As of: 23 October 2026

Wild camping at the Lungerersee

The Lungerersee is the 688 m reservoir on the Brünig road at Lungern OW. Its shore is the village and its park, farm meadows in front of houses, the A8 and the railway on the east side and steep forest on the west. Obwalden's one-night rule opens none of it; Camp Obsee does.

Leon Helg
Leon Helg · Legal situation checked in October 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 at the Lungerersee: a reservoir between village, road and farms

Wild camping at the Lungerersee, Lake Lungern, means a night on the shore of the 688 m reservoir between Giswil and the Brünig pass, in the commune of Lungern, canton Obwalden. The map pin, WGS84 46.79951 / 8.16185, LV95 2'655'210 / 1'183'404, is the lake's label point and lies on open water.6

The shore is in use all the way round. Lungern village and the hamlet of Obsee fill the south end, with Camp Obsee on the south-west shore. The A8 Brünig road and the Zentralbahn line run along the whole east shore, a shore road follows the water on the north side from Bürglen to Kaiserstuhl, and the west shore is steep forest with a path through it. In between lie farm meadows with houses and access roads. All of it is far below the treeline.65

So the ground decides before the law does. The level patches on this lake are a hay meadow in front of a farm, a village park, a lido meadow beside the road and car parks; the rest of the shore is steep. No federal inventory touches any of these places: no game reserve, wildlife rest zone, BLN landscape, mire, floodplain, park, military or firing area. No nature-protection zone in Obwalden's cadastre lies at any of the shore points either.65

Obwalden allows one night, if no public or private interest suffers

The rule is the cantonal camping act, GDB 971.4. Art. 6 bans setting up tents, caravans and motorhomes for camping outside authorised campsites. Art. 8 then allows a single night:1

"Zum einmaligen Übernachten darf ein Zelt, ein Wohnwagen oder ein Wohnmobil ohne Bewilligung ausserhalb bewilligter Campingplätze aufgestellt werden, wenn keine öffentlichen oder privaten Interessen beeinträchtigt werden."Gesetz über das Campieren of the canton of Obwalden, GDB 971.4, Art. 8 para. 1: for a single overnight stay a tent, caravan or motorhome may be set up without a permit outside authorised campsites, provided no public or private interests are impaired.

The wording covers a tent expressly, and a bivvy bag without a tent is not what Art. 6 bans in the first place. At this lake the condition is the whole question. A mown meadow is the farmer's hay and grazing, a park and a lido are public ground laid out for everyone's day, a car park and a road verge belong to traffic, and a hazard zone is where the canton expects slides or rockfall. A tent on any of them impairs exactly the interest Art. 8 protects, and the night falls back under the ban in Art. 6. Art. 8 para. 2 adds that the single night is at your own risk; Art. 11 punishes breaches with a fine and names no amount.1

Lungern adds no camping rule of its own. Its building and zoning regulation mentions camping only for the campsite, which Art. 23 leaves to the cantonal rules, and its shore zone in Art. 34 keeps the lakeside free of buildings, with no word on tents. The north-west shore from Bürglen to Kaiserstuhl is a regional landscape protection area, whose rules govern building and lasting changes to the landscape and do not mention camping.37

The cantonal police repeated in August 2026 that camping is strictly banned in every nature-protection zone and that a single night is possible only where no public or private interest is impaired. Small nature-protection zones lie on the Bürglen and Schwendlen parcels, away from the points below; keep off them. How Obwalden compares with other cantons: the Swiss wild-camping overview.95

The shore, place by place

These are the places on the Lungerersee where the ground is level enough to lie down, and what each of them is.56

  • Diesselbach meadow, south-west shore, 46.787042 / 8.150811, 692 m. The flattest shore ground outside the campsite, 210 m north of it: a mown farm meadow in the agricultural zone and in the flood-relief corridor of the Dundelbach, about 65 m from the water and 75 m from the Diesselbach farm buildings. A tent here stands in a farmer's hay in front of his house.
  • Inseli and the Ifang meadow, Lungern village, 46.7894 / 8.1584 and 46.788426 / 8.159605. The Inseli is a small public park with benches, 2'244 m², at the edge of the village and zoned for leisure. The Ifang meadow beside it is farmland, 55 m from the water and about 95 m from the first houses. This is the village shore.
  • Bürglen, north shore, 46.810065 / 8.166052 and 46.812309 / 8.166869. The knoll Uf dr Bürglen is farmland 72 m above the lake and about 75 m from a farmstead. The meadow by the Seebad Bürglen slopes at 15 to 17 degrees between the lido and the shore road. Both lie in the landscape protection area "Westufer Lungerersee, Bürglen-Kaiserstuhl".
  • West shore at Schwendlen, towards Kaiserstuhl, 46.802237 / 8.156383. Steep forest along the shore path, in a hazard zone of medium danger, with a zone of significant danger and nature-protection zones on the same parcel. The wildlife rest zone Lungernsee-West - Riebenwald begins 628 m upslope and applies from 1 December to 30 April.7
  • Tschoren on the east shore and Kaiserstuhl at the north end, 46.796175 / 8.163376. The A8, the shore road, the railway and the car parks, among them the one at the "Fischerparadies". Lungern's own parking concept names these places as the ones wild campers take over.4

None of them is wild ground. On this lake you cannot reach the water without crossing private farmland or developed shore, and every level metre is somebody's meadow, a public park or traffic space.

What is changing: Lungern's draft parking rule and the canton's review

Lungern is drafting a ban on nights in vehicles. In January 2025 the commune published a draft parking regulation and a parking concept. Art. 5 of the draft reads:4

"Das ein- oder mehrmalige Übernachten in einem Motorwagen (u. a. Wohnwagen, Wohnmobil, Campervan) ist auf dem Gemeindegebiet Lungern, mit Ausnahme von bewilligten Camping- oder privaten Stellplätzen, nicht gestattet."Draft Parkplatzreglement of the Einwohnergemeinde Lungern, status 14 January 2025, Art. 5: staying one or more nights in a motor vehicle (caravan, motorhome, campervan and the like) is not permitted on the communal territory of Lungern, except on authorised camping or private pitches.

The concept says why: "Einzelne Parkplätze und teils auch Flächen an versteckten Orten werden durch wildes Campieren besetzt", and it names Tschorren, the "Fischerparadies", Steinlaui and Chäppeli, places spread by apps and websites. It plans four signs at the village entrances reading "Freies campieren auf dem Gemeindegebiet verboten". On 14 April 2025 the Gemeinderat released the draft for preliminary review by the cantonal Amt für Justiz. The Gemeindeversammlung has to enact it, and no adoption has been published as of 23 October 2026.4

The draft's text reaches vehicles, not tents. Art. 5 names motor vehicles, and the concept's chapter 5.5 speaks of camping on public roads and squares. The planned signs would say more than that, "free camping forbidden" on the whole communal territory. For a tent on the shore the rule remains Art. 8 of the cantonal act, and its condition already rules the shore out. To check the regulation's status: Gemeinde Lungern, +41 41 679 79 79, gemeinde@lungern.ch.43

The cantonal rule is under review as well. In December 2025 two Kantonsräte from Lungern filed postulate 53.25.05: caravans and motorhomes should stay a single night outside campsites only on signposted pitches, while hikers with a rucksack and a tent keep the Art. 8 night. The government's answer of 3 March 2026, RRB Nr. 326, goes further. It wants the tent night reviewed too and points to cantons where wild camping below the treeline, in the forest or near settlements, is banned in principle. Parliament accepted the postulate 48 to 2 on 26 March 2026. No bill has been published as of 23 October 2026, so Art. 8 applies unchanged, and the direction of the review would only make a shore night near a village harder.2

Where you can legally sleep

Camp Obsee, Campingstrasse 1, 6078 Lungern, on the south-west shore. Open all year, with tent pitches by the water: "Am Ufer des Lungerersees finden Sie idyllische Plätzchen für Ihr Zelt." +41 41 678 14 63, camping@obsee.ch, booking online on the campsite's website. Prices from 15 June 2026: a small tent for 2 to 3 people, up to 6 m², costs CHF 16 in high season, 15 June to 15 September, and CHF 14 the rest of the year, plus CHF 14 or CHF 11 per adult and CHF 7 or CHF 6 per child aged 6 to 15. One hiker with a small tent pays about CHF 30 in high season and CHF 25 otherwise, plus any tourist tax.8

One night works if you book late. In high season the minimum stay is 5 nights, 3 at Easter, Ascension, Pentecost and the Seenachtsfest, but the campsite adds: "Bei spontanen Buchungen ab 2 Wochen vor der Anreise sind auch kürzere Aufenthalte möglich." So for a single night, book within two weeks of arrival, or come outside high season. Reception hours are not published; call ahead before a late arrival.8

For a real wild night, go up. Höch Gumme, 2'205 m, on the ridge 4.7 km west of the campsite and 1'517 m above the lake, is in the same commune and under the same Art. 8, with no farm meadow in the way: a bivvy bag on the crest is legal for one night. The Lungern-Turren-Bahn takes you to Turren, and from there it is about two hours on foot. Details: wild camping on Höch Gumme.

Where not.

  • The meadows by the campsite and the village: farmland in front of houses, and the Inseli is a public park.5
  • Tschoren and the east shore: road, railway and car parks, and the commune is moving against nights there.4
  • The west shore: steep forest in a hazard zone, with the wildlife rest zone above it in winter.7
  • Bürglen: farmland, the lido and the shore road, inside a landscape protection area.7

A farmer's yes would make a night on his own meadow lawful under Art. 8, and Art. 7 para. 3 lets anyone camp temporarily and free of charge on the plot of a residential house with the owner's consent. No owner on the shore publishes such a yes, so it is a question for a doorstep, not a plan.1

General rules for wild camping

This applies wherever you are genuinely allowed to sleep outside, which at the Lungerersee means your pitch at Camp Obsee, and above Lungern a bivvy bag on Höch Gumme. It is not legal text, it is decency on ground that farmers, villagers and other campers share.

  • 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 Obwalden camping act as in force on 23 October 2026, on Lungern's building and zoning regulation as amended to January 2024, on the draft parking regulation of January 2025 and on the cantonal cadastre of public-law restrictions. The cadastre carries no owner names, and nobody at the commune, the farms or the campsite was asked. Distances to the water and to buildings come from official geodata and aerial images and are accurate to about 10 m. Before every trip, check the current sources yourself and follow signs and instructions on site. A genuine emergency bivouac in distress is a separate question from a planned night. 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 Lungerersee?
Not on the shore. Obwalden's camping act GDB 971.4 allows one night outside campsites without a permit in Art. 8, but only if no public or private interest is impaired. Every reachable shore patch of the Lungerersee is a farm meadow in front of houses, the village park or the lido, a road, railway or car park, or steep forest in a hazard zone, and a tent on any of them impairs such an interest. Sleep at Camp Obsee on the south-west shore, open all year, +41 41 678 14 63.
Why is the verdict "Not allowed" and not "Illegal"?
Because no rule bans the lakeshore as such; the ground and the condition in Art. 8 do. No federal reserve, nature-protection zone or communal camping rule covers the shore points, and Obwalden's Art. 8 allows a single night in principle. Its condition, that no public or private interest is impaired, is what fails on farmland, parks, roads and hazard zones. A night there falls back under the ban in Art. 6, and Art. 11 fines breaches without naming an amount.
Can I sleep in a camper van at the lake?
Not on the car parks the commune wants to clear, and a ban is in draft. Art. 8 of the cantonal act treats caravans and motorhomes on the same condition as tents. Lungern's draft parking regulation of January 2025 would ban one or more nights in a motor vehicle anywhere in the commune outside authorised camping or private pitches; the Gemeinderat sent it for cantonal preliminary review on 14 April 2025, and no adoption has been published as of 23 October 2026. Its concept names Tschorren, the Fischerparadies, Steinlaui and Chäppeli as wild-camping spots. Use Camp Obsee.
What does a night at Camp Obsee cost?
About CHF 30 for one hiker with a small tent in high season. The price list valid from 15 June 2026 charges CHF 16 for a small tent and CHF 14 per adult from 15 June to 15 September, and CHF 14 and CHF 11 the rest of the year; a child aged 6 to 15 pays CHF 7 or CHF 6. In high season the minimum stay is 5 nights, but bookings made within two weeks of arrival can be shorter. Camp Obsee, Campingstrasse 1, 6078 Lungern, +41 41 678 14 63, camping@obsee.ch.
Where is a legal wild night near Lungern?
On Höch Gumme, 2'205 m, on the ridge above the lake. The summit is in Lungern and under the same Art. 8 of GDB 971.4, with no farm meadow or road in the way. The flat crest is the hiking trail, so it is a bivvy bag after the last hikers, gone at first light. The Lungern-Turren-Bahn shortens the climb to about two hours on foot from Turren.
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. Canton Obwalden, Gesetz über das Campieren, GDB 971.4, of 4 December 2014, in force since 1 March 2015, current version with no later version scheduled, read 23 October 2026. Art. 6 para. 1: "Das Aufstellen von Zelten, Wohnwagen und Wohnmobilen zum Campieren ausserhalb behördlich bewilligter Campingplätze ist nicht gestattet." Art. 7 para. 3: "Mit der Einwilligung des Eigentümers oder der Eigentümerin darf auf dem Grundstück eines Wohnhauses vorübergehend unentgeltlich campiert werden." Art. 8 para. 1: "Zum einmaligen Übernachten darf ein Zelt, ein Wohnwagen oder ein Wohnmobil ohne Bewilligung ausserhalb bewilligter Campingplätze aufgestellt werden, wenn keine öffentlichen oder privaten Interessen beeinträchtigt werden." Art. 8 para. 2: "Das einmalige Übernachten erfolgt auf eigenes Risiko." Art. 11: breaches are punished with a fine; the act names no amount. gdb.ow.ch. ↩
  2. Postulat 53.25.05, "Anpassung Campinggesetz (GDB 971.4), Steuerungsmöglichkeit der einmaligen Übernachtung", filed on 4 December 2025 by Kantonsräte Niklaus Vogler and Franco Castelanelli, both of Lungern, with 25 co-signatories. It asks "dass ein Abstellen von Wohnwagen und Wohnmobilen für einmaliges Übernachten abseits von Campingplätzen nur auf ausgeschilderten, öffentlichen oder allenfalls privaten Stellplätzen erlaubt ist", and says: "Für Reisende mit Rucksack und Zelt soll es hingegen weiterhin erlaubt sein, in der Natur im Sinne von Art. 8 einmalig zu übernachten." Answer of the Regierungsrat, RRB Nr. 326 of 3 March 2026: "Die Ausnahmeregelung gemäss Art. 8 hat in den vergangenen Jahren zunehmend zu wildem Campieren mit Wohnwagen, Wohnmobilien und Übernachtungen mit Zelt geführt." "Im Rahmen einer allfälligen Gesetzesanpassung soll jedoch auch die Regelung der einmaligen Übernachtung mit dem Zelt überprüft und mitgedacht werden." And: "In zahlreichen Kantonen (u.a. Nidwalden, Bern, Graubünden und Zürich) ist wildes Campieren - insbesondere unterhalb der Waldgrenze im Wald oder in Siedlungsnähe - grundsätzlich untersagt". Accepted by the Kantonsrat by 48 votes to 2 on 26 March 2026. No bill or consultation published as of 23 October 2026. ow.ch (business), postulate, RRB Nr. 326. ↩
  3. Einwohnergemeinde Lungern, Bau- und Zonenreglement of 22 May 2014, status 30 January 2024: no camping or tent rule outside the campsite. Art. 23 para. 4: "Für den Betrieb des Campingplatzes sind die kantonalen Vorschriften massgebend." Art. 34, Freihaltezone Seeufer: "Die Freihaltezone bezweckt die Erhaltung des Uferbereichs des Lungerersees." The article sets building and farming rules only. Annex 2 lists the sport and leisure areas, among them the lido, the boat landing, the "Campingplatz" and the "Sitzgelegenheit Insel". Municipal administration, Brünigstrasse 66, 6078 Lungern, +41 41 679 79 79, gemeinde@lungern.ch. lungern.ch (Bau- und Zonenreglement). ↩
  4. Einwohnergemeinde Lungern, Parkplatzreglement and Konzept Parkraumbewirtschaftung, both marked "Entwurf", status 14 January 2025. Draft Art. 5, "Übernachten auf öffentlichem Grund": "Das ein- oder mehrmalige Übernachten in einem Motorwagen (u. a. Wohnwagen, Wohnmobil, Campervan) ist auf dem Gemeindegebiet Lungern, mit Ausnahme von bewilligten Camping- oder privaten Stellplätzen, nicht gestattet." Concept, problem list: "Einzelne Parkplätze und teils auch Flächen an versteckten Orten werden durch wildes Campieren besetzt", naming Tschorren, the "Fischerparadies", Steinlaui and Chäppeli. Concept chapter 5.5: "Das Campieren auf öffentlichen Strassen und Plätzen wird auf dem gesamten Gemeindegebiet verboten." The cost table plans four signs "Freies campieren auf dem Gemeindegebiet verboten" at the village entrances. Gemeinderat session of 14 April 2025: "Der Gemeinderat hat diesen Entwurf zur Einreichung in die Vorprüfung durch das Amt für Justiz freigegeben." The regulation is to be enacted by the Gemeindeversammlung; assemblies were held on 22 May 2025, 20 November 2025 and 21 May 2026, the next is on 26 November 2026, and no adoption has been published as of 23 October 2026. lungern.ch (Teilrevision), draft regulation, concept, council session. ↩
  5. Cadastre of public-law restrictions (ÖREB), canton Obwalden, extracts with geometry read 23 October 2026, zones at each point. Camp Obsee, Lungern parcel 346 (EGRID CH967704361475): zone for sport and leisure facilities. Diesselbach meadow, parcel 543 (CH767704368176): agricultural zone, special zone overload corridor A, hazard zone of low danger. Ifang meadow, parcel 151 (CH790477773602): agricultural zone. Inseli, parcel 1713 (CH973677160429), 2'244 m²: sport and leisure zone ("Sitzgelegenheit Insel"), watercourse space. Uf dr Bürglen, parcel 734 (CH867804362373): regional landscape protection area, agricultural zone; a nature-protection zone on 292 m² of the parcel, not at the point. Seebad Bürglen meadow, parcel 777 (CH252704773647): landscape protection area, agricultural zone. Schwendlen, parcel 933 (CH667704362371): landscape protection area, agricultural zone, hazard zone of medium danger; on the same parcel nature-protection zones on 2'987 m² and 262 m² and a hazard zone of significant danger on 12'888 m², not at the point. The cadastre carries no owner names. gis-daten.ch. ↩
  6. Official federal geodata, read 23 October 2026. Lungerersee label point WGS84 46.79951 / 8.16185, LV95 2'655'210 / 1'183'404, on the lake surface at 688 m. Shore points, WGS84: Camp Obsee 46.785325 / 8.151967; Diesselbach meadow 46.787042 / 8.150811, 692 m, median slope 1.9 degrees, water about 65 m east; Ifang meadow 46.788426 / 8.159605, 703 m, 6.4 degrees, water about 55 m west; Uf dr Bürglen 46.810065 / 8.166052, 760 m, 16.4 degrees; Seebad Bürglen meadow 46.812309 / 8.166869, 698 m, 14.7 degrees; Schwendlen 46.802237 / 8.156383, 706 m; Tschoren 46.796175 / 8.163376. None of these points lies in a federal game reserve, wildlife rest zone, BLN landscape, floodplain, mire, amphibian site, dry meadow, Ramsar or Emerald site, forest reserve, park, military area or firing area. Elevation model swissALTI3D, aerial image swissimage. map.geo.admin.ch. ↩
  7. Canton Obwalden, nature and landscape protection. RRB über die Landschaftsschutzgebiete von regionaler Bedeutung (Teilerlass II), GDB 786.49, object "k. Westufer Lungerersee, Bürglen-Kaiserstuhl, Gemeinden Giswil und Lungern". Naturschutzverordnung, GDB 786.11, Art. 11 para. 1: "In Landschaftsschutzgebieten können Eingriffe, die eine nachhaltige Veränderung des Landschaftsbildes zur Folge haben, nur unter grösstmöglicher Schonung der Landschaft und mit entsprechenden Auflagen bewilligt werden." Neither text mentions camping, tents or overnight stays. Wildlife rest zone "Lungernsee-West - Riebenwald" (Nr. 15.0), RRB Nr. 283 of 21 January 2014: "Zutrittsverbot abseits der eingezeichneten Wege, Leinenpflicht", 1 December to 30 April; nearest edge 628 m from Schwendlen and about 1 km from the Diesselbach meadow. GDB 786.49, GDB 786.11, ow.ch (wildlife rest zones). ↩
  8. Camp Obsee, Restaurant + Camp Obsee AG, Campingstrasse 1, 6078 Lungern, +41 41 678 14 63, camping@obsee.ch, read 23 October 2026: "Ganzjahresbetrieb"; "Am Ufer des Lungerersees finden Sie idyllische Plätzchen für Ihr Zelt." Price list for tourists valid from 15 June 2026: small tent (2 to 3 people, up to 6 m²) CHF 16 in high season (15 June to 15 September) and CHF 14 in low season in sector 2, CHF 18 and CHF 15 in sectors 4 and 5; adult CHF 14 and CHF 11; child aged 6 to 15 CHF 7 and CHF 6; no tourist tax itemised. Minimum stay in high season 5 nights, 3 nights at Easter, Ascension, Pentecost and the Seenachtsfest; "Bei spontanen Buchungen ab 2 Wochen vor der Anreise sind auch kürzere Aufenthalte möglich." obsee.ch, general information, price list. ↩
  9. Kantonspolizei Obwalden, reminder on wild camping, reported by polizei.news on 14 August 2026 as a police release: "In allen Naturschutzzonen gilt ein striktes Campierverbot." A single night is possible "sofern keine öffentlichen oder privaten Interessen beeinträchtigt werden". The release does not mention the Lungerersee. polizei.news. ↩