Madonie Park rules: zones, bans and what you can do

In the Madonie Park walking is free, but precise rules apply: you may not light fires, camp or bivouac, pick plants, disturb animals, leave litter, enter unmarked caves or leave your car outside car parks. The Park is divided into four zones, from the strict reserve (zone A) to the control zone (zone D), with stricter rules where protection is greater. The towns lie outside the Park boundary.

At a glance

• Walking: free throughout the Park, except in areas closed by the Ente Parco.
• Forbidden everywhere: fires, camping and bivouacking, hunting and weapons, picking plants, disturbing wildlife, litter, unmarked caves, climbing over fences, entering burnt woods, cars outside car parks.
• Mushrooms: you need the regional permit (regional law 3/2006).
• Drones: you need authorisation from the Ente Parco.
• Official source: Ente Parco delle Madonie, Corso Paolo Agliata 16, Petralia Sottana, telephone 0921 684011.

What is forbidden in the Madonie Park?

On 27 June 2026 the Ente Parco published the official list of bans from its visitor regulations. In the Park it is forbidden to:

Ban	What it means in practice
Damage the flora	do not pick, cut or take away plants, flowers or parts of them, and do not touch or eat plants that may be poisonous
Hunt or bring in weapons	applies throughout the Park
Disturb the wildlife	do not catch animals or disturb them with shouting or sudden movements
Light fires	anywhere within the boundary, because of the fire risk
Camp or bivouac	no tents and no wild bivouacs
Leave litter	take away everything you brought
Enter natural caves	only caves marked as places of interest, along the marked route
Cross barriers	do not lean on fences or climb over them
Enter burnt woods	crossing areas hit by fire is forbidden
Park without permission	cars only in car parks and suitable parking areas

Source: Ente Parco delle Madonie, list of bans, 27 June 2026.

The Park is also a UNESCO Global Geopark: the Ente Parco points out that inside a geopark it is forbidden to extract rocks from outcrops and to trade in minerals and fossils. In zone A the rules also forbid collecting rocks, fossils and minerals.

The Park zones: A, B, C and D

Regional law 98 of 1981 divides the Park into four zones. This table gives the areas stated by the Ente Parco in its general report for 2026-2028.

Zone	Name	Area
A	strict reserve	5,854 hectares
B	general reserve	16,653 hectares
C	protection zone	416 hectares
D	control zone	17,050 hectares

The activities allowed in each zone are set by decree no. 263 of 18 April 1996 of the regional Department of Territory and Environment, still in force until the Park’s territorial plan is approved. The Ente Parco publishes the zoning map on its website.

Zone A, strict reserve

This is the most protected zone. Hiking, ski mountaineering, ski touring and cross-country skiing are allowed here, except in areas the Ente Parco may close. Forbidden are:

• new buildings, roads, ski runs and ski lifts;
• motor vehicles, except service or authorised vehicles;
• collecting rocks, fossils and minerals;
• camping;
• motor racing, trial riding, motocross, hang-gliding and similar activities;
• flights by aircraft not authorised by the Ente Parco.

Zone B, general reserve

The same bans as in zone A apply, with some exceptions for farming and herding: traditional farming is allowed, and open-air fires only for farming, forestry and herding work. Motor traffic is allowed on existing roads, not on forest tracks, mule paths and trails.

Zone C, protection zone

This is the smallest zone, 416 hectares, divided by the 1996 decree into foothill, high mountain and site-specific areas. Here the 1996 rules allow bivouacs and camping in areas equipped for the purpose.

Zone D, control zone

This is the largest zone, where farming, grazing and activities compatible with the Park’s aims are allowed. Leaving litter and flying unauthorised aircraft remain forbidden.

The built-up centres of the Park’s fifteen municipalities lie outside the boundary (Ente Parco, general report 2026-2028).

Hiking, horses and climbing

• On foot: hiking is free (1996 decree, art. 19).
• On horseback: in zone A only on set routes, with possible limits on numbers.
• Climbing, mountaineering, wildlife photography: the Ente Parco may ban them during the wildlife breeding season.
• Organised sports and events: these need authorisation from the Ente Parco.

Follow the marked trails and the information boards. Many areas of the Park, even unfenced ones, are private and may be closed to walkers (Ente Parco, visitor rules). Tools for finding your way are in our guide on maps and apps.

Can you pick mushrooms?

You need a permit. In Sicily picking wild mushrooms is governed by regional law no. 3 of 1 February 2006:

• you need the personal regional permit, renewed every five years;
• the amateur permit allows you to pick up to 4 kg of mushrooms a day, the professional one up to 12 kg;
• rakes and hooks are forbidden, and so are plastic containers: use baskets that let the spores fall;
• picking Caesar’s mushrooms (Amanita caesarea) that are still closed is forbidden.

Source: text of the regional law published by ISPRA, updated April 2021. In the Park, the 1996 rules allow picking in zones A and B in line with municipal regulations and the laws in force. For where and when to find them, see the Food section.

Wild flowers, plants and fruits remain protected: the list of bans forbids picking plants of any species.

Dogs in the Park

The Ente Parco documents we consulted have no specific rule on dogs. The ban on disturbing wildlife and the advice not to approach grazing animals do apply, though.

Our advice: keep your dog on a lead near flocks, herds and horses, in areas with wildlife and in spring, when the young are born. Carry water for your dog too: outside the tourist areas there are no water points.

Drones

The 1996 rules forbid flights over the Park zones by aircraft not authorised by the Ente Parco, except as provided by aviation law. Before flying a drone, ask the Ente Parco for permission and follow the national flight rules.

Cars, motorbikes and parking

• Leave your car only in car parks and parking areas (2026 list of bans).
• Forest tracks, mule paths and trails are not open to motor traffic.
• Motocross, trial riding and off-road motorcycling are forbidden in zones A and B.

Open roads and the day’s closures are on the page about Madonie roads.

Rules for your own safety

Some rules protect the environment and you as well:

• do not stop below rock faces or near steep slopes;
• in storms, strong wind, heat or intense cold, the Ente Parco advises against going into the Park; when there is a fire risk, do not hike;
• since September 2026 the Ente Parco has asked visitors not to linger at the base of the big monumental trees, from which branches can fall;
• on days of wildlife control with firearms, announced on the Park website, do not enter the areas listed.

Emergency numbers and practical advice are in our guide to safety in the Madonie. Our article on the CAI scale explains trail grades.

Where to sleep without camping

Since wild camping and bivouacking are not allowed, to sleep up in the mountains choose a hut or a place to stay near the trails. You will find them in the where to stay in the Madonie section, with huts and farm stays.