Mayors and local leaders in the French Alps have reached an agreement on a new charter to manage the popular Tour du Mont-Blanc hiking route. The proposal aims to address growing concerns about overcrowding and environmental damage by introducing rules similar to those already in place for climbing Mount Blanc. The charter would prohibit wild camping and require hikers to reserve accommodations in advance, ensuring a more organized and sustainable experience. Jean-Marc Peillex, mayor of Saint-Gervais and head of the Pays du Mont-Blanc Community of Communes, said the goal is not to ban access but to "organize" the route, moving away from an era of unregulated use. The Tour du Mont-Blanc is a 170-kilometer hiking trail that winds through France, Switzerland, and Italy, featuring a total elevation gain of 10,000 meters. Since the pandemic, the number of trekkers has surged to around 90,000 annually—a 50% increase—leading to overcrowding and negative impacts on local properties, the environment, and hiker safety. The new rules, being finalized by local authorities and stakeholders, include mandatory reservations for summer stays, restrictions on wild camping, and requirements for hikers to use backpacks instead of large suitcases. These measures are intended to reduce environmental strain and improve the overall experience for hikers. Some of the problematic behaviors that the charter aims to address include hikers feeding wild animals like chamois, using open fields as restrooms, camping near refuges to avoid bad weather, and using taxis to transport large suitcases between mountain lodges. Peillex emphasized the importance of restoring the tour’s value for hikers from around the world, particularly noting the high participation of French and American trekkers. He described the current situation as a shift from a "queue leu leu" (a line of people walking one after another) to a more chaotic and unsustainable scenario. The new measures follow a similar approach already in place for climbing Mount Blanc, which has implemented a reservation system and a "White Brigade" of mountain police to manage access. This model has also been adopted at other popular sites, such as the Calanques National Park near Marseille, where a reservation system was introduced to protect the fragile Sugiton calanque from erosion caused by excessive visitors. These efforts highlight a growing trend in mountain regions to balance tourism with environmental and safety concerns.