As of: 13 September 2026

Wild camping at the Lagh da Saoseo

The Lagh da Saoseo is the turquoise lake in the arolla forest above the Rifugio Saoseo, 2'029 m, Val da Camp. It lies in a zone Poschiavo closed to tents by popular vote in 1963, on communal ground where the 2018 police law bans camping again, in forest where the forest law bans it a third time. CHF 100 on the spot. The 1963 exception at the Lagh da Val Viola is on the books; the commune no longer honours it.

Leon Helg
Leon Helg · Legal situation checked in September 2026 · Published 13 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.

What the Lagh da Saoseo is: a forest lake in a valley the commune closed to tents in 1963

Wild camping at the Lagh da Saoseo is a question most people ask after the photo: the lake is the turquoise pool in the arolla and larch forest fifteen minutes above the Rifugio Saoseo, at LV95 2'806'668 / 1'142'074, 2'029 m, in the upper Val da Camp east of the Bernina pass road. The published pin is the lake's label anchor and sits on the water. The shore is closed forest on every side, with a metre of rock and gravel at the waterline on the north and east and no clearing anywhere; the first open ground is the Saoseo alp meadow with the commune's shepherd hut, 280 m south. Below the tree line, then, and with no flat open ground at the lake at all: on terrain alone nobody would pitch here.8

The law settles the rest. On 17 March 1963 the people of Poschiavo placed the inner Val da Camp under communal protection. The perimeter runs from the Val Mera bridge at Alp Camp past the properties at the Rifugio Saoseo to the north-west corner of the Saoseo alp meadow and on to point 2161.8; everything up-valley of that line is the zone, and both lakes are inside it. "Zona protetta" boards, put up and kept by the Pro Poschiavo, mark every road and path that crosses the line.1

The ground is communal. The whole inner valley, 3'260 hectares including both lakes, is one parcel, no. 8967, on which the commune built the shepherd hut in 2021 and applied for the visitor-management works of 2024; the Cunsorzi Val da Camp Daint holds grazing rights on it, not title.85 That matters for the second ban below, which is written for public ground.

Three communal texts, and all three name the tent

"In questa zona è proibito campeggiare, se non vicino al lago di Val Viola, riva ovest."Legge comunale sulla protezione della parte interna della Valle di Campo, approved by the people on 17 March 1963, Art. 3: in this zone camping is prohibited, except near the Lagh da Val Viola, west shore.

That is the oldest and the most specific of the three. It has no penalty article of its own, and its cantonal footing, a 1946 nature-protection ordinance, has been replaced twice since; nothing in the current cantonal act reaches a communal law from 1963. So the 1963 text supplies the why and the boards at the zone entrance, not a franc amount.19

The franc amount comes from the police law the people adopted on 10 June 2018. Its Art. 9 reads: "Su tutto il territorio pubblico del Comune di Poschiavo è proibito campeggiare al di fuori dalle zone previste. Campeggiatori con tende, roulotte o altre strutture analoghe che intendono accamparsi sono obbligati a usufruire delle zone destinate a tale scopo." On all public ground of the commune, camping outside the designated zones is prohibited, tents, caravans and similar alike. Art. 31 lets the Consiglio comunale fine a breach with up to CHF 10'000 plus CHF 50 to CHF 1'000 in fees; Art. 33 lets the police settle a simple case on the spot with a disciplinary fine.2 The commune's fine catalogue, item 20.f.1 "Campeggio non consentito sul suolo pubblico", puts that on-the-spot fine at CHF 100.3

And the forest law of 2006 closes the last gap, because the shore of the Lagh da Saoseo is forest to the waterline. Art. 20: "È vietato il campeggio nei boschi." Art. 26: up to CHF 10'000, plus full compensation for any damage. Art. 19 adds a strict open-fire ban in dry periods across the whole commune.4

A tentless bivouac? All three texts say "campeggiare" or "campeggio", none says bivouac. A sleeping bag on the moss is not literally a tent. But the same police enforce all three, the commune's own page says the group site at Saoseo is the sole exception "su tutto il territorio comunale", and this article does not build on a word the texts never tested.5

The 1963 exception at the Lagh da Val Viola, and why the commune no longer honours it

Read Art. 3 again and there is a door in it: camping is allowed "vicino al lago di Val Viola, riva ovest". The Lagh da Val Viola is the larger lake at 2'160 m, 1.2 km north-east of the Saoseo and about an hour above the hut, and its west side is a forested bay with flat arolla terraces 40 to 100 m back from the water and, at the north-west inflow, an open grass meadow with braided stream channels. That door was written in 1963 and nothing has formally shut it: the 2018 police law has no repeal clause, and the building law on the ballot of 27 September 2026 repeals only the old building law.127

But the commune has stopped reading it that way, and it says so in three places. Its campsite page: "Eccetto questa zona di attendamenti, su tutto il territorio comunale vige il divieto di campeggio", the group site at Saoseo is the only exception on the whole communal territory.5 Its 2021 management concept for the valley lists "Ahndung Wildcampieren" as measure 19: camping at the Lagh da Val Viola "ist mit den Zielen des BLN nicht vereinbar und müsste strenger geahndet werden", and notes that it is the valley's most common wild-camping spot, that tents go up late and at the last moment, and that the ban is hard to police.6 And the new building law that Poschiavo votes on this month lists six temporary camp zones for scouts and similar associations, Saoseo among them, and no Val Viola.7

Where exactly "riva ovest" is has never been published either: no sign text, no map, no line from the hut or the tourism office. So the honest reading is this: a 1963 popular law says yes, a 2018 popular law says no on all public ground, the police who would write the CHF 100 fine work for the commune that says no, and no court has been asked. Anyone pitching at the Val Viola on the strength of Art. 3 is betting on that argument at dusk. The forest terraces on the west bay are out in any case, because the forest law does not know the 1963 exception.4 If you want the Val Viola night, the route is a written exception under Art. 9 para. 2 of the police law, below, not the 1963 text.

What is actually possible: the hut, the group site, a written exception

The valley has one legal roof and one legal tent site, and neither is at the lake.

Rifugio Saoseo SAC, 1'985 m, at Lungacqua, SAC section Bernina, wardens Chatrina and Gigi Murtas, +41 81 844 07 66, info@saoseo.ch. 50 places in small rooms and a dormitory, overnight CHF 45 (SAC members CHF 39), half board CHF 83 (71), plus CHF 2.80 visitor's tax; hut sleeping bag compulsory, quiet from 22:00. Staffed from early June to late October, and in winter from Christmas to New Year and early February to late April. The lake is 15 to 20 minutes above the hut, the Lagh da Val Viola about an hour.10

The group site at Saoseo is the commune's designated zone in the valley, ten minutes from the lake, roughly 60 places in small clearings around the alp meadow, two portable toilets. It is reserved by regulation to organised youth groups, scouts, school classes and similar associations; an individual cannot book it. Groups sign a contract with the Cancelleria comunale, 081 839 03 31, pay CHF 1 per person and night plus the CHF 2.80 tax and a CHF 1'000 deposit, and get a transit permit for the road.5

The only route for an individual is Art. 9 para. 2 of the police law: "Il Consiglio comunale, in casi motivati, può concedere delle eccezioni, limitate a brevi periodi, in particolare in occasione di eventi e gite in alta montagna." A written request to the Consiglio comunale, Comune di Poschiavo, +41 81 839 03 00, info@poschiavo.ch, with a real reason and a real date, and enough lead time for a council that sits fortnightly. Nothing published shows it has ever been granted to a hiker for the Val da Camp, and the 2021 concept reads as if it would not be. Ask, expect a no, and do not pitch on the strength of the request.26

Access, for planning: the Val da Camp road is closed to motor traffic from Sfazù on the Bernina pass road, in force since 1 January 2026; park at Sfazù, CHF 1 per hour or CHF 10 a day, and walk (an hour and a quarter to the hut on the road, two hours on the trail) or take the reservation-only PostAuto minibus that runs daily from late May to late October, seats via the SBB shop or 0848 818 818 until an hour before departure.1112

What the maps say: BLN, moors down-valley, nothing federal that fines

Every federal layer that can fine a camper came back empty at both lakes on 13 September 2026, with the query's controls passing: no federal game reserve, no wildlife rest zone, no park of national importance, no floodplain, mire or amphibian object, no forest reserve, no military perimeter. What does hit is BLN object 1904 "Val da Camp", the federal landscape inventory that covers the whole valley; it binds federal authorities and their permits, not a person with a tent. The nearest moor objects, the raised bog and fen of Plansena, lie 934 m and 1'366 m down-valley of the Saoseo, and the Italian border is 1.4 km beyond the Val Viola towards the Pass da Val Viola; both lakes and the whole west shore are in Poschiavo.8

The cadastre is the surprise: the 1963 zone is not in it. The extract for parcel 8967 carries only the planning-zone overlays of the ongoing revision of the communal plan, no nature or landscape protection zone at either lake. The commune's own 2021 concept says as much, that the valley's protection exists in federal inventories and a 1963 reglement, not yet in the zoning plan. It does not weaken the answer, because the police law and the forest law bite without any zone, but it is why the ban is invisible to anyone who only reads the cadastre.86

Canton Graubünden has no camping norm of general application. Its nature and heritage act, police act, hunting act, forest act and planning act were read in full for this article and carry no camping, tent or bivouac provision; the police act's Art. 36k is what lets a commune collect its disciplinary fines, and the forest act's Art. 33 is what lets a commune restrict access to its forest.9 The SAC's line that a single quiet night above the tree line is widely tolerated applies only where no contrary rule exists; here there are three, and the lake is below the tree line anyway.13

  • Rifugio Saoseo SAC, 1'985 m, fifteen minutes below the lake, reservation online, the base for both lakes and the Val Viola pass10.
  • The Saoseo group site, if you are a scout troop, a school class or a similar association with a contract from the Cancelleria comunale. Not for individuals.
  • A written exception from the Consiglio comunale under Art. 9 para. 2 of the police law, for a dated tour with a reason. Ask well ahead; expect a no.
  • Campsites down in the Valposchiavo or over the pass at Morteratsch, the usual answer for a night in a tent on this side of the Bernina.
  • Not the Lagh da Val Viola on the strength of 1963. The exception is on the books, the commune does not honour it, and the forest part of that shore is banned by the forest law regardless.

General rules for wild camping

This applies wherever you are genuinely allowed to sleep outside. At the Lagh da Saoseo that is nowhere, so it applies to the hut terrace at dusk and to the group site if you come with a troop. It is not legal text, but decency and common sense, and in a valley that has had to write three bans against tents it is also the reason the one remaining door stays open.

  • 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.

Communal regulations, access rules and enforcement practice change. Poschiavo is voting on a full revision of its local planning, including a new building law, on 27 September 2026; if it passes, the temporary camp zones and the protection zones of the Val da Camp will be redefined and this article will need a re-check. The 1963 exception for the west shore of the Lagh da Val Viola is reported here as it stands in the text and as the commune treats it; whether it would hold against the 2018 police law has not been decided by any court. Before every tour, check the current sources yourself, check the fire-ban status 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 at the Lagh da Saoseo?
No. The lake lies inside the zone the commune of Poschiavo placed under protection in 1963, where Art. 3 of that law bans camping. On top of it, the 2018 police law bans camping on all communal ground outside designated zones (Art. 9), and the 2006 forest law bans camping in forest (Art. 20), which the shore is. Three bans, one lake.
What is the fine?
CHF 100 on the spot, up to CHF 10'000 in ordinary proceedings. The commune's disciplinary-fine catalogue tariffs unauthorised camping on public ground at CHF 100 (item 20.f.1, under Art. 9 of the police law). Art. 31 of the police law and Art. 26 of the forest law each allow up to CHF 10'000, plus CHF 50 to CHF 1'000 in fees under the police law.
Can I camp at the Lagh da Val Viola instead?
On paper yes, in practice no. Art. 3 of the 1963 law exempts the west shore of the Lagh da Val Viola. The commune's campsite page, its 2021 management concept and the building law on the ballot of 27 September 2026 all treat a tent there as wild camping to be fined. The forested part of that shore is banned by the forest law in any case. If you want that night, apply in writing to the Consiglio comunale under Art. 9 para. 2 of the police law.
Is the lake in a nature reserve or a game reserve?
Not a federal one. Federal geodata at LV95 2'806'668 / 1'142'074 returns BLN object 1904 Val da Camp, which binds authorities, and nothing else: no game reserve, no wildlife rest zone, no moor at the lake (Plansena is 934 m down-valley). The protection that matters is communal, the 1963 zone, and it is not yet in the cadastre.
Where do I sleep then?
Rifugio Saoseo SAC, 1'985 m, fifteen minutes below the lake, +41 81 844 07 66, open early June to late October and in two winter windows. Groups of scouts or school classes can book the commune's Saoseo group site through the Cancelleria comunale. Everyone else: a campsite in the Valposchiavo or at Morteratsch.
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. Legge comunale sulla protezione della parte interna della Valle di Campo, approved by the people of Poschiavo on 17 March 1963 (ref. 49.10), published in the commune's collection under "Natura / Protezione del paesaggio" on 13 September 2026: Art. 1 (protection under Art. 8 of the cantonal nature-protection ordinance of 27 November 1946), Art. 2 (perimeter from the Val Mera bridge at Alp Camp past the properties at the Rifugio CAS di Lungacqua to the north-west corner of the Saoseo alp meadow and point 2161.8; "Zona protetta" boards by the Pro Poschiavo), Art. 3 ("In questa zona è proibito campeggiare, se non vicino al lago di Val Viola, riva ovest."), Art. 4 (forests of the zone managed by the commune), Art. 5 (grazing rights of the consortium untouched). No penalty article. poschiavo.ch. ↩
  2. Legge comunale sull'ordine pubblico e la sicurezza (Legge di polizia) of the commune of Poschiavo, adopted by the people on 10 June 2018 (ref. 61.10): Art. 9 para. 1 ("Su tutto il territorio pubblico del Comune di Poschiavo è proibito campeggiare al di fuori dalle zone previste. Campeggiatori con tende, roulotte o altre strutture analoghe che intendono accamparsi sono obbligati a usufruire delle zone destinate a tale scopo."), Art. 9 para. 2 (exceptions by the Consiglio comunale "in casi motivati ... limitate a brevi periodi, in particolare in occasione di eventi e gite in alta montagna"), Art. 31 para. 1 (fine up to CHF 10'000) and para. 3 (fees CHF 50 to CHF 1'000), Art. 33 (disciplinary fines up to CHF 500, on the spot only), Art. 36 (entry into force, no repeal clause). poschiavo.ch. ↩
  3. Ordinanza concernente le multe disciplinari of the commune of Poschiavo, approved by the Giunta comunale on 27 August 2018, amended 22 August 2022 (ref. 61.11), based on Art. 33 of the police law and Art. 36k of the cantonal police act: item 20.f.1 "Campeggio non consentito sul suolo pubblico (Art. 9 Ldp)" CHF 100.00; item 20.c.1 breach of published fire bans (Art. 22 Ldp) CHF 100.00. poschiavo.ch. ↩
  4. Legge forestale del Comune di Poschiavo, approved by the people on 24 September 2006, in force from 1 October 2006 (ref. 92.10), based on Art. 54 of the cantonal forest act: Art. 19 (open fires banned across the commune in dry periods, published on the cantonal forest service's instruction), Art. 20 ("È vietato il campeggio nei boschi."), Art. 26 (fine up to CHF 10'000 by the Consiglio comunale plus full compensation). poschiavo.ch. ↩
  5. Commune of Poschiavo, page "Campeggi per gruppi organizzati", read 13 September 2026: "Gruppi organizzati (scolaresche e scout) hanno la possibilità di campeggiare in montagna, in località Saoseo. Eccetto questa zona di attendamenti, su tutto il territorio comunale vige il divieto di campeggio." and "Ad appena 10 minuti dal lago di Saoseo, c'è un bellissimo posto di campeggio che permette, esclusivamente ai gruppi organizzati (scolaresche e scout), di montare le tende in varie piccole radure ... ca. 60 persone ... Due gabinetti toi-toi". Regolamento per i campeggi (ref. 94.41.1, Consiglio comunale 21 June 2010, amended to 10 June 2016): Art. 9 (allocation reserved to youth associations, "esploratori e simili"), Art. 10 (camping outside the designated zones prohibited), Art. 17 (tariff); 2025 contract form: CHF 1.00 per person and night plus CHF 2.80 visitor's tax, deposit CHF 1'000, Cancelleria comunale 081 839 03 31. poschiavo.ch. ↩
  6. Concetto Val da Camp, management concept commissioned by the commune of Poschiavo (Prof. Dr. Giovanni Danielli, 16 December 2021, 132 pages, German), published as a non-binding annex to the 2026 planning-revision dossier: section 4.3.3 ("Besonders häufig wird am Lagh da Val Viola wild gecampt ... Das Kontrollieren dieses Verbotes scheint auch für die Ordnungshüter relativ schwer zu sein. Die Zelte werden meistens spät und im letzten Moment aufgestellt.") and measure sheet 19 "Ahndung Wildcampieren" ("Das Wildcampieren am Lago da Val Viola ist mit den Zielen des BLN nicht vereinbar und müsste strenger geahndet werden ... Diese könnten nicht Bussen verteilen (rechtliche Grundlage), jedoch die Leute auf die Bestimmungen im Gebiet hinweisen."); also notes that the valley's protection is not yet in the zoning plan. Linked from the commune's ballot notice. poschiavo.ch. ↩
  7. Commune of Poschiavo, total revision of the local planning, ballot vote of Sunday 27 September 2026, dossier on public display 24 August to 25 September 2026: draft Legge edilizia comunale (LECo) Art. 55 para. 1 ("Per le ubicazioni Storta Rossa, Lagh da Braita, Saoseo, Buril, Pru Gerli, Selva sono ammessi attendamenti temporanei per il Movimento Scout Svizzero o associazioni simili."), Art. 117 (repeals the building law of 2001/2005 and prior provisions contradicting the new law; the 1963 protection law is not named). Draft, not in force on the day of writing. poschiavo.ch. ↩
  8. Official federal and cantonal geodata, queried 13 September 2026 with tolerance 0 and a passing invalid-layer control at LV95 2'806'668 / 1'142'074 (Lagh da Saoseo, 2'029 m) and 2'807'592 / 1'142'796 (Lagh da Val Viola, 2'160 m): BLN object 1904 "Val da Camp" hits at both; the game-reserve, wildlife rest zone, park, floodplain, mire, amphibian, forest-reserve and military layers return an empty result set. 3 km envelope: raised bog 421 and fen 2222 "Plansena" 934 m and 1'366 m down-valley of the Saoseo, no game reserve, no wildlife rest zone. Both lakes, the west shore and the Saoseo alp meadow lie in Switzerland, commune Poschiavo; Italian border 1'445 m north-east of the Val Viola pin. Cadastre of public-law restrictions (ÖREB) of Graubünden, extract with geometry for parcel 8967 Poschiavo (EGRID CH775678789151, 32'600'268 m²): only the planning-zone overlays of the ongoing revision of the communal plan, no nature or landscape protection zone at either lake. Communal ownership from the commune's own acts: shepherd-hut regulation of 12 January 2021 ("Il rifugio pastori 'Saoseo', ubicato sulla particella n. 8967 ... è di proprietà del Comune politico di Poschiavo"). map.geo.admin.ch. ↩
  9. Canton Graubünden, read in full on gr-lex on 13 September 2026, with positive controls: Gesetz über den Natur- und Heimatschutz (KNHG, BR 496.000), no camping provision, Art. 48 repeals the 1965 act that had replaced the 1946 ordinance the 1963 law cites, Art. 43 sanctions breaches of the KNHG and acts based on it, which a 1963 communal law is not; Polizeigesetz (BR 613.000) Art. 36k (communal disciplinary fines); Kantonales Waldgesetz (BR 920.100) Art. 33 (forest open to the public, communes may restrict access for overriding public interests); Jagdgesetz (BR 740.000) and Raumplanungsgesetz (BR 801.100): no camping, tent or bivouac term. gr-lex.gr.ch. ↩
  10. Rifugio Saoseo SAC, Sezione Bernina, Lungacqua 1'985 m: wardens Chatrina and Gigi Murtas, +41 81 844 07 66, info@saoseo.ch; 50 places; overnight CHF 45 (SAC members CHF 39), half board CHF 83 (71), visitor's tax CHF 2.80 from age 12; staffed early June to late October, Christmas to New Year and early February to late April; access Sfazù to hut 1 1/4 h on the road, 2 h on the trail. No tent or bivouac clause on the hut's pages. saoseo.ch. ↩
  11. Regolamento per la circolazione dei veicoli a motore sulla strada della Valle di Campo (ref. 87.11.2), approved by the Consiglio comunale on 24 June 2025, in force 1 January 2026: Art. 2 ("per principio, la strada è chiusa al traffico motorizzato. Vige un divieto di circolazione per gli autoveicoli, i motoveicoli ed i ciclomotori ... a partire da 'Sfazù'"), permits for owners, farmers and, under Art. 5 lit. g, organised camping groups with communal authorisation; absolute winter ban from 1 December. Parking at Sfazù under the commune's parking regulation (ref. 80.11.4, tariff of 15 April 2025): CHF 1.00 per hour, CHF 10 per day. poschiavo.ch. ↩
  12. PostAuto, "Val da Camp": minibus line Sfazù to Lungacqua and Alp Camp, daily from about the end of May to the end of October, seat reservation compulsory via the SBB shop or 0848 818 818 until one hour before departure, half-fare ticket required even with a GA or day pass. postauto.ch. ↩
  13. Swiss Alpine Club SAC, "Campieren und Biwakieren": a single considerate night above the treeline is widely accepted where no contrary rule exists. In the Val da Camp three contrary rules exist, and the Lagh da Saoseo lies below the treeline. Guidance, not law. sac-cas.ch. ↩