Wild camping on the Tour d'Aï

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 on the Tour d'Aï: a limestone lip over the north wall

The summit is rock at the edge of a wall. The highest point, LV95 2'566'402 / 1'135'731, WGS84 46.37211 / 7.00200, is bare limestone at the lip of the shadowed north face. Within 30 m of it the median slope is 46 degrees, and three quarters of that ground is steeper than 30 degrees. To the north the face drops from 2'312 to 2'231 m between 40 and 50 m out. To the east the ground falls 48 m within 50 m, to the west from 2'297 to 2'245 m over the same distance.¹

South of the top a narrow grass crest runs down between the west rock face and a steep grassy east flank, and the summit trail climbs it. The crest falls gently, 25 m over 90 m, before it breaks off in a cliff 100 to 110 m south. The only near-level patch, about 10 by 10 m at 2'321 m, LV95 2'566'401 / 1'135'687, lies 44 m south of the top, on or beside the trail and 10 to 15 m from the west drop. There is no hut, no shelter and no water on the summit.¹

A bivvy bag would fit on that strip, and it is still the wrong place. The strip is the access path, exposed to wind and lightning on every side, a few metres from a drop. The summit trail is a T4 route with chains and exposed steps, and a via ferrata ends on the same top. Leysin's alpine plan lists via ferratas as leisure equipment: a route to climb, not a platform to sleep on.⁹³

A night here needs the commune's agreement

The summit lies on parcel 971, which belongs to the Commune de Leysin. In Vaud a night outside a campsite is governed by two texts. The cantonal LCCR, art. 27, makes occasional camping outside authorised grounds depend on the assent of the landowner or, where relevant, the farmer or tenant, and adds a communal authorisation beyond four days. Leysin's police regulation of 2020 spells it out in art. 79:⁵³

"Le camping et le caravaning sous toutes leurs formes sont interdits sur le domaine public, excepté sur les emplacements désignés par la Municipalité. Sur le domaine privé, le camping occasionnel n'est permis qu'avec l'accord du propriétaire, du locataire, du fermier ou du possesseur à un autre titre de l'immeuble."Règlement communal de police de Leysin, art. 79: camping in every form is banned on public domain except on places the municipality designates; on private domain occasional camping is permitted only with the agreement of the owner, tenant, farmer or other possessor.

Either way, the answer comes from the commune. Communal ownership is not the same as public domain: a commune can hold alpine pasture as private property, while roads and squares serve common use. Whether the summit ground counts as one or the other is not published. On public domain the night is banned outside designated places; on private domain it needs the owner's yes, and the owner is the commune. Art. 155 repeals every earlier communal provision that contradicts the regulation.⁴³

The wording catches a tent, and very probably a bivvy bag. The article says camping in every form and defines no tentless exception. Whether a planned night in a bivvy bag counts is not spelled out, so name the bivvy bag if you ask. A genuine emergency on the mountain is a separate matter from a planned night.⁴

A breach of the communal regulation goes through the ordinary procedure of the cantonal contraventions law: LContr art. 25 caps a communal fine for an adult at CHF 500, and at CHF 1'000 for repetition or a continuing offence. Leysin publishes no fixed camping ticket.⁷

Inside the protected nature zone, just outside the game reserve

The top lies 24.7 m inside Leysin's protected nature zone. The intercommunal plan for the Leysin tourist area, in force since 7 August 2019, draws a protected zone over the summit, and the cadastre of public-law restrictions applies it to parcel 971. Art. 11 states its purpose:³

"destinée à offrir un refuge pour les espèces animales particulièrement sensibles au dérangement"Plan d'affectation intercommunal du domaine touristique de Leysin, art. 11, zone protégée: intended to offer a refuge for animal species particularly sensitive to disturbance.

Art. 11 governs land use: the quiet of the habitat comes first, there are no new routes and no piste machines. It contains no camping or bivouac sentence, so by its words it does not ban a night. It is binding planning law all the same, and its purpose is quiet for animals that react to disturbance. The limestone pavement and scree around the top are protected biotopes under art. 19 of the same plan, and the summit lies in groundwater protection zone S3: carry every bit of waste down.³

Disturbing wildlife is banned everywhere in Vaud. The cantonal wildlife regulation RLFaune, art. 2 para. 1, reads: "Il est interdit d'importuner de quelque manière que ce soit la faune sauvage." The cantonal game reserve no. 3, Tour-d'Aï - Argnaule, begins 107 m north of the summit and takes in the Corbeyrier basin; inside it, art. 2b para. 3 requires dogs on a lead and bans carrying a weapon, with no camping clause. The Tour de Famelon wildlife quiet zone, with its snow-season route rules, lies 363 m away and does not reach the summit.⁶

The Pro Natura reserve on the Tours d'Aï and de Famelon goes back to the early 1980s, when the Leysin ski area was extended. It rests on conventions between Pro Natura Vaud and the Commune de Leysin, plus conventions with the army on the north side of the Hongrin. Pro Natura describes its extent: "englobe les crêtes de Château Commun jusqu'à la Tour d'Aï". Those conventions bind the parties, not hikers. They reach you through the landowner: the commune that signed them is the one you would ask.⁶

The army's danger zone begins 17 m north

The summit is the southern tip of the Petit Hongrin firing range. The published danger zone A of the range ends about 17 m north of the top, and the army's sectoral plan draws the range perimeter along the same line. The ridge just north of the summit is inside it. Zone A is a firing area from 1 February to 15 December.²

The notice for calendar weeks 42 to 47 of 2026 lists firing in zones A and B from Monday to Friday: on Monday 26 October from 10:00 to 23:00, Tuesday to Thursday from 07:30 to 23:00, Friday from 07:30 to 16:00, and in November until 22:00. The weapons are infantry arms, mortars and explosives. The notice is explicit:²

"Vu le danger de mort, il est interdit de pénétrer dans la zone dangereuse. Les instructions des sentinelles doivent être strictement observées."Avis de tir, Petit Hongrin: given the danger of death, entry into the danger zone is prohibited; the sentries' instructions must be strictly followed.

Firing runs into the night, and after dark the flags become lamps. The red and white flags that mark firing by day are replaced at night by "trois lampes rouges disposées en triangle", three red lamps in a triangle. The current notice lists no firing from Friday 16:00 to Monday 10:00, but the dates change week by week: check the live notice for your date, ask the range on +41 58 485 78 06 or the information line on +41 58 461 42 22. A pitch on the summit puts you a few metres from the line, and any pitch north of it is inside the zone.²

Where you can sleep: Chaux d'Aï, with the commune's yes

Chaux d'Aï, restricted: 46.36601 N, 6.99879 E, LV95 2'566'151 / 1'135'055, 1'956 m, about 720 m south-south-west of and 375 m below the summit. It is a small dry grass shelf on the same commune-owned parcel 971, 426 m outside the protected nature zone, 548 m outside the army danger zone, 642 m outside the game reserve and 925 m outside the Tour de Famelon quiet zone. How big it is and how to use it: wild camping around Leysin.¹³⁶²

Ask for Chaux d'Aï, not for the summit. Carry water from below, keep clear of livestock and machinery, and be gone in the morning. For current conditions on the mountain, the Refuge de Mayen, run by the Chablaix family about 1.1 km from the summit, answers on +41 79 715 23 70. It is listed as a restaurant, so do not count on a bed there.⁹

Where not.

• The summit: bare limestone on the lip of the north wall, inside the nature zone, 17 m from the danger zone.¹²
• The grass strip 44 m south: it is the summit trail, 10 to 15 m from the west drop, with no shelter from wind or lightning.¹
• The flat ground 507 m south-south-west, at 1'978 m: a round cattle water installation with a trampled ring and tracks converging on it, a working spot for the herd.¹
• The Corbeyrier basin 440 m north, at 1'970 m: level grass, but 401 m inside army danger zone A, inside game reserve no. 3 and under Corbeyrier's own police regulation, art. 45: "Il est interdit de camper sur le domaine public sans l'autorisation de la Municipalité. Le camping occasionnel sur le domaine privé n'est permis qu'avec l'assentiment du propriétaire du fond."²⁶⁸

General rules for wild camping

This applies wherever you are genuinely allowed to sleep outside, which around the Tour d'Aï means an agreed patch on Chaux d'Aï, never the summit crest. It is not legal text, it is decency on a protected limestone ridge with a firing range on its north side.

• 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 Leysin's police regulation of 2020, the intercommunal plan for the Leysin tourist area of 2019, the cadastre of public-law restrictions for parcel 971 and the army's firing notice for weeks 42 to 47 of 2026. Whether the summit ground is the commune's public domain or its private property is not published, and no permission has been asked for. Terrain figures come from official elevation data and aerial imagery, not from a survey on site. Before every tour, check the current sources and the firing notice 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

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. Federal geodata (swisstopo), read on 23 October 2026: swissALTI3D 2 m elevation model, tiles of 2021, and SWISSIMAGE 10 cm aerial imagery. Summit LV95 2'566'402 / 1'135'731, WGS84 46.37211 / 7.00200, 2'331 m: bare limestone at the lip of the north wall, median slope 46 degrees within 30 m, north face from 2'312 to 2'231 m between 40 and 50 m north. Nearest 10 x 10 m patch under 20 degrees: LV95 2'566'401 / 1'135'687, 2'321 m, 44 m south, on the grass crest of the summit trail. Flat ground 507 m south-south-west, LV95 2'566'213 / 1'135'261, 1'978 m: cattle water installation. Corbeyrier basin 440 m north, LV95 2'566'365 / 1'136'169, 1'970 m. Chaux d'Aï: LV95 2'566'151 / 1'135'055, 46.36601 / 6.99879, 1'956 m. Model and image estimates, not a field survey. map.geo.admin.ch. ↩
2. Swiss Armed Forces, firing range 1201.050 Petit Hongrin: published danger zone A, "Tirs du 01.02 au 15.12", its edge about 17 m north of the summit, 60 m from the patch 44 m south, 548 m from Chaux d'Aï; the Corbeyrier basin lies 401 m inside it. Military sectoral plan, installation perimeter Place de tir Petit Hongrin, in force since 26 September 2025, on the same line. Avis de tir for calendar weeks 42 to 47, edition of 17 September 2026: firing in zones A and B from Monday to Friday, for example Monday 26 October from 10:00 to 23:00, Tuesday to Thursday from 07:30 to 23:00, Friday from 07:30 to 16:00, in November until 22:00; "Vu le danger de mort, il est interdit de pénétrer dans la zone dangereuse. Les instructions des sentinelles doivent être strictement observées."; at night "trois lampes rouges disposées en triangle". Firing range +41 58 485 78 06, information +41 58 461 42 22. armee.ch, Avis de tir. ↩
3. Plan d'affectation intercommunal du domaine touristique de Leysin, regulation of 21 January 2019, in force since 7 August 2019. Art. 3 para. 3: leisure equipment includes via ferratas. Art. 11, zone protégée: "destinée à offrir un refuge pour les espèces animales particulièrement sensibles au dérangement"; quiet of the habitat first, no new routes, no piste machines; no camping clause. Art. 19: limestone pavement and scree are protected biotopes. Cadastre of public-law restrictions, parcel 971, EGRID CH938377457194: the summit 24.7 m and the patch 44 m south 30.5 m inside the protected zone, Chaux d'Aï 426 m outside it; groundwater protection zone S3 Fontanney/Fontaines Claires. Owner of parcel 971: the Commune de Leysin, named in the commune's public Swisscom antenna inquiry of 2025. Plan du domaine touristique, RDPPF parcel 971, Enquête publique. ↩
4. Commune de Leysin, Règlement communal de police, adopted by the council on 14 May 2020. Art. 79 para. 1 and 2: "Le camping et le caravaning sous toutes leurs formes sont interdits sur le domaine public, excepté sur les emplacements désignés par la Municipalité. Sur le domaine privé, le camping occasionnel n'est permis qu'avec l'accord du propriétaire, du locataire, du fermier ou du possesseur à un autre titre de l'immeuble." Municipal authorisation for stays beyond four days. Art. 3: definitions of public and private domain. Art. 11: breaches follow the cantonal contraventions law. Art. 155: the former police regulation and every contrary communal provision are repealed. Greffe municipal, Rue du Village 39, 1854 Leysin, greffe@leysin.ch, +41 24 493 45 40; public safety police@leysin.ch, +41 24 493 45 31. Règlement communal de police, Règlements, Contact, Sécurité publique. ↩
5. Canton of Vaud, Loi sur les campings et caravanings résidentiels (LCCR), BLV 935.61, art. 27: occasional camping outside authorised grounds requires the assent of the landowner or, where relevant, the farmer or tenant; communal authorisation beyond four days; communal rules reserved. LCCR. ↩
6. Canton of Vaud, Règlement d'application de la loi sur la faune (RLFaune), BLV 922.03.1, art. 2 para. 1: "Il est interdit d'importuner de quelque manière que ce soit la faune sauvage." Art. 2b para. 3, inside game reserves: dogs on a lead, no weapons; annex I lists reserve no. 3 Tour-d'Aï - Argnaule. Cantonal geodata, read on 23 October 2026: game reserve no. 3 begins 107 m north of the summit and covers the Corbeyrier basin, 642 m from Chaux d'Aï; Tour de Famelon wildlife quiet zone 363 m from the summit and 925 m from Chaux d'Aï. Pro Natura Vaud, reserve page Tours d'Aï et de Famelon: created in the early 1980s with the extension of the ski area, conventions with the Commune de Leysin and with the army on the north side of the Hongrin; the Tour d'Aï reserve "englobe les crêtes de Château Commun jusqu'à la Tour d'Aï". RLFaune, vd.ch, Pro Natura Vaud. ↩
7. Canton of Vaud, Loi sur les contraventions (LContr), BLV 312.11, art. 25: a communal fine for an adult up to CHF 500, up to CHF 1'000 for repetition or a continuing offence, decided in the ordinary procedure. LContr. ↩
8. Commune de Corbeyrier, Règlement général de police, adopted by the Municipalité on 31 May 2021 and the Conseil communal on 25 June 2021, approved by the department on 23 July 2021. Art. 45, camping et caravaning: "Il est interdit de camper sur le domaine public sans l'autorisation de la Municipalité. Le camping occasionnel sur le domaine privé n'est permis qu'avec l'assentiment du propriétaire du fond." Stays beyond four days also need municipal authorisation. Art. 116 repeals the police regulation of 1998. Règlement général de police, Règlements communaux. ↩
9. Alpes Vaudoises, route page Tour d'Aï: summit trail with chains and exposed passages, via ferrata as a separate route. Refuge de Mayen, Chablaix family, +41 79 715 23 70, listed as a restaurant. Read on 23 October 2026. Tour d'Aï, Refuge de Mayen. ↩