The Arctic Trail is a distant hiking trail, 250 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle. It winds by way of Norway, Sweden, and Finland, encompassing total 800 kilometers of marked tracks. Nevertheless, it is feasible to walk elements of the trail. The first phase starts in northern Sweden and follows the more traveled King’s Trail. The second part ends in a small village in Norway, which is troublesome to access. This is the story concerning the third section — taking us from Kilpisjärvi in Finland to Abisko in Sweden.

Bringing a good tent is a must as there are only about 40 cabins spread around the complete trail system. Some of them are locked. You’ll be able to hike for days here without assembly one other human being. The climate can change all of a sudden — in just a couple of minutes — and one should never hike alone into mountain terrain.

Getting there

Permit for ten days to cover the Kilpisjärvi-Abisko part of the trail. That includes 2–three days of transport, attending to and from the trail system, and about 10 kilometers by boat in the beginning. The trail itself is of medium issue with few steep sections, permitting for 20–30 kilometers hiking per day.

There are several ways to access the trail. We flew from Stockholm to Tromsø, via Oslo. From Tromsø in Norway, it takes nearly 4 hours by bus to Kilpisjärvi in Finland. Explore the completely different itineraries relying in your starting point.

The Three-Country Cairn

The boat Milla will take you across the lake near the three-country cairn, where Norway, Sweden, and Finland meet. You may as well take the nature trail that begins at Mount Saanas foot and are available to the Arctic Trail that way. This half is wooded and quite simple to force. From the boat to the cairn, it is a straightforward three-kilometer walk. Walk another three kilometers to get to Goldahytta in Norway.

The path starts to elevate and you’re soon above the tree line. Walk 10 more kilometers and you’ll reach Gappohytta, additionally in Norway. On the way south, a very good place to pitch the tent is some four kilometers earlier than you reach Pältsa cabin. Nevertheless, be prepared for plenty of mosquitos!

Heading South

From Gappohytta, you can head south to the Pältsa fjällstuga in Sweden. Listed below are the primary signs of what lies ahead; fishing with some small lakes to pitch the tent and rest for a while. Don’t be afraid to be deviated a little from the trail. However, be prepared to wade if necessary. Moving on to into Norway and Rostahytta, crossing the suspension bridge throughout Iselva.

The walk alongside the river is nice and relaxing. At the three cabin Rostahytta, you will meet a couple of cabin hosts. Take the opportunity to ask about climate conditions and the like. Also, eliminate garbage and unnecesessary equipment. After the coin, the path takes on a new stretch, around the mountain south of the hut. The gradient and terrain change into quite demanding.

Gone fishing

From Rostahytta, the path continues to Dærtahytta and Dividalshytta. After a couple of days, it is sweet to scrub our garments and take a bath. The area is hilly and quite dry. After a while, nonetheless, it is nearly like walking into a swamp. Swamps imply millions of mosquitos and wet boots. After a while, you will reach a stupendous fishing site. This was the primary part of the trail where we really noticed quite a number of people.

After Dividalshytta, the terrain modifications to a jungle-like forest that by no means seems to end. Do not miss the beautiful and mighty waterfall near the trail. After hiking for several hours, we determined to arrange a campsite by the river.

Go West

Hiking the Arctic Trail is meeting nature in its totally different shapes and expressions. Shiny sunshine combined with snow and ice. Bare raw mountain mixed with jungle forest. The wonder lies within the contrasts.

Approaching the end of our trip, the hike continues from Dividalshytta to Gaskashytta via Vuomahytta. After Dividalshytta, we passed Divielvan by way of a suspension bridge. Next, the path rises once more from the birch forest up within the mountains with panoramic views. Vuomahytta is positioned within the mouth of a wide u-formed valley. After Voumahytta, the path reaches nearly thousand meters, after which it goes down to Gaskashytta and Altevatn.

Litjälktis lower slopes don’t invite the hiker to good experiences with their bushes and muddy trails. Before Inset, there are nice camp sites. In Inset, there are good accommodation facilities including a husky farm. Altevasshytta is located a few kilometers east of Inset. Altevatn is a dammed lake of some ten kilometers. West of it there are about four hundred houses, the place one can only pass alongside a road. There are three places the place you must wade because of unsafe bridges as a result of floods within the area. Shortly earlier than the border to Sweden, you’ll arrive at Lappjordhytta.