. 3 of the Valais EGZGB, the act introducing the Civil Code, rock and scree are the public property of the communes: the stony ground on both sides of the crest is communal public ground.63

Rest zones, water, the tarns. No wildlife rest zone lies anywhere near: the nearest is 7.9 km away. The summit lies just inside a groundwater protection zone S3 for the springs of Ergisch, whose rules deal with campsites as installations, not with a night outside, and the Ginals terraces lie outside any such zone. The tarns of the Ginals, at 2'649 m and 2'571 m, are a communal nature protection zone of Unterbäch. Its rules cover buildings and changes to the terrain; keep off the shores anyway. How these levels fit together across the country is set out in the national overview.34

How it is possible: one night on the terrace at 2'909 m

The ground to aim for is a terrace in the Schwarzus Tälli, on the Ginals side of the crest. Around WGS84 46.236927 / 7.746507 (LV95 2'623'748 / 1'120'656), at 2'909 m, it lies almost flat: sparse turf and fine debris among pale scree, 468 m east of the summit and 117 m lower, 200 m outside the game reserve and about 630 m above the tree line. From the top it is about a quarter of an hour down on scree.3

Lower down, more level ground. Further down the Schwarzus Tälli, scree slabs with a green band lie almost flat at 2'846 to 2'850 m, around WGS84 46.236067 / 7.748421 (LV95 2'623'896 / 1'120'561), about 380 m outside the reserve. At 2'779 m, around WGS84 46.233098 / 7.748728, there is level ground on coarser, dark boulder scree, about 250 m outside. All of it is Unterbäch ground.3

Coming from the Turtmanntal. For walkers coming from Gruben or the Augstbordpass there is level ground south of the Niggelinglicke path, near a tarn, at 2'658 m, around WGS84 46.224556 / 7.744001, in Ergisch. Here the path is the edge of the reserve, and the spot lies just under 100 m outside it: stay south of the path. The valley floor at Gruben has its own report.35

Where not to lie. Not on the summit, and nowhere west or north of it: the Steitälli with the Chummetjisee and the Turtmanntal slopes are inside the reserve. Not on the crest to the Borthorn and the Schwarzi Blatte, which is the line itself; the level saddle on it about 375 m south of the top, at 2'987 m, lies on the line. And not on the Niggelingu slope between the Borthorn ridge and the Niggelinglicke path, which is inside too.3

Before you lie down. Open map.geo.admin.ch with the layer "Hunting Ban Reserves" and check that your phone's GPS position lies well east of the reserve's boundary. The line is drawn at map scale, so keep 20 to 30 m clear of the crest; the terrace at 2'909 m is 200 m clear. Who owns the ground is not published. Rock and scree are communal public property under Valais law, and no rule asks for anyone's consent for one night on the Ginals side. If someone on the spot objects, move on.36

Getting there, the hunt and fire

An ascent without a path. The summit is an off-trail climb on scree, with no marked path from either side. From Unterbäch, the route the destination describes for its ski tour to the Ginalshorn runs on the Ginals side: from the Seefeld area west through the narrows into the Schwarzus Tälli, up the slope to the north-west and onto the east ridge, then west to the summit. That east ridge is the reserve line: you can walk it, but do not stop on it for the night. In summer the walk starts at the Brandalp, 1'600 m, at the top of the chairlift from Unterbäch, and climbs through the Ginals: some 1'300 m of ascent to the terrace.83

The lifts. The cable car from Raron in the Rhône valley up to Unterbäch runs every 30 minutes, CHF 6.40 one way; in its revision week, 19 to 23 October 2026, it stops from 08:00 to 12:00 and from 13:30 to 17:00. The chairlift from Unterbäch to the Brandalp runs until 4 October 2026 every day except Monday, 09:15 to 12:00 and 14:15 to 17:00 from Tuesday to Friday and 09:00 to 12:15 and 14:00 to 17:15 at weekends; from 5 to 18 October daily, 09:00 to 12:15 and 14:00 to 17:15; from 19 October it is closed. CHF 9 one way, CHF 14 return.8

Until 3 October, the high hunt. The Valais high hunt for red deer, chamois and other game runs until 3 October 2026, from Monday to Saturday, and outside the reserve the Ginals side is open hunting ground; ptarmigan and black grouse follow from 16 to 31 October. Be visible, move in daylight rather than at dawn and dusk, and know that Sunday is the day without hunting. Since 24 September the canton has also allowed the whole wolf pack of the Augstbord region to be shot, until 31 January 2027.7

No fire. Since 24 September 2026 the federal forest-fire map has shown high danger for the Turtmanntal, and the canton has banned all fire in and near the forest. At 2'900 m there is nothing to burn anyway: take a stove.3

Water and cold. There is no water at the terraces; the nearest streams run a few hundred metres away. Carry it up, or melt snow if there is any. At the end of September expect frost at night at this height. There are sheep in parts of the Ginals in summer, but no alp with livestock guardian dogs is registered at the terraces. This report is for the snow-free season.3

  • One night on the terrace at 2'909 m, east of the summit. WGS84 46.236927 / 7.746507, in Unterbäch, 200 m outside the reserve, a quarter of an hour below the top. No fire.34
  • Lower in the Schwarzus Tälli. Around 46.236067 / 7.748421 at about 2'848 m, or 46.233098 / 7.748728 at 2'779 m, 250 to 380 m outside the reserve.3
  • From the Turtmanntal: south of the Niggelinglicke path. Near a tarn at 2'658 m, 46.224556 / 7.744001, in Ergisch, just under 100 m outside the reserve; stay south of the path.35
  • Berggasthaus Alpenrösli, Brandalp, 1'600 m. At the top of the chairlift from Unterbäch: CHF 70 a person with breakfast in a double room, CHF 100 with half board, single room CHF 85 or 115; +41 27 934 22 12, info@brandalp.ch.9
  • Hotel Schwarzhorn, Gruben, on the Turtmanntal side. Its season ends on 26 September 2026, and it stays closed until summer 2027; in 2026 a double room cost CHF 230 a night with half board; +41 27 932 14 14.9
  • Not inside the game reserve. Not on the summit, not on the crest, not in the Steitälli or on the Turtmanntal slopes: CHF 150, with or without a tent.13

General rules for wild camping

This applies wherever you are genuinely allowed to sleep outside, which at the Ginalshorn means one night on the Ginals side, outside the game reserve, or a bed on the Brandalp. It is not legal text, it is decency and common sense at 2'900 m, on open hunting ground next to a reserve kept as a home for wild mammals and birds.

  • 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 September 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 a boundary that runs over the summit. The federal inventory map, which the ordinance makes the reserve's perimeter, puts the summit point about a metre outside the line; the canton's hunting map, which the cantonal hunting decree makes decisive in a dispute over hunting boundaries, puts it just inside; which of the two a game warden would apply at the top is not published, and no marker is known on the ground. The boundary and every distance here are taken from the published geometry, which is as accurate as the data and not as a marker on the ground; stay well clear of the line. The published copy of Unterbäch's police regulation prints no homologation date, and Ergisch publishes its building regulation as the voting copy of 1977. Who owns the parcels on the summit and in the Schwarzus Tälli is not published. Timetables, prices, seasons and hunting dates are taken from their publishers as of September 2026 and can change; nothing on the ground was checked on site, and nobody at the communes or the canton was asked. This report is for the snow-free season. 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

Can I sleep on the Ginalshorn summit?
No. The summit lies on the boundary of federal game reserve no. 40 Turtmanntal: on the federal inventory map the summit point is about a metre outside the line, on the canton's hunting map just inside, and ten metres west, north or east of the top you are inside. There, Art. 5 para. 1 lit. e of the federal ordinance on game reserves (VEJ, SR 922.31) bans free tenting and camping, with a fixed fine of CHF 150 (OBV, Anhang 2 Ziff. 12005), and a bivvy bag is no way round it. The one near-level strip on the summit, just south of the top, lies only 3 to 7 metres outside the line, too close to be sure which side you are on. Sleep on the terrace at 2'909 metres on the Ginals side instead, 46.236927 / 7.746507, 200 metres outside the reserve.
Where exactly is the game reserve?
West and north of the crest, and up to the crest itself. The boundary of federal game reserve no. 40 Turtmanntal comes along the crest from the Altstafelhorn and the Roti Ritze to the Ginalshorn summit, turns there and follows the crest south to the Borthorn, then east to the Schwarzi Blatte and the Niggelinglicke, and from there west along the Alpine path. The Steitälli with the Chummetjisee, the Turtmanntal flank below the crest and the Niggelingu slope north of that path are inside. The Schwarzus Tälli and the Ginals basin east of the crest, in the commune of Unterbäch, are outside. To see where you stand, open the layer "Hunting Ban Reserves" on map.geo.admin.ch, compare it with your phone's GPS and keep 20 to 30 metres clear of the crest.
Where can I camp near the Ginalshorn?
On the Ginals side, east of the crest, in the commune of Unterbäch. The best ground is a terrace at 2'909 metres, 46.236927 / 7.746507, 468 metres east of the summit and 200 metres outside the game reserve, about a quarter of an hour down on scree from the top; further down the Schwarzus Tälli there is more level ground at about 2'848 and 2'779 metres. No rule forbids one night there: Unterbäch's police regulation has no camping article, its building regulation wants a permit for a tent only after 60 days, the Valais building ordinance only beyond three weeks or twelve tents (BauV, Art. 17 para. 2 lit. a), and rock and scree are the commune's public property (EGZGB, Art. 163 para. 3). The owners of the parcels are not published, and no rule asks for their consent for one night.
Is a bivvy bag allowed?
Outside the game reserve, on the Ginals side, nothing forbids a night in a bivvy bag, just as nothing forbids a small tent. Inside the reserve, do not sleep out even without a tent. Art. 5 para. 1 lit. e of the federal ordinance on game reserves (VEJ) names free tenting and camping, not the bivouac, but no court has ruled on a night in a bivvy bag in a federal game reserve, and the fixed fine for camping there is CHF 150. On the Ginalshorn that means: not on the summit, not on the crest and nowhere on the Turtmanntal flank.
What should I know in September and October?
That the hunters are out. The Valais high hunt for red deer, chamois and other game runs until 3 October 2026, from Monday to Saturday, and the Ginals side is open hunting ground; ptarmigan and black grouse follow from 16 to 31 October. The canton has also allowed the whole wolf pack of the Augstbord region to be shot until 31 January 2027. Be visible, move in daylight, and know that Sunday is the day without hunting. Since 24 September 2026 the forest-fire danger has been high: no fire. Nights at 2'900 metres bring frost, and there is no water at the terraces. The chairlift from Unterbäch to the Brandalp runs until 18 October 2026, and the Hotel Schwarzhorn in Gruben is closed from the end of September until summer 2027.
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. Federal ordinances. Verordnung über die eidgenössischen Jagdbanngebiete (VEJ), SR 922.31, Art. 2 para. 2 lit. a and para. 3: the inventory of each reserve contains "eine kartographische Darstellung des Perimeters", and the inventory is part of the ordinance, published electronically by the BAFU. Art. 5 para. 1 lit. c: dogs on a lead. Art. 5 para. 1 lit. e: "Das freie Zelten und Campieren ist verboten. Vorbehalten bleibt die Benutzung offizieller Zeltplätze. Die Kantone können Ausnahmen bewilligen." The official French text reads "Il est interdit de camper librement", the Italian "È vietato piantare tende o campeggiare"; none of the three names the bivouac. Ordnungsbussenverordnung (OBV), SR 314.11, Anhang 2 Ziff. 12004, a dog not on a lead in a federal game reserve, 150 francs, and Ziff. 12005: "Freies Zelten oder Campieren in eidgenössischen Jagdbanngebieten", 150 francs. fedlex.admin.ch (VEJ), OBV. ↩
  2. Federal Office for the Environment (BAFU), inventory of federal game reserves, object sheet "40. Turtmanntal Kt. VS" in the 2023 revision set: "Das Schutzgebiet liegt auf der linken Seite des Rhonetals im unteren Teil des Turtmanntales. Es umfasst sowohl die linke als auch die rechte Talseite der Turtmänna. Auf der linken Talseite reicht es bis zur Bella Tola und Emshorn, auf der rechten Seite vom Borthorn bis zum Ergischhorn. In den tieferen Lagen kommt Wald vor, es dominieren aber weite Flächen mit alpinen Weiden sowie Geröllfluren und Fels." Objective: "Erhaltung des Gebiets als vielfältigen Lebensraum für wildlebende Säugetiere und Vögel." Special measures: "Das gesamte Banngebiet ist integral geschützt." object sheet no. 40 (PDF). ↩
  3. Official geodata, queried on 25 and 26 September 2026. Federal identify service at the summit, LV95 2'623'280.7 / 1'120'675.7 (WGS84 46.23712 / 7.74045; gazetteer name "Hauptgipfel Ginalshorn (VS) - Ergisch"), height 3'026.5 m (national map 3026, the destination writes 3'027), and at the pitches, LV95 2'623'748 / 1'120'656 (WGS84 46.236927 / 7.746507), 2'909.4 m; LV95 2'623'896 / 1'120'561 (WGS84 46.236067 / 7.748421), 2'845.9 to 2'849.7 m; LV95 2'623'921 / 1'120'231 (WGS84 46.233098 / 7.748728), 2'778.6 m; LV95 2'623'560 / 1'119'280 (WGS84 46.224556 / 7.744001), 2'657.6 m; tolerance 0, with a bogus-layer control returning HTTP 400 and the Kiental game reserve returned as positive control in the same run. Communes from the current-year boundary: the summit point in Ergisch, Unterbäch from 14 m south-east, 26 m south and 70 m east, the boundary following the crest; the three pitches in the Schwarzus Tälli in Unterbäch, the southern one in Ergisch. Federal game reserve no. 40 Turtmanntal, area with integral protection regulations (976 ha at the summit): the summit point not returned, the boundary 0.9 m away; returned 10 m west, 10 m north and 10 m east of it and 50 m west, north and east; not returned 10 m and 50 m south; the near-level strip 10 to 20 m south-south-east of the top 3 to 7 m outside; the saddle at 2'987 m, 375 m south, 1.4 m inside; the pitches 200 m, 376 m, 250 m and 93 m outside. BAFU layer "Wildtierschutzgebiete", "Turtmanntal (Nr. 40.00)", binding from 1 January to 31 December: "Hunde sind an der Leine zu führen; der Betrieb von Drohnen ist verboten; freies Zelten und Campieren ist verboten". The canton's hunting map (layer "Banngebiete"): "EGB Nr. 40 integral Turtmanntal" at the summit point, 0.4 m inside, and 10 m west of it; not on the strip south of the top or in the Schwarzus Tälli. Wildlife rest zones, federal portal and the canton's layers: none, the nearest 7.9 km away. Cantonal protection decisions: none at the summit or the pitches. Empty at all points: BLN, floodplains, fens, raised bogs, mire landscapes, amphibian sites, dry meadows, Ramsar, Emerald, forest reserves, parks, military areas, pastures guarded by livestock guardian dogs. Cadastre: summit on Ergisch parcel 3603, no land-use designation; the three pitches in the Schwarzus Tälli on Unterbäch parcel 5140, the rest of the communal territory (rock, wasteland); the southern pitch on Ergisch parcel 3242; the Ginals tarns on Unterbäch parcel 5139, communal nature protection zone. Groundwater: the summit 3.3 m inside protection zone S3 of the Ergisch springs Chummetji (Staatsrat decision of 26 March 2014; the zone rules list campsites and places for caravans among installations, nothing on a person's night); the pitches outside any protection zone. Land cover: first shrubs 1.28 km west of the summit at 2'281 m; no building within 1.76 km; no marked trail to the summit, the Alpine route over the Niggelinglicke 1.27 km from it; the nearest mapped streams 330 to 600 m from the pitches. Terrain: the pitch at 2'909 m level to 0.6 degrees, 468 m from the summit on a bearing of 92 degrees, the way down up to 32 degrees steep in places. Federal forest-fire warning for the Turtmanntal (VS): high danger from 24 September 2026; cantonal measure from the same day: "Absolutes Feuerverbot im Wald und in Waldesnähe". map.geo.admin.ch, reserve geometry, the canton's hunting map, S3 zone decision. ↩
  4. Gemeinde Unterbäch. Polizeireglement, adopted by the Gemeinderat on 1 May 1997 and by the Urversammlung, the communal assembly, on 22 May 1997; it enters into force on homologation by the Staatsrat, and the published copy prints no homologation date. It runs from Art. 1 to Art. 13; Art. 1 covers offences on the territory of the commune that fall to the Polizeigericht of Unterbäch, negligence included, and Art. 2 sets the penalties, "Haft oder Busse bis 5'000 Fr.", for what the regulation covers; it has no camping article. Bau- und Zonenreglement, adopted by the Urversammlung on 17 June 2007, homologated by the Staatsrat on 27 November 2009: Art. 5, a building permit for "das Aufstellen von mobilen Wohnwagen, Zelten und dergleichen ausserhalb eines bewilligten Campingplatzes für mehr als 60 Tage"; Art. 80, nature protection zones, including the tarns "Seen im Ginals", rules for buildings and changes to the terrain; Art. 87, the rest of the communal territory, unproductive rock and mountain areas where building is allowed only as an exception. The total revision of the zoning plan, on public display from 1 September 2026 for 30 days, contains no camping provision. Polizeireglement (PDF), Bau- und Zonenreglement (PDF), homologation, revision on display, unterbaech.ch, Reglemente. ↩
  5. Gemeinde Ergisch. Polizeireglement, adopted by the Urversammlung on 16 December 1997, "Genehmigt durch den Staatsrat am 4. Februar 1998": it runs from Art. 1 to Art. 12 and has no camping article. Bau- und Zonenreglement, published as the voting copy signed on 21 December 1977 (a scan): among the works that need a building permit, "die Anlage von Campingplätzen und das Aufstellen von Wohnwagen, beweglichen Baracken usw."; no camping ban. Polizeireglement (PDF), Bau- und Zonenreglement (PDF), ergisch.ch, Reglemente. ↩
  6. Canton of Valais statutes (lex.vs.ch), consulted on 26 September 2026. Einführungsgesetz zum Schweizerischen Zivilgesetzbuch (EGZGB), SGS 211.1, Art. 163 para. 3: "Die Gemeindestrassen, die nicht kultivierbaren Regionen, wie Felsen, Schutthalden, Schneefelder und Gletscher, Seen, alle Wasserläufe, ab demjenigen Punkt wo sie entspringen, fallen in das öffentliche Eigentum der Gemeinden." Bauverordnung (BauV), SGS 705.100, in force since 1 January 2026, Art. 17 para. 2 lit. a: a building permit is needed for "das Aufstellen von Wohnwagen, Zelten und dergleichen ausserhalb eines bewilligten Campingplatzes, wenn sie länger als 3 Wochen aufgestellt sind oder ihre Anzahl 12 übersteigt". Verordnung über den Natur- und Heimatschutz (kNHV), SGS 451.100, fine list: "Das Zelten und Campieren in einem Gebiet, in dem dies verboten ist", Fr. 50, which presupposes a protection decision that bans it; the canton's protection decisions include none for the Ginalshorn or the Schwarzus Tälli. EGZGB, BauV, kNHV. ↩
  7. Hunting in the canton of Valais. Beschluss über die Ausübung der Jagd im Wallis 2026-2027, SGS 922.110: Art. 9 para. 2 and 3, on the hunting map the boundaries of the reserves follow prominent features of the landscape, and "Im Streitfall sind die auf der Jagdkarte festgelegten Grenzen und Elemente massgebend"; hunting dates: Patent A, red deer, chamois and other game, from 21 September to 3 October 2026, Monday to Saturday; ptarmigan and black grouse with pointing dogs from 16 to 31 October 2026, Monday to Saturday. Decision of the head of the Departement für Volkswirtschaft und Bildung of 23 September 2026, published in the official gazette on 24 September 2026 (AL-VS15-0000002576): "Die Regulierungsbewilligung erlaubt den Abschuss aller Individuen des Rudels", the wolf pack of the Augstbord region, within the pack's territory as mapped in the decision's annex, carried out by the Dienststelle für Jagd, Fischerei und Wildtiere through its wardens and/or holders of a hunting permit, from 24 September 2026 to 31 January 2027. Dienststelle für Jagd, Fischerei und Wildtiere, Chemin Grély 13, 1951 Sion. Jagdbeschluss 2026-2027, wolf pack decision (official gazette). ↩
  8. Unterbäch, consulted on 25 and 26 September 2026. Sportbahnen Unterbäch AG, chairlift Unterbäch to Brandalp, summer 2026: from 17 August to 4 October 2026 closed on Mondays, Tuesday to Friday 09:15 to 12:00 and 14:15 to 17:00, Saturday and Sunday 09:00 to 12:15 and 14:00 to 17:15; from 5 to 18 October 2026 daily 09:00 to 12:15 and 14:00 to 17:15; closed from 19 October 2026; adults one way CHF 9, return CHF 14; +41 27 934 21 19. Luftseilbahn Raron-Unterbäch, timetable from 14 December 2025 to 13 December 2026: every 30 minutes from about 04:15 to 21:26; adults one way CHF 6.40, return CHF 12.80; revision week from 19 to 23 October 2026, no service from 08:00 to 12:00 and from 13:30 to 17:00; revision day 9 November 2026. Unterbäch Tourismus, ski tour "Ginalshorn": from the Seefeld area west through the narrows between P. 2'754 and P. 2'674 into the Schwarzus Tälli, up a moderately steep slope to the north-west, then to the east ridge and west to the summit; Unterbäch Tourismus +41 27 934 56 56. chairlift timetable, fares, Luftseilbahn Raron-Unterbäch, ski tour Ginalshorn. ↩
  9. Beds, consulted on 25 and 26 September 2026. Berggasthaus Alpenrösli, Brandalp, 1'600 m, at the top station of the chairlift from Unterbäch: double room CHF 70 per person with breakfast, CHF 100 with half board; single room CHF 85 with breakfast, CHF 115 with half board; young people from 12 to 16 CHF 50 and 75; restaurant closed on Mondays, Tuesday to Sunday 09:00 to 18:00; +41 27 934 22 12, info@brandalp.ch. Hotel Schwarzhorn, Gruben, Turtmanntal: season from 18 June to 26 September 2026, then "Geschlossen bis Sommer 2027"; 2026 prices per room and night including half board, double room CHF 230, triple room CHF 330, double room for one CHF 200; tourist tax CHF 1.80 extra; +41 27 932 14 14, info@hotelschwarzhorn.ch. brandalp.ch, rooms, opening hours, hotelschwarzhorn.ch. ↩