Sweden - Artic circle

Intro

I have been to Norway and praised their mountains before but the truth is we share the same range of mountains. This line of mountains is called Skanderna (In Swedish) and covers ground in both Sweden and Norway, on the Norwegian side its a bit easier to get close to this type of nature since they have roads pretty much every where. I have been to the north many times before but this is the first time I hike deeper into the mountains. This is my experience during a 7 day hike from Abisko to Nikkaloukta in the arctic circle in the north of Sweden.

How to get here

You can pretty much pick one of two starting points to this region, either Abisko or Nikkaloukta. Both located roughly 1-2 hours drive from the city Kiruna which also is the closest public airport with connections flights from Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN). From Kiruna you can take the bus to Nikkaloukta or the train to Abisko. Just check the time table before travel since these options are not available all year round. The time table for the bus is found here. Train to/from Kiruna and also Abisko can be found here or here. I would say flying to Kiruna is the easiest way and then taking the train to Abisko from Kiruna or the bus to Nikkaloukta.

Weather

Kiruna is well above the arctic circle so the weather is higly depending on the month you travel. June to August is the peak season with the “best” weather. It can still get close to 0 degrees Celsius (32 F) during the night in the summer so if camping have this in mind. September is also a nice month with less people on the tracks and the autumn colors are in full blom, snow can/will start to form on the higher altitudes but most of the time it is clear on the tracks further down in the valleys. September is also the month the STF cabin huts close, to read more about the huts please check out the STF home page here. From October is when you have to expect winter conditions for real and if not experienced i would not recommend hiking between October and May. In mid winter the temperature often drops to -30 or below (-22 F). Another thing to keep in mind is the Polar Night (Polar Natt in Swedish) if you visit during winter and Midnight sun (Midnattssol in Swedish) if visiting during summer. This means either the sun never sets or it never rises above the horizon.

Getting around

Between Kiruna, Abisko and Nikkaloukta its easy to travel by road, but if hiking (which most people come here to do) you of course have to walk. The roads are generally good but don’t expect high ways, the roads are narrower and the area is full of heavy transportations to and from the mines in the area. Sweden is rich on iron and the iron from Kirunavaara was of interest for the Nazis during WW2 and one of the reasons the invaded Narvik to which the iron is shipped from the mine. If driving during winter times the roads are kept clear but be carefull if not used to drive in winter condition.

Day 1 Abisko - Abisko National Park

I started in Abisko late the first day and only walked about 2,5km to the only place you are allowed to camp in the Abisko National park. Its a beautiful place close to the river Abiskojåkka. You will find two fire places and wood to use, if there is no wood you’re out of luck since youre not allowed to pick anything from the ground or trees. The water is drinkable directly from the river so no need to carry water, this goes for the whole area. I pitched my tent and just relaxed for the evening before going to bed early. Sleeping is always harder before getting used to the light, in July the sun never sets so its daylight 24/7 during this time of the year.

Day 2 Abisko National Park - Abiskojaure

The walk thru the park is easy and full of birch trees, this high up the trees don’t look like at home, much smaller and beaten by the weather. I reminder of the harsh conditions during winter. Abiskojaure huts are not far away but the location is very nice and located right next to the lake feeding Abiskojåkka. Here you can pitch your tent for a fee paid over desk at the main office, you will then get access to the showers, sauna and toilets. Remember there is very little waste management in the huts since every thing most be kept until winter and then transported out on the packed snow with snow mobiles. That means you have to carry most of your trash with you.

Day 3 Abiskojaure - Alesjaure

It was a cloudy day when I started the hike towards Alesjoure, on several occasions I stopped to have something to eat or drink close to one of many streams of melted snow. The hike is long and a big part is over tundra and not very inspiring to be honest, but one can see the high mountains in the distance covered in clouds. It feels like walking into Mordor in a way !

About 6km before you arrive at Alesjaure there is a boat you can take if you dont want to walk the last bit, I felt like I had enough of walking for today so the boat was an easy decision.

Day 4 Alesjaure - Vistas

To day I was heading for Vistas Vally, a less visit part of the area since most people hike the Kings Trail (Kungsleden), the first part is uphill but slowly it fades out and becomes flat and after 1h or so you will see the whole vally of Vistas in from of you like a huge canvas. Just in the beginning of the vally you have a beautiful waterfall which I could not resist to photograph. Just a few days earlier two hikers stood face to face with a brown bear and her cubs in this area, I am glad I didn’t hear about this before I started the walk, but in the end I think the poor bear is doing its best to stay clear of noicy people. The way to the hut is amazingly beautiful the first half, could not believe I was still at home, in my own country. Step mountains on either side with a river making its way downhill, green grass and dark mountains meet halfway. The second part is on the other side mainly dence birch forrest and mostly something you want to pass ass quickly as possible. The Vistas hut is located in an amazing spot, the grass around the hut is covered in colorful flowers looking into the Vally Stour Reaiddevagge. The river is passing by just 50m from the hut it self with clear green water from the melting snow on the peaks.

Day 5 & 6 Vistas - Nikkaloukta

Following day I left for Nikkaloukta, about 34km but the last part you can take a small boat if you call Nikkaloukta and let you know, there is no fixed time table here. There will be signs with a phone number to call and the cellular coverage is getting better further down the vally so most people will have no problem making the phonecall. I was back in the birch forrest and could only take photos every now and then when the trees clears and you could see the.greatness of the vally once again. In several places the trail is completely washed away from land slides of melting water, its scary to watch the force of nature so closely. In between Vistas and the boat ride I camped one more night before reaching the the river and was picked up by the boat. Its an amazing place and I will for sure be back when the autumn colors are in bloom.