Wild camping in the Muotatal
The Muotatal is the valley of the Muota river in Schwyz, and its commune is spelled Muotathal. Nearly half of it, the karst from the Pragel to the Glattalp, is a federal game reserve: CHF 150 for a tent. South of the Glattalpsee, outside it, no rule forbids one night.
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.
Wild camping in the Muotatal: a river, a commune and a karst plateau
Wild camping in the Muotatal is a question about a whole valley. The valley is named after the Muota, the river that runs 27 km from Sahli at the head of the Bisistal down to Lake Lucerne at Brunnen, and the commune that holds almost all of it is spelled Muotathal, with an h. Muotathal covers 172 km², from the villages on the valley floor up the Bisistal to the Glattalp and east to the karst plateau of the Silberen and the Pragel. Below the villages the river cuts a gorge through the commune of Schwyz and reaches the lake in Ingenbohl.3
A valley has no single pitch, so the question is where a night would actually happen. Not on the valley floor: from about 1'150 m at Sahli down to 434 m at the mouth it is meadows, forest, a gorge and villages, all below the tree line, and the corporation that owns much of the high ground puts its highest closed forests at about 1'700 m. Up there, a night happens on the Glattalp, which the cable car from Sahli reaches, on the karst plateau from the Pragel to the Charetalp, and on the quieter south-west side, on the Wasserberg and towards the Achslenstock.37
One line decides which of them is lawful: that of a federal game reserve. Inside it a tent costs CHF 150. Outside it, above the tree line, no rule of the Confederation, the canton, the commune or the landowner forbids one night.1567
Where the game reserve is: the karst east of the Bisistal, and the river as its edge
Federal game reserve no. 9 Silbern-Jägern-Bödmerenwald covers 76.6 km² of Muotathal, 44.5 % of the commune. It takes in the karst country east of the Bisistal and north of the Glattalp: the Bödmeren forest, the Silberen, the Pragel pass, the Charetalp, the Erigsmatt and the Glattalp's arrival basin with the cable-car top station, the SAC hut, the Berggasthaus and the chapel. Its object sheet places it "in der grössten Karstlandschaft der Schweiz", in the largest karst landscape in Switzerland. The camping ban applies alike in its integral part, 61.75 km² of the commune, and in its partial part, 14.83 km². Outside it lie the main valley with Muotathal, Ried and Hinterthal, the west and south side of the commune from Liplisbüel and the Wasserberg to the Achslenstock, and the south and south-west shores of the Glattalpsee.23
In the upper Bisistal the river is the line. From the Sahli bridge by the cable-car valley station, LV95 2'707'234 / 1'196'887, down to Vorder Seeberg, where the Rätschtalerbach comes in, the reserve's edge follows the Muota for about 4.5 km of river. The east bank is inside. The west bank, with the road, Schönenboden and Dürrenboden, is outside: Dürrenboden lies 137 m from the line, the Gasthaus Schönenboden 188 m and the valley station 83 m. A tent on the far bank there is a tent in the federal reserve.3
Check it before you stop: open map.geo.admin.ch with the layer "Hunting Ban Reserves", the federal game reserves, and compare it with the GPS position on your phone. Treat everything inside the line as closed for the night, with or without a tent.31
The Glattalp: the night is south of the lake
The Glattalp is where a night in the Muotatal is realistically spent. It is a karst basin at the head of the Bisistal, reached by the cable car from Sahli, with the Glattalpsee at 1'852 m. The arrival basin is inside the reserve: the top station, the SAC hut, the Berggasthaus, the chapel and the first 600 to 900 m of the path east. Then the line follows the lake's north shore, 13 to 55 m behind the water. The lake and its south and south-west shores lie outside, and there no rule forbids one night.3
Aim for the grass flat above the small ponds at the south-west end. Around WGS84 46.916336 / 8.893126 (LV95 2'710'790 / 1'197'164), at 1'858 m, it lies almost level, 152 m outside the reserve and about 1.7 km by path from the top station. Walk there along the south shore, whose path stays outside the reserve, and keep to the dry grass above the ponds. Not on the north shore, where the strip between the water and the line is too narrow to know your side. The pitch and the line are traced in wild camping at the Glattalpsee.3
Before you lie down. Check on map.geo.admin.ch that your GPS position lies south of the lake and well clear of the line. The landowner, the Oberallmeindkorporation Schwyz, publishes no camping rule, and for one night outside the reserve no rule asks for its consent. The alp staff's word goes: if someone on the spot asks you to move, move.37
A bed instead. The SAC Glattalphütte, staffed from about early June to the end of October, +41 41 830 19 39, and the Berggasthaus Glattalp, +41 41 830 12 04, stand inside the reserve, which does not matter for a bed. Call before an October night.10
Outside the reserve on the west side: the Träsmerenseeli, for one small tent
The Träsmerenseeli is lawful ground, and small. It is a tarn of about 70 by 45 m, its water at 2'049 m, in a grassy hollow of the Wasserberg below the Wasserbergfirst, 2'341 m, at LV95 2'703'265 / 1'199'278 (WGS84 46.93657 / 8.79484), on the marked route from Schwarzenbach in the Bisistal over the Gigen and the Wasserbergfirst to Liplisbüel. It lies 2.67 km outside the game reserve, above the tree line, on alp pasture. No federal protected area covers it, the cadastre shows agricultural land with nothing laid over it, and neither the canton nor the commune has a camping rule that reaches it.456
The catch is the ground. The slopes rise on every side, and dry level ground is scarce. The one tent-sized flat is at the east end, LV95 2'703'313 / 1'199'275 (WGS84 46.936531 / 8.795465), 2'051 m, about 12 m from the water, where the cattle come down to drink: expect hoof marks and dung. About 40 m north-east of it, at LV95 2'703'340 / 1'199'303 (WGS84 46.93678 / 8.79583), 2'048 m, a bench between the trail and a stone-lined rill takes a bivvy bag but not a tent. A level patch 175 m south-west of the middle of the tarn lies on the trail, and the green hollow 370 m east-north-east is a wet sinkhole: neither.4
What to expect. A small tarn on a long route, not a known camping spot, and hunted ground in autumn. It is alp ground, and for one night outside the reserve no rule asks for the owner's consent. One small tent at most, and nothing left in the water the cattle drink.48
Place by place: what applies where
- Glattalpsee, south and south-west shores, 1'852 m: one night, yes. Outside the reserve and above the tree line; the north shore, the hut and the top station are inside.3
- Pragelpass, 1'548 m: no. The whole saddle lies inside the reserve, and its nearest edge runs a good kilometre to the west-north-west. Wild camping at the Pragelpass.3
- Silberen, 2'318 m, and the Bödmeren forest: no. The summit and the karst around it lie inside the reserve, and so does most of the Bödmerenwald, one of the few primeval forest reserves in Switzerland. Wild camping on the Silberen.23
- Silberenseeli, about 1'945 m: the side of the line decides. A chain of karst pools about 2 km south-south-east of the Silberen summit, with the reserve's line along their south-west shore: north and east of the pools you are outside. The same case as the Glattalpsee, on bare limestone pavement with grass only in patches.3
- Erigsmatt, 2'076 m, and the Charetalp: no. 99.5 % of the Erigsmatt lies inside the reserve, and the Charetalp well inside it; both are sheep alps. Wild camping on the Erigsmatt.37
- Träsmerenseeli, 2'049 m: legal, for one small tent, at the east end of the tarn.4
- Gross Achslenstock, 2'175 m: not at the tarn. No rule forbids a night, but the tarn below the summit lies 88 m from an alp hut and is reportedly fenced; flatter ground lies 586 m west of the summit. Wild camping at the Gross Achslenstock.56
- Eggstöcke, 2'449 m: nowhere to lie down. Three rock towers with a via ferrata on the Glarus border; the reserve begins 44 m west of the Hinter Eggstock. Wild camping on the Eggstöcke.3
- Ruosalper Chulm, Uri: legal. Over the ridge from the upper Bisistal, in Unterschächen, one night in the hollow below the pass, at 2'108 m, is legal, and the Korporation Uri, which owns the ground, asks for no registration. Wild camping at the Ruosalper Chulm.
Where not: the valley floor and the riverbanks
The valley floor is not a place for a tent. Along the Muota it is, from the top: the road and meadows of the upper Bisistal; houses, a work zone and car parks from Hinterthal to the village of Muotathal; the Tristel floodplain and Ried down to the Schlattli dam; a gorge of closed forest in the commune of Schwyz, then Ibach; and the meadows and industry of Brunnen. All of it lies below the tree line, and all of it is somebody's meadow, forest, garden or road.3
In the upper Bisistal, the far bank is the reserve: from the Sahli bridge to Vorder Seeberg a tent on the east bank costs CHF 150. The west bank is outside, but it is the road side, with farms and the Gasthaus Schönenboden.31
At the mouth, a cantonal reserve. Next to the campsite in Brunnen, the Hopfräben on the shore of Lake Lucerne is a cantonal nature reserve. Its ordinance bans "das Lagern und Campieren sowie das Überlassen von Flächen hiezu", camping and letting ground for it, and allows access only on the marked path; CHF 150 for a breach. Elsewhere on the floor, Muotathal, Schwyz and Ingenbohl publish no camping regulation: there the answer is the ground, not a fine.56
The lawful nights in the valley are two campsites. Camping Husky-Lodge, Balm 40, 6436 Muotathal, between the village and Hinterthal, is the only campsite in the commune, and its page says it is open all year: "Der Campingplatz ist das ganze Jahr geöffnet." A tent costs CHF 18 a night plus CHF 14 per adult and CHF 3 tourist tax, as priced on 27 September 2026; +41 41 831 81 50. At the river mouth, Camping Hopfräben in Brunnen is open from April to October, its closing date not stated: check before you go. A bed in the Bisistal: the Gasthaus Schönenboden, dormitory from CHF 58, closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, +41 41 830 12 22.10
The law: a federal ban inside the reserve, and no camping rule outside it
Inside the line of the game reserve, federal law is short:
"Das freie Zelten und Campieren ist verboten. Vorbehalten bleibt die Benutzung offizieller Zeltplätze. Die Kantone können Ausnahmen bewilligen."Verordnung über die eidgenössischen Jagdbanngebiete (VEJ), SR 922.31, Art. 5 para. 1 lit. e. In English: free tenting and camping are prohibited; the use of official campsites is reserved; the cantons may grant exceptions.
The fine is fixed: CHF 150 on the spot, under Anhang 2 Ziff. 12005 of the federal fixed-penalty ordinance (OBV, SR 314.11), in the integral and the partial part alike. Only the canton can grant an exception, not the commune and not the landowner, and none is published for hikers; the office is the Amt für Wald und Natur, Jagd und Wildtiere in Schwyz, +41 41 819 18 44. Dogs must be on a lead and drones are banned, CHF 150 each (Ziff. 12004 and 12006). The canton's board for the reserve says it in two words: "Campieren verboten."128
A bivvy bag is no way round it. The ordinance names tenting and camping, not the bivouac, and no court has ruled on a bivvy bag in a federal game reserve: against a fixed fine, that is an argument, not a plan. A bed in the hut is not camping.1
Outside the line, the canton. Schwyz has no general camping ban. Its nature protection act bans camping in six listed plant reserves, "Das Campieren ist untersagt" (LSG, § 9a para. 3), and its fixed-penalty act fines it at CHF 150 under the ordinances of nine cantonal nature reserves (KOBG, annex no. 3.1). None lies in the commune of Muotathal; one, the Hopfräben, lies at the river mouth in Ingenbohl. The police act, the police ordinance and the hunting act in force since 1 September 2026 have no camping provision. The planning and building act lets caravans stand for more than 48 hours only on licensed campsites (PBG, § 70 para. 1): a rule for vans that stay, not for one night.5
The communes. Muotathal has no police, fixed-penalty or camping regulation, and its building regulation, approved with cantonal decision no. 612/2013, has no camping provision. Schwyz and Ingenbohl, on the lower valley, publish no police or camping regulation either. None of the judicial prohibitions in the cantonal gazette for these communes concerns camping.6
The federal inventories. The only wildlife rest zones in the commune are for winter: Chruteren-Bawangli above Ried, recommended from 1 December to 31 March, and a sliver of a Uri zone on the border. The landscape inventory object Silberen, BLN 1601, carries no camping rule of its own, and the national fens of the Pragel, the Charetalp and the Glattalp lie inside the game reserve. How the levels fit together: the Schwyz overview and the national overview.3
The landowner. Much of the high ground, the Glattalp included, belongs to the Oberallmeindkorporation Schwyz (OAK). It publishes no camping rule, neither in its statutes nor in its annual report for 2025, and its assembly on 18 October 2026 has none on the agenda. For one night outside the reserve no rule asks for its consent; to ask anyway: Brüöl 2, 6431 Schwyz, +41 41 818 50 60, oak@oak-schwyz.ch. Inside the reserve it cannot allow a night at all.72
Getting there, the season and the hunt
The cable car is ending its season. According to its 2026 timetable as published in September, the Glattalpbahn from Sahli is closed from 12 to 16 October and runs only on 17 and 18 and on 24 and 25 October, from 08:05 to 17:05; 25 October is the last day. CHF 12 one way, CHF 24 return; half-fare travelcards and the GA are not valid.9
The bus no longer reaches Sahli. Bus 506 served Sahli until 11 October 2026. Since 12 October the weekday buses end at Schwarzenbach, about 3 km lower, where the route to the Träsmerenseeli starts, and no weekend service is listed. From Sahli to the Glattalp on foot: about two to two and a half hours and 750 m of ascent.94
The hunt runs into November: be visible. The Schwyz hunting year runs from 1 September 2026 to 27 February 2027: fox and badger until 28 November, driven hunts with dogs from 1 October, mountain hare with hounds from 22 to 31 October and from 5 to 7 November, red deer again on 7, from 12 to 14 and from 19 to 21 November. Outside the reserve the Wasserberg and the Glattalp are hunted ground, and the canton's hunting rules name both. Move in daylight and wear something bright.8
Working alps. The Glattalp is a late cattle alp, and in early September 2025 about 1'400 sheep were on the Erigsmatt and the Charetalp. Pitch away from alp buildings and troughs, close every gate and keep the dog on a lead; inside the reserve the lead is the law. Expect frost at night in October. In winter the rest zone above Ried asks you to keep to the marked route.713
General rules for wild camping
This applies wherever you are genuinely allowed to sleep outside, which in the Muotatal means one night south of the Glattalpsee or at the Träsmerenseeli, outside the game reserve, or a pitch at a campsite. It is not legal text, it is decency and common sense on working alps in autumn, on hunted ground next to a reserve kept to protect wild animals from disturbance.
- 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 line of a federal game reserve, which runs along the Muota in the upper Bisistal and behind the north shore of the Glattalpsee. The line and every distance here are taken from the published geometry of the federal inventory, which is as accurate as the data and not as a marker on the ground. Who owns the alp at the Träsmerenseeli is not published with the cadastre, and Ingenbohl's rules for the Muotaplatz and the Hopfräben lido are not published as documents; neither changes the answer for a night in the mountains. Timetables, prices, seasons and hunting dates are taken from their publishers as of September and October 2026 and can change; the 2026 closing dates of the Berggasthaus and of Camping Hopfräben are not published, and nothing was checked on site. Nobody at the communes, the canton or the landowner was asked. The verdicts are for the snow-free season. Before every tour, check the current sources yourself and follow instructions on site. A genuine emergency bivouac in distress is a separate question from a planned camp. Anyone who spends the night outside bears responsibility for their own conduct and any consequences themselves. Hikebeast, Leon Helg and Saftladen GmbH accept no liability for decisions made on the basis of this text, and call on no one to break applicable law.
Frequently asked questions
Is wild camping allowed in the Muotatal?
Where exactly is the game reserve?
Can I camp by the Muota or in the Bisistal?
Is there lawful ground outside the reserve apart from the Glattalpsee?
Why is the verdict "It depends" and not "Illegal"?
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.
Sources
- Federal ordinances. Verordnung über die eidgenössischen Jagdbanngebiete (VEJ), SR 922.31, version in force since 1 February 2025, Art. 5 para. 1: lit. c, "Hunde sind an der Leine zu führen", dogs on a lead; lit. e, "Das freie Zelten und Campieren ist verboten. Vorbehalten bleibt die Benutzung offizieller Zeltplätze. Die Kantone können Ausnahmen bewilligen."; lit. f bis, "Der Betrieb von zivilen, unbemannten Luftfahrzeugen ist verboten", drones, with exceptions for police and rescue work and for permits from the canton. The article draws no distinction between the integral and the partial part of a reserve. The official French text of lit. e reads "Il est interdit de camper librement", the Italian "È vietato piantare tende o campeggiare"; none of the three names the bivouac. Ordnungsbussenverordnung (OBV), SR 314.11, version in force since 1 August 2026, Anhang 2: Ziff. 12004, a dog not on a lead in a federal game reserve, 150 francs; Ziff. 12005, "Freies Zelten oder Campieren in eidgenössischen Jagdbanngebieten", 150 francs; Ziff. 12006, operating a civil unmanned aircraft in a federal game reserve, 150 francs. fedlex.admin.ch (VEJ), OBV. ↩
- Federal Office for the Environment (BAFU), inventory of federal game reserves, object sheet "9. Silbern-Jägern-Bödmerenwald Kt. SZ" in the 2023 revision set: "Das Schutzgebiet liegt in der grössten Karstlandschaft der Schweiz zwischen Jegerstöck und Pragelpass. Es umfasst im Nordwestteil den Bödmerenwald, eines der wenigen Urwaldreservate der Schweiz." Objectives include "Schutz der wildlebenden Tiere vor Störung." Special measures: "Das Banngebiet umfasst einen integralen (I) und einen partiellen (II) Teil." Canton of Schwyz, information board "Eidgenössisches Jagdbanngebiet Silberen-Jägern-Bödmerenwald (Kt. SZ)", published with the former federal environment office BUWAL: "Campieren verboten."; "Grundeigentümerin über weite Teile dieses Eidgenössischen Jagdbanngebietes ist die Oberallmeindkorporation Schwyz (OAK)." object sheet no. 9 (PDF), information board (PDF). ↩
- Official federal geodata, queried on 16 October 2026. Commune of Muotathal from the current-year boundary: 172.14 km². Federal game reserve no. 9 Silbern-Jägern-Bödmerenwald, served as two areas: integral protection (6'178.5 ha), 61.75 km² of it in Muotathal, and partial protection (1'482.6 ha), 14.83 km² in Muotathal; together 76.58 km², 44.5 % of the commune; the neighbouring reserves Mythen and Kärpf have no ground in the commune. Inside: the Bödmeren, the Silberen, the Pragelpass, the Charetalp, the Erigsmatt and, on the Glattalp, the cable-car top station, the SAC hut, the Berggasthaus and the chapel. Outside: Muotathal village, 4.3 km from the line; Hinterthal, 1.9 km; Liplisbüel, 4.5 km; the Wasserberg, 2.6 km; the Glattalpsee pitch, LV95 2'710'790 / 1'197'164, 152 m. Upper Bisistal, test points 60 m off each bank of the Muota every 400 m: from the Sahli bridge, LV95 2'707'234 / 1'196'887, 4 m from the line, down to Vorder Seeberg at the Rätschtalerbach, about 2'705'600 / 1'200'870, every point on the east bank inside and every point on the west bank outside; the Glattalpbahn valley station, 2'707'246 / 1'196'799, 83 m outside; Dürrenboden, 2'706'014 / 1'200'033, 137 m outside; the Gasthaus Schönenboden, 2'705'972 / 1'199'961, 188 m outside. Silberenseeli, LV95 2'712'168 / 1'203'967, about 1'945 m: the line along the south-west shore, the ground north and east of the pools outside. The Muota, 27.0 km from Sahli to Lake Lucerne: communes Muotathal, Schwyz (the gorge below the Schlattli dam and Ibach) and Ingenbohl (Brunnen); heights from 1'150 m to 434 m; land cover alp pasture, meadows, forest, settlement and industry, and the campsite zone of the Hopfräben near the mouth. Wildlife rest zones in the commune: Chruteren-Bawangli (SZ), "empfohlen", "Bitte nicht betreten, durchqueren nur auf eingezeichneter Route, Hunde an der Leine führen", 1 December to 31 March, 69.6 ha; a 0.1 ha sliver of Galtenebnet (UR) on the cantonal border. BLN 1601 Silberen: 80.79 km² of the commune. Fens of national importance inside the game reserve: Pragel, Guetentalboden, Charetalp, Glattalp; outside it: Goldplangg, Chrüzgütsch. Floodplain of national importance Tristel, no. 731, between Ried and the village. At the mouth, in Ingenbohl: the federal fen Hopfräben, no. 2906. map.geo.admin.ch, reserve geometry, integral part, partial part. ↩
- Träsmerenseeli, official data, queried on 16 October 2026. Federal gazetteer lake, about 1'506 m², label point LV95 2'703'265 / 1'199'278 (WGS84 46.93657 / 8.79484), water at 2'049 m, commune Muotathal. Identify service at the tarn and at the pitch: no federal game reserve (no. 9 begins 2.67 km away), wildlife rest zone, park, BLN object, floodplain, fen, raised bog, mire landscape, amphibian site, dry meadow, Ramsar or Emerald site, forest reserve or military area. Cadastre of public-law restrictions, canton of Schwyz: parcel 438 of Muotathal (EGRID CH483622407879, 6.31 km²); at the pitch agricultural zone and noise sensitivity level III only, no overlay. Land cover: alp pasture, above the tree line. Terrain, swissALTI3D at 2 m and SWISSIMAGE: at the east end of the tarn a 10 by 10 m window at 8 degrees or less, LV95 2'703'313 / 1'199'275 (WGS84 46.936531 / 8.795465), 2'051 m, about 12 m from the water, a trampled patch on the aerial image where cattle drink; the bench at LV95 2'703'340 / 1'199'303 (WGS84 46.93678 / 8.79583), 2'048 m, 3.9 degrees at the point and a median of 12 degrees within 30 m, 42 m from the shore, 21 m from the trail and 585 m from the nearest registered building, grass between the trail and a stone-lined rill; on the approach a level patch of about 90 m² at LV95 2'703'119 / 1'199'181, 2'022 m, within 8 m of the marked trail; the round hollow at LV95 2'703'603 / 1'199'433, 1'949 m, which reads on the aerial image as a wet sinkhole. Route: Schwarzenbach, Gigen, Träsmerenseeli, Wasserbergfirst, 2'341 m, Liplisbüel, Muotathal, a signed mountain trail that the regional tourist board grades difficult. map.geo.admin.ch, cadastre extract, parcel 438, route description (Luzern Tourismus). ↩
- Canton of Schwyz statutes, consulted on 16 October 2026. Gesetz über den Landschafts- und Naturschutz (LSG), SRSZ 721.110, § 9a para. 3: in the plant reserves listed in the annex "Das Campieren ist untersagt"; the annex lists six: Rossberg, Rigigebiet, Zindlenspitz, Mythengebiet, Hoch-Ybrig and Köpfengebiet. Kantonales Ordnungsbussengesetz (KOBG), SRSZ 233.210, annex no. 3.1, "Verstoss gegen das Lagerungs- oder Campierverbot", 150 francs, under the protection ordinances of nine cantonal nature reserves: Frauenwinkel, Aahorn, Nuoler Ried, Bätzimatt, Sägel and Schutt with the Lauerzersee, the Rothenthurm mire landscape, Schwantenau, Roblosen, Breitried, Schützenried, Oberer Sihlsee and Allmig, Ibergeregg, and Hopfräben. Verordnung betreffend Schutz und Nutzung der Hopfräben (VSH), Umweltdepartement, of 1 May 2016, in force the same day: § 4 para. 1 lit. c bans "das Lagern und Campieren sowie das Überlassen von Flächen hiezu"; § 4 para. 2: "Im Übrigen ist der Zugang nur auf dem markierten und im Nutzungsplan bezeichneten Wanderweg erlaubt."; § 6 lit. c: "Bauliche Massnahmen zur Vermeidung störender Auswirkungen der Campingplätze und der Lastwagen-Waschanlage gegenüber dem Naturschutzgebiet"; § 16: a fine. Polizeigesetz (PolG), SRSZ 520.110, and Polizeiverordnung (PolV), SRSZ 520.111: no camping provision. Jagd- und Wildschutzgesetz (JWG), SRSZ 761.100, of 25 May 2016, in the version with the amendment of 11 December 2024, in force since 1 September 2026: no camping rule; § 65 lit. b amends annex no. 3.1 of the KOBG; under § 4 para. 2 lit. c the department designates cantonal game reserves in planning procedures, and the cadastre shows none at the Glattalpsee pitch or at the Träsmerenseeli. Planungs- und Baugesetz (PBG), SRSZ 400.100, § 70 para. 1: "Wohnwagen, Mobilheime und dergleichen dürfen zur Benützung für mehr als 48 Stunden nur auf bewilligten Campingplätzen aufgestellt werden." LSG (PDF), KOBG (PDF), VSH (PDF), JWG (PDF), PBG (PDF). ↩
- Communes, consulted on 16 October 2026. Gemeinde Muotathal: among the regulations the commune lists there is no police regulation, no fixed-penalty regulation and no camping regulation. Baureglement, adopted at the ballot of 25 November 2012, approved by the Regierungsrat with decision no. 612/2013 of 2 July 2013: no camping provision; Art. 74, nature protection zone, para. 3: "Nutzungen, die dem Schutzzweck widersprechen, sind untersagt. Verboten sind insbesondere Düngungen und Abgrabungen, Drainagen, Ausgraben von Pflanzen, das Fangen und Töten von Tieren sowie das Erstellen von neuen Bauten und Anlagen." Cadastre extract for Muotathal parcel 28 at the Tristel floodplain (EGRID CH944022780287): at the river and 40 m either side, agricultural zone, noise sensitivity level III and a groundwater protection area. Gemeinde Schwyz: no police regulation and no camping regulation among the regulations it lists; Schutzverordnung of 1 April 1999: no camping provision. Gemeinde Ingenbohl: no police regulation and no camping regulation among the regulations it lists, which include a Benützungsordnung for the Muotaplatz and a Haus- und Badeordnung for the Hopfräben lido. Official gazette of the canton of Schwyz: none of the judicial prohibitions published for Muotathal, Schwyz or Ingenbohl concerns camping; the one for Schwyz of 7 May 2026, Chifelgasse, concerns motor vehicles. muotathal.ch, Reglemente, Baureglement (PDF), cadastre extract, parcel 28, gemeindeschwyz.ch, Reglemente, Schutzverordnung (PDF), ingenbohl.ch, Reglemente, amtsblattportal.ch. ↩
- Landowner. Oberallmeindkorporation Schwyz (OAK), Brüöl 2, 6431 Schwyz, +41 41 818 50 60, oak@oak-schwyz.ch. Brochure: "Die Glattalp gehört der Oberallmeindkorporation und zählt zu den Rinderalpen". Forest: "Die höchsten geschlossenen Waldungen sind auf rund 1'700 m". The Glattalp lies on Muotathal parcel 386 (EGRID CH807840472209, 72.36 km²), which belongs to the OAK. Statutes in force since 2014, and annual report 2025 with the budget 2027: no camping rule; the report records "Anfang September rund 1'400 Schafe auf den Alpen Erigsmatt und Charetalp, Muotathal". Official gazette, notice of 1 October 2026: the Oberallmeind-Gemeinde of 18 October 2026 in Ibach has two items, the annual report 2025 and the budget 2027. OAK brochure (PDF), oak-schwyz.ch, forest, statutes (PDF), annual report 2025 (PDF), gazette notice of 1 October 2026. ↩
- Hunting in the canton of Schwyz. Umweltdepartement, Jährliche Jagdbetriebsvorschriften 2026/2027: hunting year from 1 September 2026 to 27 February 2027; red deer from 1 to 19 September and again on 7, from 12 to 14 and from 19 to 21 November 2026; fox, badger and other predators from 1 September to 28 November 2026, driven hunts with dogs from 1 October; mountain hare with hounds from 22 to 31 October and from 5 to 7 November 2026; marmot regulation from 1 to 19 September 2026 in listed areas, among them "Wasserberg", "Steinhüttli-Gigen", "Waldi", "Gwalpeten-Nissegg", "Glattalp (Seeplanggen-Tieralpeli)"; no camping rule. The canton's hunting office: Amt für Wald und Natur, Jagd und Wildtiere, Bahnhofstrasse 9, 6431 Schwyz, +41 41 819 18 44, jagd@sz.ch. Jagdbetriebsvorschriften 2026/2027 (PDF). ↩
- Getting there, consulted on 27 September 2026. Luftseilbahn Sahli-Glattalp, operator ebs Energie AG, +41 41 819 49 94, glattalp@ebs.swiss, timetable 2026: season from 3 June to 25 October 2026; closed from 12 to 16 October; then only on 17 and 18 and on 24 and 25 October, 08:05 to 17:05; runs on demand only, reduced service in bad weather. Fares: adults CHF 12 one way, CHF 24 return; half-fare travelcard and GA not valid. Auto AG Schwyz, bus 506 Muotathal-Bisisthal, timetable 2026: Sahli served until 11 October 2026; from 12 October the weekday buses end at Schwarzenbach, and no weekend service is listed. SAC hut portal: from Sahli, 1'149 m, to the Glattalphütte 2 hours and 750 m of ascent; the hut's own page gives two and a half hours. Glattalpbahn timetable (PDF), fares, bus 506 (PDF), SAC portal. ↩
- Beds and campsites. Consulted on 27 September 2026: Glattalphütte SAC, SAC section Mythen, staffed "ca. von anfangs Juni bis ende Oktober", half board CHF 75 for SAC members and CHF 92 for others, cash only, +41 41 830 19 39; Berggasthaus Glattalp, about ten minutes from the top station, season opened on 6 June 2026, closing date not published, +41 41 830 12 04; Gasthaus Schönenboden, Bisisthal, 3.4 km from Sahli, dormitory from CHF 58, closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, +41 41 830 12 22; Camping Husky-Lodge, erlebniswelt muotathal GmbH, Balm 40, 6436 Muotathal: "Der Campingplatz ist das ganze Jahr geöffnet."; tent CHF 18 a night, adults CHF 14, tourist tax CHF 3; +41 41 831 81 50, info@erlebniswelt.ch. Consulted on 16 October 2026: Camping Hopfräben, Gersauerstrasse 75, Brunnen, at the mouth of the Muota on Lake Lucerne: "Offen April bis Oktober", 2026 season opened on 11 April 2026, closing date not stated. glattalphuette.ch, berggasthaus-glattalp.com, gasthaus-schoenenboden.ch, Camping Husky-Lodge, prices, camping-hopfraeben.ch. ↩