Part II of the Scandinavian Interior Series
In this article:
Swedish Lapland is an area reaching from Sweden’s northernmost point up high in the Scandes mountain range to the rugged coastline along the northernmost part of the Baltic Sea. With the arctic circle running through the center of this area part of Swedish Lapland can be attributed to the arctic polar region. This means that here you will be able to experience those famous natural phenomena of the arctic such as the polar night and the midnight sun around winter solstice and midsummer respectively. But even if you are not traveling to this part of Sweden right around the solstices you will experience some very long twilight well into September as well as those short days that will last well into March.
The interior backcountry of this area contains an exciting mix of unspoilt landscapes, vast protected wilderness areas, and world-class destinations for any type of outdoor activities with hiking, fishing, camping, and skiing being amongst the most popular. E45 will lead you right through the beautiful interior of Swedish Lapland, running from Sweden’s northern border with Finland all the way to the central provinces.
Day 1 - Arrive in Laponia
Potential starting points for your road trip along E45 are either Lulea and Kiruna international airports if you are flying into Swedish Lapland or Karesuando if you are driving there. From either one of those starting points the first leg of this trip to the Laponian area will take you roughly 2 to 3 hours to drive. The Laponian area is a protected wilderness covering large parts of the region’s Scandes mountain range as well as the adjacent rugged foothills which became a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its natural and cultural significance. With a number of Scandinavia’s largest national parks and nature reserves protecting the area this part of Swedish Lapland is very sparsely populated and only partially cultivated by the region's native Sami reindeer herders. This means that here you will find one of Scandinavia’s hot spots for wildlife viewing with some of the best chances in all of Sweden to spot both moose as well as reindeer out in the wild!
Once you have reached the Laponian area you will be able to explore three of Sweden’s largest and wildest national parks including Sarek and Stora Sjöfallet National Parks which protect the areas high mountains as well as Muddus National Park which protects a rugged and densely forested area in the foothills of the Scandes mountains. Depending on your itinerary it is best to take at least an additional day out of your schedule to explore some of these vast and beautiful landscapes.
Day 2 (Option 1) - Explore Muddus National Park:
One of the more easily accessible parks within Laponia is Muddus National Park with the southern entrance situated a short 15 minute drive from E45 in between the Porjus settlement and the small town of Jokkmokk. Here you will be rewarded by an exciting mix of lush forests, expansive marshes, deep canyons, and towering waterfalls well off the beaten track. Not only will you be able to explore some of Sweden’s most pristine and unspoilt wilderness areas but since this park is one of the less visited parks in Scandinavia’s far north you will be guaranteed some true backcountry solitude.
To make the most out of this serene experience, park your car at the park’s south entrance at Skáddje and follow the Muddusleden hiking trail into the interior of the park offering dramatic views as you hike along the rim of a rugged canyon all the way to the towering Muddus Falls via an easy 8km (one way) out-and-back hike. From here you can choose to kick back at one of the nearby picnic areas or stay overnight at the Muddusfallet camping cabin (15€ / night - instructions below) or free backcountry campsites which are fully equipped with firewood and a pit toilet. My top pick would be to stay at the Njuktjajavrre backcountry campsite which is located on a picturesque peninsula in the middle of the marshes offering sweeping views of the surrounding landscapes as well as the sunset!
Depending on how long you are planning to stay at this park, either conclude your visit the next morning by returning back to your car directly or continue the Little Loop Trail which will take you back to the south entrance via an easy to moderate 16km hike. If you choose to stay here for more than one day you can continue the Muddusleden along the Large Loop Trail leading you further up into the remote northern section of the park. Completing this entire 45km loop will take you at least one additional day with several hiking cabins situated along the trail offering convenient and comfortable options for another overnight stay in the backcountry. While you will not be able to make reservations in advance you are pretty much guaranteed a free spot due to each cabin’s remoteness. You can pay the 15€ / night accommodation fee simply via bank transfer.
Quick facts about Muddus National Park:
how to get there: turn off E45 26km north of Jokkmokk / 15min drive from E45
perfect for: hiking, wildlife viewing, camping, watching the northern lights
best routes: Muddusleden Little Loop: easy to moderate 24km (full day to two-day) hiking trail with one campsite and one cabin along the way / Muddusleden Large Loop: moderate 45km (at least two-day) hiking trail with several cabins along the way
best campsites / cabins: Muddusfallet Cabin (12 beds) / tent pitch Njuktjajávrre (Top Pick!)
fees: no fees for park admission or campsites / 15€ per night for cabins
services: toilets and nature walk at south entrance / pit toilets at cabins and campsites / free firewood at cabins and campsites / kitchen at cabins / no cell service!
important links: https://laponia.nu/en/ / https://laponia.nu/en/nationalparks-and-nature-reserves/muttos-muddus/ / https://laponia.nu/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Muttos-stugor-eng.pdf
Day 2 (Option 2) - A glimpse of Sarek National Park
South of Muddus National Park and just five minutes north of Jokkmokk - one of the larger villages of Swedish Lapland - you will be able to turn off E45 and follow a paved road that brings you close to the wild and rugged mountains of Sarek National Park. With Kvikkjokk at the far end of this road you will reach a particularly picturesque yet extremely remote mountain village that serves as a local hub for all kinds of outdoor enthusiasts with countless fishing, hiking, and hunting opportunities in the surrounding lakes, mountains, and forests. Located along one of Sweden’s most popular long distance hiking trails, this village further offers a convenient and easily accessible point of entry to the Kungsleden trail (see next section) roughly 1.5hrs and 112km from E45.
About one hour or 70km from E45 and half an hour before reaching Kvikkjokk - near the small settlement of Tjåmotis - you will come across an intersection where you can turn onto a dirt road. Following this road for another 20km deep into the remote wilderness of Laponia you will eventually reach Sitoälvsbron - a bridge that marks the beginning of a hiking trail. There is a simple parking lot nearby that offers no services so make sure to make your last pit stop at Jokkmokk to stock up before you head up here. Leaving your car behind you now have the opportunity to embark on a moderate out-and-back day hike of roughly 17km or 4hrs (one way) through lush forests, along beautiful lakeshores, and across vast marshes. While there are no technically difficult passages you will need proper hiking shoes since the trail itself can be rough and is not too well maintained at some points. Don’t let this discourage you from taking on this otherwise easy and picture-perfect hike as this will lead you to Aktse - one of my top picks for an overnight stay in the Laponia backcountry!
Sometimes referred to as the gate to Sarek National Park, Aktse is located in one of Europe’s most spectacular and pristine landscapes. A former farmstead, it is now serving as a mountain hut along the Kungsleden trail offering several options for truly adventurous yet comfortable overnight stays. Managed by the Swedish Tourist Association (STF) it is officially open for business from mid June thru mid September and consists of several buildings containing a front office, small convenience store, vault toilets, an outdoor shower, a sauna, cabins with bunk beds, wood-fired ovens, small kitchens, as well as a separate private cabin. For those bringing their own tent there also are tent sites available. There is no electricity and no running water but the STF offers free firewood for all ovens as well as gas for the kitchen stoves in the cabins, and water is available at a water pump.
Located at the foot of the prominent Skierffe mountain and near the shores of pristine lake Laitaure, Aktse is situated in the middle of one of Laponia’s wildlife hotspots with moose frequently roaming the surrounding forests and large herds of reindeer often migrating through the nearby plateaus. Several vantage points along the lakeshore as well as all over the nearby plateaus and atop Skierffe mountain will offer sweeping views of the surrounding landscape and of the towering mountains located in the heart of Sarek National Park. From here you can take a boat ride up the lake or explore the surrounding landscape on foot via several hiking trails with the moderate yet rewarding 7km or 2.5hrs (one way) out-and-back hike up Skierffe mountain (situated inside Sarek National Park) being one of the absolute highlights of Laponia. Just a few hundred meters from the eastern boundaries of Sarek National Park, Akste therefore offers you one of the easiest ways to catch a glimpse of “Europe's last great wilderness”.
Quick facts about Sarek National Park & Aktse:
how to get there: turn off E45 6km north of Jokkmokk / 1hr drive from E45 + full day hike to Aktse & Skierffe
perfect for: hiking, camping, wildlife viewing, watching the northern lights
best routes: Sitoälvsbron to Aktse (Top Pick!): moderate out-and-back two-day hike of roughly 17km or 4hrs (one way) / Aktse to Skierffe: moderate out-and-back full-day hike of roughly 7km or 2.5hrs (one way)
fees: no fees for park admission / 40€ per night for cabins at Aktse
services: no services at parking lot / basic amenities at STF Aktse / free firewood / no cell service!
important links: https://laponia.nu/en/ / https://www.swedishtouristassociation.com/facilities/stf-aktse-mountain-cabin/
Detour: Explore the Stora Sjöfallet and Sarek National Parks along Kungsleden
If you have enough time to spare for an at least five-day detour into the magnificent outdoors of both the Stora Sjöfallet and Sarek National Parks then you should consider a section hike along the northern portion of the King’s Trail or Kungsleden. This is one of Sweden’s most famous and most popular long-distance hiking trails running approximately 500km through some of the most remote regions within the Scandes mountains in Northern Sweden from Abisko in the north to Hemavan in the south. If you are not willing to invest the up to one month it can take you to complete the entire hike you have several options to access this trail along the way for some shorter section hikes. All of the major access points at Abisko, Saltoluokta, Kvikkjokk, Jäkkvik, Ammarnäs, and Hemavan are connected to E45 via paved roads and can therefore be easily reached by car or even by bus.
Within the Laponia area in Swedish Lapland lies the section running from Saltoluokta to Kvikkjokk. This is a roughly 70km or four to five day hike along one of the trail’s most dramatic and picturesque sections traversing parts of the Stora Sjöfallet and Sarek National Parks. Here you will be exploring endless forests, high plateaus with far reaching views of the surrounding arctic landscapes, vast glacial lakes, and the high mountains of the Scandes. Along the trail you will be able to stay at a total of five mountain huts managed by the Swedish Tourist Association (STF) during the summer season that runs from mid June thru mid September. The day hikes between each of the huts range from 13km to 20km with a total of three lake crossings (Saltoluokta, Sitojaure, Aktse) that are also available from mid June thru mid September (Cash only!). While all of the huts offer basic amenities including vault toilets, kitchens, beds, and campsites some huts also offer small convenience stores where you will be able to stock up on basic snacks. However, since you are in Scandinavia, you will also be able to pitch your tent at any suitable location along the trail.
You can choose to access this section of the King’s Trail at three different locations. Starting at STF Saltoluokta you will hike the entire section via STF Sitojaure, STF Aktse, STF Parte, and STF Kvikkjokk or you can choose to hike the other way around. Both access points are reachable by car and by public transport connecting the towns of Gällivare and Jokkmokk with Saltoluokta and Kvikkjokk respectively via bus. You can also cut this section hike along the King’s Trail short by accessing the trail at Aktse which is reachable via a full day hike from Sitoälvsbron (see previous section). If you choose this alternative you will be able to save one day - however, keep in mind that in order to get back to Sitoälvsbron from Kvikkjokk you will have to take the bus to Tjamotis, which is the nearest bus station and catch a ride for the remaining 20km as Sitoälvsbron is only reachable by car. There are some locals that will help you out for a small fee - just make sure to ask around in Kvikkjokk or call ahead at Årrenjarka Fjällby before entering the bus. As with the lake crossings make sure to have some cash at hand as you will not be able to pay with your card.
If you choose to embark on this adventure you will be rewarded with some of the most spectacular views and stunningly pristine landscapes! In just a few days you will get to see everything that the arctic far north has to offer traversing vast open plains, dense forests, and rugged mountain peaks. And you will also most certainly get to see heaps of reindeer that roam these areas in large numbers. Since they are semi-domesticated many of them live their lives in these mountains mostly undisturbed by humans with only some of them ending up killed and slaughtered by their herders. Keeping this in mind you should always keep your distance even if they are grazing along the trail. The same goes of course for the occasional moose that you also might get to see. While not as common as the large reindeer herds, moose are also very common in this area.
While the entire section hike is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure in itself, the absolute highlight of this section is the area around Akste. Beautifully situated near lake Laitaure, this former settlement is now one of the five STF huts along the trail and offers a good basecamp to explore the breathtaking landscape surrounding this place. A little further upstream is a glacier carved valley which contains a seemingly endless river delta shaped by the glacial streams that come from the high mountains of nearby Sarek National Park. For the best view overlooking the valley and the surrounding mountainous landscape head up to the peak of nearby Skierffe - a full day hike leading you up to one of the most prominent features of the area and one of the most iconic and awe inspiring viewpoints of Swedish Lapland that should not be missed when in the area!
Continuing the King’s Trail further down south you will get to experience one of the most picturesque day hikes along the entire trail. After crossing the Laitaure which offers further great views of the glacial valley upstream as well as the distant snow-covered peaks of Sarek National Park you will embark on a long but very rewarding 20km hike to STF Parte. Here you will enter Sarek National Park with its vast plateaus and endless unparalleled views. While this is an area that is only reachable via several day hikes this is where you will get to experience a real Lapland outdoor adventure surrounded by both, a colorful and lush as well as a rugged and harsh arctic wilderness.
Quick facts about Kungsleden - Saltoluokta to Kvikkjokk:
how to get there: turn off E45 6km north of Jokkmokk / 1.5hrs drive from E45 to Kvikkjokk // turn off E45 43km south of Gällivare / 1hr drive from E45 to Saltoluokta
perfect for: hiking, camping, wildlife viewing, cross country skiing, snow mobiling, watching the northern lights
best routes: the entire section hike is a moderate 73km, 4 day hike with 5 STF mountain huts along the trail
best huts: STF Aktse (Top Pick!) / STF Parte
fees: no fees for park admission / prices at STF huts vary
services: basic amenities at STF huts / no or only partial cell service along the trail!
important links: https://www.swedishtouristassociation.com/
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