As of: 3 October 2026

Wild camping in Grindelwald

Q: Is wild camping allowed in Grindelwald?

No, nowhere in the commune. Art. 9 of the Grindelwald Camping-Reglement prohibits putting up tents, caravans and the like for camping outside authorised campsites, with no exception for altitude or area, and Art. 2 covers cars and camper vans too. The fine is up to CHF 1'000 under Art. 53 para. 3; the commune's information sheet prints CHF 200 to 1'000. On the high ground of the First and the Grosse Scheidegg, the federal Schwarzhorn game reserve adds a CHF 150 fixed penalty.

Q: Is a night above the tree line allowed, on the First or the Faulhorn?

No. Art. 9 of the Grindelwald camping regulation has no altitude exception, and Grindelwald's tourism office says camping is prohibited everywhere in Grindelwald, including above the tree line and at the Bachalpsee. The common advice that a single night above the tree line is usually fine does not hold here. Much of the plateau between the First and the Faulhorn is also the federal Schwarzhorn game reserve, where free tenting carries a CHF 150 fixed penalty under VEJ Art. 5 para. 1 lit. e and OBV Anhang 2 Ziff. 12005.

Q: Is a bivvy bag without a tent allowed in Grindelwald?

Not safely, and never in the game reserve. Art. 2 of the camping regulation defines camping as spending the night in tents, vehicles or similar movable shelters, and Art. 9 bans putting up tents; a bag on the ground with nothing pitched is arguably outside that wording, but no court has decided it, and the commune says camping is prohibited everywhere. In the Schwarzhorn reserve the federal ban on free tenting and camping applies, with exceptions only from the canton. A planned night is not an emergency bivouac.

Q: Can I get a permit to camp in Grindelwald?

Only for a group camp, and only outside the game reserve. Art. 10 of the camping regulation lets the local police authority grant a time-limited exception for a tent camp outside the campsites, on application, with the landowner's consent and with conditions. It is discretionary and written for a "Zeltlager"; no such permit for a single hiker's night is published. Inside the federal Schwarzhorn reserve only the canton can grant exceptions.

Grindelwald bans tents outside its authorised campsites across the whole commune, from the village at 1'013 m up to the glaciers, with no exception above the tree line. On the First and at the Grosse Scheidegg, much of the high ground is also a federal game reserve.

Leon Helg · Legal situation checked in October 2026

Illegal Not allowed It depends Tolerated Legal

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.

In short, as of October 2026

No tent anywhere in Grindelwald, from the valley floor to the glaciers. Art. 9 of the communal Camping-Reglement allows tents only on authorised campsites, with no exception above the tree line. The fine runs up to CHF 1'000; the commune's own sheet prints CHF 200 to 1'000.¹²

On the First and at the Grosse Scheidegg, a federal ban comes on top. Much of that high ground is the Schwarzhorn game reserve: free tenting costs a CHF 150 fixed penalty, and only the canton grants exceptions, so no landowner can wave you through. Männlichen and the Glecksteinhütte lie outside it, under Art. 9.³⁴⁵

Where you sleep instead: one of the three campsites or a bed up high. Camping Eigernordwand, Holdrio and Gletscherdorf in the valley; the Berghotel Faulhorn, the Berggasthaus First, the Berghotel Grosse Scheidegg or the Glecksteinhütte above it.²⁵

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 in Grindelwald: one commune, valley floor to glacier

Wild camping in Grindelwald is a question about a whole commune. Grindelwald covers about 171 square kilometres of the Bernese Oberland: the village at 1'013 m under the Eiger and the Wetterhorn, the First and Faulhorn plateau to the north, the Grosse Scheidegg to the east, the Männlichen ridge to the west and the glaciers to the south.⁵

A commune has no single pitch, so the question is where a night would actually happen. Not in the village, on the valley floor at Grund and Itramen or in the forest belt: that is houses, farmland and wood below the tree line. Up high it happens on the plateau around the Bachalpsee, on the meadows of the Grosse Scheidegg, on the Männlichen ridge and at the huts under the Wetterhorn and the Schreckhorn. No cantonal nature reserve or cantonal wildlife reserve covers those places. One communal rule covers all of them.⁵⁷

The rule: Art. 9 of Grindelwald's camping regulation

Grindelwald regulates camping in an act of its own, the Camping-Reglement of 30 May 1980, last amended on 2 December 2016 and in force in that version since 1 January 2017. The police regulation of 2024 does not repeat the rule; its Art. 14 says that camping is governed by the communal camping regulation.¹

"Das Aufstellen von Zelten, Wohnwagen etc. zum Campieren ausserhalb behördlich bewilligter Campingplätze ist grundsätzlich nicht gestattet."Camping-Reglement der Einwohnergemeinde Grindelwald, Art. 9 "Grundsatz". In English: putting up tents, caravans and the like for camping outside officially authorised campsites is in principle not permitted.

No altitude, no zone, no season. Art. 9 names no area, so it reaches the whole commune, the alp benches at 2'500 m as much as the village meadows. Art. 2 defines camping as temporarily staying and spending the night in tents, caravans, mobile homes, motorhomes, cars, camper buses or similar movable shelters, so a night in a car at a trailhead is covered as well.¹

The fine is up to CHF 1'000, imposed by the local police authority for deliberate or negligent breaches, unless federal or cantonal penal provisions apply (Art. 53 para. 3). The commune's own information sheet "Campieren Verboten" prints CHF 200 to 1'000, and Grindelwald's tourism office writes that camping is prohibited everywhere in Grindelwald, including above the tree line, on car parks and at the Bachalpsee.¹²

The one exception is written for group camps. Under Art. 10 the local police authority can, on application and with the landowner's consent, grant a time-limited exception for a tent camp outside the campsites, with conditions on hygiene and order, and the public campsites are to be used where possible. It is a discretionary permit for a "Zeltlager" and needs two yeses; no such permit for one hiker's night is published. The authority sits at the Gemeindeverwaltung, Bereich Sicherheit, Spillstattstrasse 2, 3818 Grindelwald. Inside the federal game reserve it cannot help at all.¹

On the First and at the Grosse Scheidegg: a federal reserve on top

Much of the high ground between the First, the Faulhorn and the Grosse Scheidegg is the federal game reserve Schwarzhorn. Inside it, the federal ordinance on game reserves prohibits free tenting and camping outright (VEJ Art. 5 para. 1 lit. e), and only the canton can grant exceptions. A landowner's consent or a communal permit is worth nothing there.³

The fine there is a fixed CHF 150. The federal fixed-penalty schedule tariffs free tenting or camping in federal game reserves at exactly that amount, under Anhang 2 Ziff. 12005. Grindelwald's own fine yields where the federal one applies.⁴¹

Where the line runs matters less than it looks. The Bachalpsee shore lies just outside the reserve and the slopes above it inside; the Grosse Scheidegg pass lies 14 m inside it. Stepping out of the reserve only puts you back under Art. 9, which covers the whole commune. How the levels fit together across the region is in the Bernese Oberland overview and the national overview.⁵¹

Without a tent: a reading, not a loophole

Art. 9 bans putting up tents, caravans and the like; Art. 2 defines camping as spending the night in tents, vehicles "oder ähnlichen beweglichen Unterkünften", similar movable shelters. A bivvy bag on the ground with nothing pitched is arguably outside that wording. Whether a bag counts as a similar movable shelter is open, and no court has decided it for Grindelwald. The commune and its tourism office answer in their own words: camping is prohibited everywhere, above the tree line included.¹²

So it is a reading, not a permission, and never on reserve ground. In the Schwarzhorn reserve the federal ban speaks of free tenting and camping, its exceptions belong to the canton, and a game reserve is the wrong place to test a wording argument; the Hornseewli report says the same. A genuine, unplanned emergency bivouac is a rescue situation, not camping. A night planned for the sunrise on the Eiger is not an emergency.³

Place by place: where a night would happen, and what applies

First and Faulhorn plateau, around the Bachalpsee: no. Gassenboden, at 46.67154 N, 8.00011 E and 2'493 m, lies 117 m outside the Schwarzhorn reserve. The best level bench nearby, about half a hectare at 2'611 m and 265 m north-east, lies 45 m inside it. Art. 9 applies to both, and on the bench the federal CHF 150 as well. The lake has its own report, wild camping at the Bachalpsee; the Hagelseewli, across the commune boundary on Brienz ground, lies inside the same reserve.⁵⁶³
Grosse Scheidegg, 1'962 m: no, twice over. The pass at 46.65597 N, 8.10186 E has a road, a bus stop and the Berghotel, and it lies inside the Schwarzhorn reserve and the federal moorland landscape no. 391 Grosse Scheidegg. The big level meadow about 400 m north-west, some 5'500 m² at 1'979 m, lies 1 m outside the reserve line and inside the moorland landscape. Art. 9 covers both. On the ridge above, the Hornseewli lies deep inside the reserve.⁵⁶¹
Männlichen, 2'342 m: no. The summit at 46.61816 N, 7.93805 E falls away at about 36 degrees; the first usable ground is 107 m south and 44 m lower, and the larger benches lie towards the gondola top station and its hotel. No federal reserve here, so Art. 9 decides. A tip, not an answer: Lauterbrunnen ground begins 37 m from the summit, and Lauterbrunnen's camping regulation exempts occasional camping on private ground for private purposes. That is Lauterbrunnen's rule, and it needs the private owner's personal yes for that exact ground; without it, it is the same no. The details are in our Lauterbrunnen report.⁶⁵⁸
Glecksteinhütte SAC, 2'317 m: no tent. At the foot of the Wetterhorn, at 46.62512 N, 8.09654 E, 2.9 km from the game reserve, inside the BLN landscape no. 1507 and the UNESCO World Heritage Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch, neither of which carries a camping fine of its own. The hut stands on the only level shelf; around it the ground runs at about 23 degrees. Art. 9 has no altitude exception, and the hut publishes no tent tolerance: take a bed. The Schreckhornhütte and the Berglihütte stand under the same rule.⁵⁶¹
The village, the valley floor and the forest: no. Grindelwald at 1'013 m, Grund and Itramen are houses, farmland and forest below the tree line, and a car park is covered by Art. 2 just like a meadow. No federal reserve applies here; Art. 9 decides, with CHF 200 to 1'000 in the commune's practice.¹²

Where you can legally sleep

One of the three campsites. Camping Eigernordwand, Bodenstrasse 4, +41 33 853 12 42; Camping Holdrio, Itramenstrasse, +41 79 614 02 88; Camping zum Gletscherdorf, Locherbodenstrasse 29, +41 33 853 14 29. These are the three the commune lists on its camping sheet.²
A bed on the high ground. On the plateau the Berghotel Faulhorn and the Berggasthaus First, at the pass the Berghotel Grosse Scheidegg. Book ahead.⁵
A hut. The Glecksteinhütte SAC under the Wetterhorn, the Schreckhornhütte SAC and the Berglihütte SAC higher up, and the Bäregg above the glacier gorge. Book ahead with the hut.⁵
Not on the plateau, the pass or the ridge. Art. 9 applies everywhere in the commune, with fines up to CHF 1'000, and inside the Schwarzhorn reserve the federal CHF 150 as well.¹⁴

General rules for wild camping

This applies wherever you are genuinely allowed to sleep outside, which in Grindelwald means a campsite pitch, not the mountains. Take it to the huts as well: it is not legal text, it is decency and common sense.

No fire. An open fire has no place in the mountains. A gas stove is enough.
Pitch late, strike early. Set up towards evening, gone again early. A bivouac is one night, not a base camp.
Leave no rubbish. Everything you carry up you carry down, organic scraps and toilet paper included.
At least 50 metres from any water for the big business, so you do not foul what people and livestock drink.
Stay small and quiet. A small group, no speaker, no drone, dogs on the lead, and the alp staff's word goes.

Disclaimer

This article reflects my research and assessment to the best of my knowledge, as of October 2026. It is based on the publicly accessible and official sources linked below. It does not replace legal advice and is not a binding statement of the current legal situation.

The verdict rests on the Grindelwald camping regulation and police regulation as the commune publishes them, both as scanned documents, on the federal game-reserve ordinance and fixed-penalty schedule, on federal and cantonal geodata and on the terrain. No court has decided whether a tentless bivouac counts as camping under Art. 2 and 9, and no Art. 10 permit for a single hiker is published. The Schreckhornhütte, the Berglihütte and the Bäregg were not checked point by point, and who owns the ground on the Lauterbrunnen side of the Männlichen ridge is not established. Campsites, huts, prices and seasons change. Before every tour, check the current sources yourself and follow instructions on site. A genuine emergency bivouac in distress is a separate question from a planned camp. Anyone who spends the night outside bears responsibility for their own conduct and any consequences themselves. Hikebeast, Leon Helg and Saftladen GmbH accept no liability for decisions made on the basis of this text, and call on no one to break applicable law.

Frequently asked questions

Is wild camping allowed in Grindelwald?

No, nowhere in the commune. Art. 9 of the Grindelwald Camping-Reglement prohibits putting up tents, caravans and the like for camping outside authorised campsites, with no exception for altitude or area, and Art. 2 covers cars and camper vans too. The fine is up to CHF 1'000 under Art. 53 para. 3; the commune's information sheet prints CHF 200 to 1'000. On the high ground of the First and the Grosse Scheidegg, the federal Schwarzhorn game reserve adds a CHF 150 fixed penalty.

Is a night above the tree line allowed, on the First or the Faulhorn?

No. Art. 9 of the Grindelwald camping regulation has no altitude exception, and Grindelwald's tourism office says camping is prohibited everywhere in Grindelwald, including above the tree line and at the Bachalpsee. The common advice that a single night above the tree line is usually fine does not hold here. Much of the plateau between the First and the Faulhorn is also the federal Schwarzhorn game reserve, where free tenting carries a CHF 150 fixed penalty under VEJ Art. 5 para. 1 lit. e and OBV Anhang 2 Ziff. 12005.

Is a bivvy bag without a tent allowed in Grindelwald?

Not safely, and never in the game reserve. Art. 2 of the camping regulation defines camping as spending the night in tents, vehicles or similar movable shelters, and Art. 9 bans putting up tents; a bag on the ground with nothing pitched is arguably outside that wording, but no court has decided it, and the commune says camping is prohibited everywhere. In the Schwarzhorn reserve the federal ban on free tenting and camping applies, with exceptions only from the canton. A planned night is not an emergency bivouac.

Can I get a permit to camp in Grindelwald?

Only for a group camp, and only outside the game reserve. Art. 10 of the camping regulation lets the local police authority grant a time-limited exception for a tent camp outside the campsites, on application, with the landowner's consent and with conditions. It is discretionary and written for a "Zeltlager"; no such permit for a single hiker's night is published. Inside the federal Schwarzhorn reserve only the canton can grant exceptions.

Where can I sleep in Grindelwald instead?

At one of the three campsites, or in a hut or mountain inn. Camping Eigernordwand (+41 33 853 12 42), Camping Holdrio (+41 79 614 02 88) and Camping zum Gletscherdorf (+41 33 853 14 29) are in the valley. Up high, the Berghotel Faulhorn, the Berggasthaus First, the Berghotel Grosse Scheidegg, the Glecksteinhütte SAC, the Schreckhornhütte SAC and the Berglihütte SAC have beds; book ahead.

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

Camping-Reglement der Einwohnergemeinde Grindelwald, adopted on 30 May 1980 and approved by the cantonal police directorate on 30 July 1980; Art. 4 and 46 amended on 7 June 2002, Art. 17 para. 2 deleted on 2 December 2016, in force in that version since 1 January 2017; listed by the commune as the act in force, read on 3 October 2026. Art. 2: camping is "das vorübergehende Verweilen und Uebernachten von Personen in Zelten, Wohnwagen, Mobilheimen, Wohnautos, Autos, Wohnbusse oder ähnlichen beweglichen Unterkünften". Art. 9 "Grundsatz": "Das Aufstellen von Zelten, Wohnwagen etc. zum Campieren ausserhalb behördlich bewilligter Campingplätze ist grundsätzlich nicht gestattet." Art. 10 "Ausnahmen", para. 1: "Die Ortspolizeibehörde kann auf Gesuch hin mit Zustimmung durch den Grundeigentümer Ausnahmebewilligungen für Zeltlager ausserhalb bewilligter Campingplätze erteilen. Nach Möglichkeit sind die öffentlichen Campingplätze zu berücksichtigen."; para. 2: conditions on hygiene and order, and the permit must be time-limited. Art. 53 para. 3: deliberate or negligent breaches are fined by the Ortspolizeibehörde "mit Busse bis zu Fr. 1'000.00", where no federal or cantonal penal provision applies. Polizeireglement, in force since 1 January 2024, Art. 14 "Camping": "Das Campieren und der Campingbetrieb richten sich nach dem Campingreglement der Gemeinde Grindelwald." Its Art. 31 fines breaches of the police regulation itself up to CHF 5'000; Art. 14 only refers on, so the camping fine is the one in the Camping-Reglement. Both acts are published as scanned documents. Camping-Reglement (PDF), Polizeireglement (PDF), gemeinde-grindelwald.ch (regulations). ↩
Gemeinde Grindelwald, information sheet "Campieren Verboten" (2022, online on 3 October 2026): fines of CHF 200 to 1'000, and the campsites Camping Eigernordwand, Bodenstrasse 4, +41 33 853 12 42, eigernordwand.ch; Camping Holdrio, Itramenstrasse, +41 79 614 02 88, camping-grindelwald.ch; Camping zum Gletscherdorf, Locherbodenstrasse 29, +41 33 853 14 29, gletscherdorf.ch. The sheet still cites the article number of the police regulation before 2024; the rule now sits in Art. 14 of the 2024 regulation, which refers to the Camping-Reglement. Grindelwald Tourismus, behaviour guide, read on 3 October 2026: camping is "prohibited everywhere in Grindelwald, including above the tree line, on car parks and at Lake Bachalpsee", and the destination has three official campsites. Information sheet (PDF), grindelwald.swiss (behaviour guide). ↩
Verordnung über die eidgenössischen Jagdbanngebiete (VEJ), SR 922.31, Art. 5 para. 1 lit. e: free tenting and camping are prohibited in federal game reserves; the use of official campsites is reserved, and the cantons can grant exceptions. This applies in the federal game reserve Schwarzhorn, on the high ground between the First, the Faulhorn and the Grosse Scheidegg. fedlex.admin.ch. ↩
Ordnungsbussenverordnung (OBV), SR 314.11, Anhang 2, Ziff. 12005: "Freies Zelten oder Campieren in eidgenössischen Jagdbanngebieten", fixed penalty CHF 150. fedlex.admin.ch. ↩
Official federal geodata, read on 3 October 2026, with the commune from the current boundary record (Grindelwald, 171.4 km²). Village, LV95 2'645'255 / 1'163'888, 1'013 m: no federal protected area. Gassenboden, LV95 2'642'965 / 1'169'078, WGS84 46.67154 / 8.00011, 2'493 m: outside the federal game reserve Schwarzhorn, 117 m from its edge. Level bench north-east of it, LV95 2'643'135 / 1'169'281, WGS84 46.67336 / 8.00235, 2'611 m: inside the reserve, 45 m from its edge. Grosse Scheidegg pass, LV95 2'650'765 / 1'167'407, WGS84 46.65597 / 8.10186, 1'962 m: inside the reserve, 14 m from its edge, inside the moorland landscape of national importance no. 391 Grosse Scheidegg and an amphibian spawning site; road pass with the Berghotel and a bus stop. Meadow north-west of the pass, LV95 2'650'509 / 1'167'699, WGS84 46.65861 / 8.09854, 1'979 m: 1 m outside the reserve line, inside moorland landscape no. 391. Männlichen summit, LV95 2'638'254 / 1'163'112, WGS84 46.61816 / 7.93805, 2'342 m, and the bench towards the gondola top station, LV95 2'638'505 / 1'162'643, WGS84 46.61393 / 7.94129, 2'241 m: no federal protected area; the Lauterbrunnen boundary lies 37 m and 72 m away. Glecksteinhütte SAC, LV95 2'650'387 / 1'163'975, WGS84 46.62512 / 8.09654, 2'317 m: 2.9 km from the reserve; inside BLN object no. 1507 "Berner Hochalpen und Aletsch-Bietschhorn-Gebiet (nördlicher Teil)" and the UNESCO World Heritage perimeter Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch. Schreckhornhütte SAC, LV95 2'650'592 / 1'159'168; Berglihütte SAC, LV95 2'644'614 / 1'157'445. No wildlife rest zone, floodplain, mire, dry meadow, park or forest reserve at any of these places. map.geo.admin.ch. ↩
Terrain, swisstopo swissALTI3D (2 m), read on 3 October 2026. Bench north-east of Gassenboden: 4'808 m² at 8 degrees or less. Meadow north-west of the Grosse Scheidegg: 5'548 m² at 5 degrees or less. Männlichen: median slope 35.6 degrees within 30 m of the summit; the first usable ground lies 107 m south and 44 m lower, at LV95 2'638'239 / 1'163'001, 64 m²; the bench towards the gondola top station covers 1'632 m² at a mean slope of 5.6 degrees. Glecksteinhütte: 68 m² at 8 degrees or less at the hut, median slope 22.6 degrees within 30 m, and no ground at 5 degrees or less within 600 m. swissALTI3D. ↩
Landschaftsreglement der Gemeinde Grindelwald, 2001, read on 3 October 2026: it zones two campsite zones and refers to the Campingreglement for camping; Art. 22 lists communal wildlife quiet areas (Itramenwald, Firstweng-Luegenweid, Spilmatten-Reetihorn, Burg-Bira, Oberer und Unterer Grindelwaldgletscher, Itramenberg, JBG Schwarzhorn) with a planning rule that new uses and activities must not contradict the protection goals, and no rule of conduct or fine. Canton of Bern geodata, read on 3 October 2026: the cantonal wildlife reserve no. 14 "Grindelwald", category B, a ban on waterfowl hunting around the valley floor, 421 m from the village; none of the places in this article lies in a cantonal wildlife reserve or a Bernese nature reserve; the nearest nature reserves are First, 2.6 km from the Bachalpsee area, and Feldmoos, 2.4 km from Männlichen. Landschaftsreglement (PDF), geofiles.be.ch (wildlife reserves), geofiles.be.ch (nature reserves). ↩
Camping-Reglement der Einwohnergemeinde Lauterbrunnen, in force since 1 January 2025, read on 3 October 2026. Art. 3 para. 1: "Das Campieren ausserhalb von Campingplätzen ist grundsätzlich nicht gestattet. Davon ausgenommen ist das vereinzelte Campieren auf privatem Gelände, zu privaten Zwecken." Art. 24 para. 2: breaches of Art. 3 are fined up to CHF 5'000. lauterbrunnen.ch (PDF). ↩