Wild camping is allowed on Tour de Mont Blanc in France? | Day 5 of TMB Chalets de Raja- Les Mottets


In today's episode of Tour de Mont Blanc we hiked from Chalets de Raja to Les Mottets in France.


Watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/jdC-KxQY76o

We waked up to a sunny windy morning in our wild camping spot and we don't remember if we slept well or not cause we were so tired but we did remember that we were sliding down the sleeping pads all night long. The slope was too steep apparently and we couldn't do nothing about it.

We felt so sore and tired from yesterday's adventure that we hardly could get out of our tent. We knew that we are not going to conquer another mountain today but we still needed to progress forward. So we had our breakfast and started to go downhill. We planned to be searching the wild camping spots all the way through as we didn't want to do many kms and felt so sleepy.

By the way we saw different signs in different places of camping is not allowed and only that day we realized that it meant the camping is not allowed if it's at daylight, for more than a night and fire was prohibited. Wild camping for the night from 19pm to 9am or bivouac how they call it there is allowed. And in general we feel like it's true for many places. Nobody can really punish you for staying one night in a certain place unless it's a private area with a guard.

So we got down to the village Les Chapieux and went further along the river. The trail started to gradually going uphill again and all the first part was very easy going on the pavement car road. We were looking for the places to camp but there weren't really much to choose from - all were very wet or steep and rocky. Also we don't like it to be seen from the road.

So we continued our way up and halfway to our destination the trail started to become steeper and rockier climbing the side of the mountain. It wasn't very long but for our sore back and legs it was already a lot. We had to go over lots of the water streams and waterfalls along the way over which there weren't any bridges you just have to skip and jump through them.

So we got to the Ville de Glaciers that was looking kind of strange with several ugly concrete buildings where nobody was living probably. And ss we saw no possible places to camp we continued further up the trail almost to the Refuge Les Mottets where we saw some ruins of the old rocky buildings and there were some more or less flat spots to camp. And we decided to stop at one of them. The ground was still very uneven with lots of rocks and vegetation but we did our best.The hiking trail was passing very close to us we were right above it that we didn't like but that day we had no other option and were grateful that at least there was some flat surface.

So we ended up doing 9km - more than enough for us that day. We planned to do less but the trail decided the other way. We had our improvised shower to water off the sweat from the two days of hiking, had our always delicious porridge and with the sound of the cow bells pasturing on the other side of the valley we went to sleep.

What are the rules for wild camping in your country? Are they strict?

We generally don't use the term "wild camping" here in the US. The official term is "dispersed camping," referring to camping outside established campgrounds, whether backpacking or traveling by vehicle.

On private land, permission of the landowner is required if you don't want to confront the local sheriff or furious landowner with rifle at 2 am. Most likely you won't get permission, because many people these days associate camping with homelessness rather than recreation. There are, of course, private campgrounds, although many tend to be limited to recreational vehicles. Unlike Europe, we regard camping as recreation, not budget travel, so you won't find campgrounds near towns or cities or accessible to public transportation.

We of course have a wide variety of public lands in the US, ranging from city parks to county parks to state parks and forests to national forests (or Bureau of Land Management areas) to national parks. Rules depend on the local land management agency. Many areas are day use only, and many others don't allow camping outside an established campground. Since individual national forests and national parks have widely different rules, even within a single forest or park, you really have to research the local jurisdiction. In most national parks, backpackers (what you call trekkers) need a backcountry permit which specifies exactly where and when they can camp. National forest wilderness areas (my preferred places) specify party size, how far you can camp from lakes, other water sources and the trail. There may be special restrictions or permits for more popular areas. These special permits are limited and generally need to be reserved months in advance.

Especially out here in the western US, there are usually campfire restrictions, since hiking season coincides with high fire danger season. In popular areas you generally can't build a fire within 1/4 mile of a mountain lake, or above a certain altitude, to avoid the proliferation of unsightly fire rings or the scarcity of fuel. In times of high fire danger, not only are campfires forbidden but also stoves burning alcohol or wood.

It is important to research the specific areas you will be visiting to find out the rules for the specific locations you'll be!

Thank you so much for such detailed explanation. We appreciate your time. We did think already about these difficulties when hiking in the US, it seems really overwhelming at first to learn and remember all these different rules of every place, national park or state. But we guess there is really no choice and we´ll have to do it anyway. Also we´ve heard that the entrance to national parks are not free anymore since lately? Is camping included in the price already or not?
Also on popular trails like PCT or AZT what are the rules? Is there any area where wild camping is not so controlled?

National parks in the US (unlike our national forests and other federal government land) do charge fees at the entrance. And no, camping fees (and other fees such as permits) are not included.

Thank you for your answer. Gotta learn more about it before we come