As of: 3 November 2026

Wild camping on the Mattstock

The Mattstock, Mattstogg on the national map, is the western end of the Speer and Churfirsten chain above the Walensee, and its top at 1'936 m is a knife-edge. No rule bans one night up there. There is no ground to lie on, and the level shelves below are grazed alp among trees.

Leon Helg
Leon Helg · Legal situation checked in November 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 Mattstock: no ground at the top

Wild camping on the Mattstock means the summit the national map spells Mattstogg: 1'936 m, commune of Amden, canton St. Gallen, the westernmost top of the chain that runs from the Speer to the Churfirsten above the north shore of the Walensee. It sits at 47.16978 N, 9.13565 E, LV95 2'728'651 / 1'225'704, and the ground is Amden's on every side for 300 m. The Mattstock chairlift runs from Amden up to Walau.1

The top is a knife-edge. On the federal 2 m terrain model the median slope within 30 m of the summit is 47 degrees, and 96 % of that ground is steeper than 30 degrees. The nearest patch under 20 degrees lies 329 m away. A tent has nothing to stand on and a bivvy bag nothing to lie on.8

Below it, the level ground is alp pasture. The mountain flattens only between 1'440 and 1'670 m, on the grazed alps of Oberchäseren and Trüebgarten, among scattered spruce, with forest 86 to 212 m away. That is the tree line, not open ground above it, and no one who runs those alps offers pitches there. The largest flat, the Trüebgarten hollow north-north-east of the summit at LV95 2'728'949 / 1'226'243, 1'440 m, is a closed basin: the ground rises on every side, so cold air and rainwater collect at its bottom, and an alp barn stands 117 m away.8

Amden's protection ordinance bans camping elsewhere, not here

The summit and every shelf lie in a core habitat. The St. Gallen cadastre of public-law restrictions places the summit, the four level shelves and the hut in a Lebensraum Kerngebiet (LR K) of the Schutzverordnung Amden, all on parcel Amden 1046, which also carries the Leistchamm summit. The ordinance's annex describes this core habitat, LRK 1, as "Einstands- und Rückzugsgebiet für seltene und bedrohte Tier- und Pflanzenarten", a refuge for rare and threatened animals and plants.23

Art. 6 lists what is banned in that zone, and camping is not on the list. Para. 2 opens with a general clause, "Handlungen, die das Lebensraum Kerngebiet beeinträchtigen, sind untersagt. Dazu gehören insbesondere:" It then names events and activities in the breeding season, buildings, fertiliser, intensification, recreation installations, disturbing or catching wildlife and picking protected plants, and quarries. A tent is none of them.3

"das Anfachen von Feuer, das Lagern, Zelten, Campieren sowie das Überlassen von Standplätzen dafür"Schutzverordnung Amden, art. 10 para. 2 lit. h, on biotopes. In English: lighting fires, lying out, tenting, camping and letting pitches for them.

The same ordinance bans camping twice, for other zones. Art. 10 para. 2 lit. h covers biotopes and nature reserves, and its "Lagern", lying out, reaches a bivvy bag as much as a tent. Art. 13 para. 1 lit. g bans "das Zelten, Campieren sowie das Überlassen von Standplätzen dafür" in buffer zones. The nearest nature reserve lies 338 m from the summit; from the Brandtole shelf to the south one is 167 m away. Inside those polygons a night is banned outright.42

What the core habitat does forbid. Lit. a closes it to "sämtliche Veranstaltungen und Aktivitäten sportlicher oder gesellschaftlicher Art während der Brut- und Setzzeit zwischen 15. März und 1. Juli". Whether one night in a bivvy bag counts as a sporting activity has never been decided, so treat those months as closed. Para. 4 requires dogs on the lead, and art. 27 punishes breaches with detention or a fine, negligent ones included; the ordinance names no amount.34

No communal or federal ban on top of it. Amden has no police regulation, and none of its communal regulations bans camping. St. Gallen's fixed-fine list prices "Unberechtigtes Campieren auf öffentlichem Grund" at CHF 80, but under the heading for breaches of communal regulations, so it needs a communal ban to attach to, and Amden has none. No federal game reserve lies within 3 km. The federal landscape inventory BLN 1613, Speer, Churfirsten, Alvier, covers the summit; it binds authorities, not walkers.561

Two wildlife quiet zones, one of them from 1 December

Under St. Gallen's hunting act a commune can fix wildlife quiet zones (art. 39 para. 1 lit. d), and Amden has done so in its protection ordinance. Two of them border the Mattstock.7

"Weggebot; das Verlassen der markierten Wege ist in der Zeit zwischen dem 1. Dezember und dem 1. Juli untersagt."Schutzverordnung Amden, art. 9 para. 2. In English: obligation to keep to paths; leaving the marked paths is prohibited between 1 December and 1 July.

  • Mattstogg zone: path-only from 1 December to 1 July. Its edge is 410 m from the summit and 38 m from the Brandtole shelf. The rule returns on 1 December 2026, four weeks after 3 November.74
  • Speer-Perfiren zone: path-only all year. It begins 222 m from the Alp Oberchäseren hut, towards the Speer, and dogs stay on the lead.7

The fine is fixed. St. Gallen's fixed-fine list sets CHF 100 for "Missachtung geltendes Verbot oder Gebot in einer Wildruhezone in leichten Fällen" (item 22.1), under art. 39 and art. 65 of the hunting act. Neither zone covers the summit; the south shelf lies at the edge of one.67

Place by place: the summit, the shelves, the lift

  • Summit, 1'936 m: no. A knife-edge, 47 degrees within 30 m, nothing level within 329 m.8
  • Trüebgarten hollow, 1'440 m, 47.17457 N, 9.13973 E: no. The largest level patch, 616 m north-north-east of the summit, but a closed hollow where cold air and water pool, grazed, among spruce and 117 m from the alp barn.82
  • Mättler Höhi, 1'566 m, north-west: no. A small level saddle with the marked path across it, 16 m from a forest reserve.82
  • Brandtole shelf, 1'565 m, south: avoid. Karst pasture 38 m from the Mattstogg wildlife quiet zone and 167 m from a nature reserve where camping is banned, with forest 86 m below.27
  • Walau, the chairlift top: no. A lift station with a restaurant, well below the tree line.

Berghütte Alp Oberchäseren, 1'650 m. At 47.1779 N, 9.12886 E, LV95 2'728'117 / 1'226'596, on the saddle between the Mattstock and the Speer, 1'040 m north-west of the summit and about 285 m lower. The operator's figures for 2026: 40 beds in dormitories, CHF 70 a night with half board, local tax included, open at weekends from Pentecost and daily from 20 June to 30 September, closed from October. Book with Pius and Jeanette Jöhl, +41 55 611 11 71, info@alp-oberchaeseren.ch. No road or lift reaches it.9

  • A tent beside the hut: only with the Jöhls' yes. The hut offers beds, not pitches; ask in the season, on the spot, and do not plan on it.
  • Not between 15 March and 1 July anywhere in the core habitat, and not off the marked paths in the two wildlife quiet zones when their rules apply.37
  • The neighbouring summit, the same rule. The Leistchamm, about 6 km east-south-east, lies in the same core habitat on the same parcel: Leistchamm report. Further east the Churfirsten belong to other communes: Churfirsten report. How the rules fit together across Switzerland: national overview.

General rules for wild camping

This applies wherever you are genuinely allowed to sleep outside, which near the Mattstock means a hut bed or a pitch the hut keepers agree to. It is not legal text, it is decency on ground that alp farmers and wild animals use.

  • 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 November 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 Schutzverordnung Amden as attached in the St. Gallen cadastre of public-law restrictions, on Amden's communal regulations, on the St. Gallen hunting act and fixed-fine list, and on federal geodata and the federal terrain model. No authority or court has decided whether a single bivouac counts as a sporting activity under art. 6 para. 2 lit. a. The cadastre does not name the owner of parcel Amden 1046 or the tenancy of the alps on it. Six groundwater-protection regulations attached to the summit parcel are published as scans and concern spring captures; their wording is not part of this assessment. Hut prices and seasons are as the operator published them for 2026. 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 on the Mattstock?
No rule bans one night, and there is nowhere to spend it. The summit, Mattstogg on the national map, lies in a Lebensraum Kerngebiet under the Schutzverordnung Amden, whose art. 6 para. 2 does not name camping; the same ordinance bans camping in biotopes (art. 10 para. 2 lit. h) and buffer zones (art. 13 para. 1 lit. g), the nearest 338 m away. Amden has no police regulation with a camping ban. But the top is a knife-edge, 47 degrees within 30 m, and the level ground at 1'440 to 1'670 m is grazed alp among trees. Sleep at the Alp Oberchäseren hut.
Why is the verdict "Not allowed" and not "Illegal"?
Because nothing forbids it, and the ground rules it out. "Illegal" needs a named ban with a sanction at the spot, and at the summit there is none: art. 6 of the Schutzverordnung Amden governs the core habitat without a camping term, and Amden has no communal camping ban. "Not allowed" says that a night here is not a realistic option: the summit is a knife-edge, and the only level ground is grazed alp at the tree line, where a tent needs the consent of whoever runs the alp.
Are there seasons when the Mattstock area is closed?
Yes, three rules with dates. From 15 March to 1 July art. 6 para. 2 lit. a of the Schutzverordnung Amden closes the core habitat to all sporting and social activity. From 1 December to 1 July walkers must keep to the marked paths in the Mattstogg wildlife quiet zone, which begins 410 m from the summit. In the Speer-Perfiren zone, 222 m from the hut, that rule applies all year.
What does a breach cost on the Mattstock?
CHF 100 in a wildlife quiet zone, an unspecified fine under the ordinance. St. Gallen's fixed-fine list sets CHF 100 for disregarding a wildlife quiet zone rule in light cases (item 22.1). Breaches of the Schutzverordnung Amden are punished with detention or a fine under art. 27, with no fixed amount. The CHF 80 item for unauthorised camping on public ground (item 21.6) needs a communal ban, which Amden does not have.
Where can I sleep near the Mattstock?
At the Berghütte Alp Oberchäseren, 1'650 m. It lies 1'040 m north-west of the summit and about 285 m lower, with 40 beds at CHF 70 a night with half board, local tax included, as the operator published for 2026. In 2026 it opened at weekends from Pentecost and daily from 20 June to 30 September, and it is closed from October. Book with the Jöhl family, +41 55 611 11 71, info@alp-oberchaeseren.ch.
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. Official federal geodata, read on 3 November 2026 at the Mattstogg summit, WGS84 47.16978 N / 9.13565 E, LV95 2'728'651 / 1'225'704, 1'935 m on the terrain model; commune of Amden SG on every bearing out to 300 m (swissBOUNDARIES3D, current year). The federal landscape inventory returns BLN 1613, Speer, Churfirsten, Alvier, which binds authorities and not individuals. The layers for game reserves, wildlife quiet zones, parks, floodplains, bogs, fens, mire landscapes, amphibian sites, dry meadows, waterbird reserves, Emerald sites, forest reserves and military use return nothing at the point, and no federal game reserve lies within 3 km. map.geo.admin.ch. ↩
  2. Cadastre of public-law restrictions on landownership, canton of St. Gallen, read on 3 November 2026. The summit, the four level shelves and the hut all lie on parcel Amden 1046 (EGRID CH816787567711, 26.9 km²), the parcel that also carries the Leistchamm summit. At the summit: Lebensraum Kerngebiet LR K, Geotop-Landschaftsschutzgebiet, groundwater protection zone S3. Nearest: Naturschutzgebiet 338 m, the area with special protection rules mapped as the Mattstogg wildlife quiet zone 410 m, Waldreservat 428 m. Trüebgarten hollow, LV95 2'728'949 / 1'226'243: LR K, forest reserve 116 m, forest 159 m. Mättler Höhi, LV95 2'728'319 / 1'226'009: LR K, forest reserve 16 m. Brandtole, LV95 2'728'575 / 1'225'121: LR K, wildlife quiet zone 38 m, forest 86 m, Naturschutzgebiet 167 m. Hut, LV95 2'728'117 / 1'226'596: LR K. The cadastre attaches the Schutzverordnung Amden to these zones. oereb.geo.sg.ch. ↩
  3. Gemeinde Amden, Schutzverordnung, approved by the cantonal building department on 10 December 2009, 11 June 2012, 13 January 2014 and 24 September 2015, consolidated text read on 3 November 2026. Art. 6, Lebensraum Kerngebiet, para. 2: "Handlungen, die das Lebensraum Kerngebiet beeinträchtigen, sind untersagt. Dazu gehören insbesondere:" Lit. a: "sämtliche Veranstaltungen und Aktivitäten sportlicher oder gesellschaftlicher Art während der Brut- und Setzzeit zwischen 15. März und 1. Juli"; lit. b to g: buildings and installations, fertiliser and chemicals, agricultural intensification, recreation installations, disturbing or catching wildlife and picking protected plants, quarries and landfills. No camping term. Para. 4: dogs on the lead. Annex: LRK 1 "Fliwald-Speer-Dürrwald-Teufenrohr-Hinter Höhi-Raaberg-Mattstock", "Einstands- und Rückzugsgebiet für seltene und bedrohte Tier- und Pflanzenarten". oereblex.sg.ch. ↩
  4. Gemeinde Amden, Schutzverordnung, the same consolidated text. Art. 9 para. 2, areas with special protection rules, mapped as the Mattstogg wildlife quiet zone: "Weggebot; das Verlassen der markierten Wege ist in der Zeit zwischen dem 1. Dezember und dem 1. Juli untersagt." Art. 10 para. 2 lit. h, biotopes and nature reserves: "das Anfachen von Feuer, das Lagern, Zelten, Campieren sowie das Überlassen von Standplätzen dafür". Art. 13 para. 1 lit. g, buffer zones: "das Zelten, Campieren sowie das Überlassen von Standplätzen dafür". Art. 27: "Mit Haft oder mit Busse wird bestraft, wer gegen die Vorschriften der Schutzverordnung verstösst. Strafbar sind die vorsätzliche und die fahrlässige Übertretung." oereblex.sg.ch. ↩
  5. Gemeinde Amden, list of communal regulations, read on 3 November 2026: water, air pollution, mushroom protection, parking on public ground, communal police, cemetery, restaurants, building, protection ordinance, municipal code, waste water, local tax, fire protection, care home, tourism levy, hall and waste. There is no police regulation. The Reglement über die Gemeindepolizei of 8 March 1994 organises the communal police, with parking control, traffic and fixed fines, and contains no camping rule. The local tax regulation states "Jeder in Amden übernachtende Gast unterliegt der Kurtaxenpflicht." That is a fee, not a ban. gemeinde-amden.ch, Reglement über die Gemeindepolizei. ↩
  6. Strafprozessverordnung des Kantons St. Gallen, sGS 962.11, annex on fixed fines, read on 3 November 2026. Heading 21, breaches of communal regulations, item 21.6: "Unberechtigtes Campieren auf öffentlichem Grund", CHF 80; it applies only where a communal regulation bans camping. Item 22.1: "Missachtung geltendes Verbot oder Gebot in einer Wildruhezone in leichten Fällen" (art. 39 para. 1 lit. d and art. 65 para. 1 lit. a of the hunting act), CHF 100. gesetzessammlung.sg.ch. ↩
  7. Jagdgesetz des Kantons St. Gallen, sGS 853.1, in force since 1 April 2024: art. 39 para. 1 lit. d lets the political commune fix wildlife quiet zones; art. 65 para. 1 lit. a punishes disregarding their rules with a fine of up to CHF 20'000, the statutory ceiling. Federal wildlife quiet zone portal, read on 3 November 2026: Mattstogg no. 5.0, obligation to keep to paths from 1 December to 1 July, legally binding, based on the Schutzverordnung Amden: "Solange eine geschlossene Schneedecke vorhanden ist, sind ausschliesslich die erlaubten Wege und Routen zu benützen"; 410 m from the summit, 38 m from the Brandtole shelf. Speer-Perfiren no. 13.0, obligation to keep to paths and dogs on the lead from 1 January to 31 December; 222 m from the hut. gesetzessammlung.sg.ch, wildruhezonen.ch. ↩
  8. Terrain, imagery and buildings, read on 3 November 2026. swisstopo swissALTI3D, 2 m: at the summit the median slope within 30 m is 47 degrees, 96 % of that ground is steeper than 30 degrees, and the nearest ground under 20 degrees lies 329 m away. Level ground on the mountain lies only between 1'440 and 1'670 m. Trüebgarten hollow, LV95 2'728'949 / 1'226'243, 1'440 m: 1'520 m² under 5 degrees, with the ground rising on every side. Mättler Höhi, 1'566 m: 584 m² under 8 degrees. swissimage: grazed pasture with scattered spruce on every shelf. Federal register of buildings: the alp barn Trüebgarten-Oberchäseren 117 m from the hollow. data.geo.admin.ch. ↩
  9. Berghütte Alp Oberchäseren, operator website, read on 3 November 2026: 1'651 m, 40 beds in dormitories, CHF 70 per adult and night with vegetarian half board, local tax included; season 2026: "Ab Pfingsten jeweils an den Wochenenden [...] Ab 20. Juni täglich bis 30. September, ab Oktober ist geschlossen". Family Pius and Jeanette Jöhl, +41 55 611 11 71, info@alp-oberchaeseren.ch. Location from the federal register of buildings: LV95 2'728'117 / 1'226'596, 1'650 m on the terrain model, commune of Amden. alp-oberchaeseren.ch. ↩