The Arctic Trail is a distant hiking path, 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 possible to walk elements of the trail. The primary section starts in northern Sweden and follows the more traveled King’s Trail. The second section ends in a small village in Norway, which is troublesome to access. This is the story concerning the third phase — taking us from Kilpisjärvi in Finland to Abisko in Sweden.

Bringing a good tent is a must as there are only about forty cabins spread around the entire path system. A few of them are locked. You possibly can hike for days here without assembly one other human being. The climate can change out of the blue — in just a couple of minutes — and one ought to by no means hike alone into mountain terrain.

Getting there

Allow for ten days to cover the Kilpisjärvi-Abisko part of the trail. That features 2–three days of transport, getting to and from the path system, and about 10 kilometers by boat in the beginning. The trail itself is of medium difficulty with few steep sections, allowing for 20–30 kilometers hiking per day.

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

The Three-Country Cairn

The boat Milla will take you throughout the lake near the three-country cairn, the place Norway, Sweden, and Finland meet. You can even take the nature path 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 simple three-kilometer walk. Walk another three kilometers to get to Goldahytta in Norway.

The trail starts to elevate and you might be soon above the tree line. Walk 10 more kilometers and you’ll attain Gappohytta, additionally in Norway. On the way south, a very good place to pitch the tent is some 4 kilometers earlier than you attain Pältsa cabin. Nevertheless, be prepared for lots of mosquitos!

Heading South

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

The walk along the river is sweet and relaxing. On the three cabin Rostahytta, you’ll meet a few cabin hosts. Take the opportunity to ask about climate conditions and the like. Additionally, do away with garbage and unnecesessary equipment. After the coin, the path takes on a new stretch, across the mountain south of the hut. The gradient and terrain turn into quite demanding.

Gone fishing

From Rostahytta, the path continues to Dærtahytta and Dividalshytta. After a few days, zidane03 it is sweet to scrub our garments and take a bath. The world is hilly and quite dry. After a while, nevertheless, it is almost like walking into a swamp. Swamps imply hundreds of thousands of mosquitos and wet boots. After a while, you’ll attain a wonderful fishing site. This was the primary a part of the trail where we actually saw quite a number of people.

After Dividalshytta, the terrain modifications to a jungle-like forest that by no means appears to end. Do not miss the attractive and mighty waterfall near the trail. After hiking for a number of hours, we decided to set up 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 sweetness lies in the contrasts.

Approaching the end of our trip, the hike continues from Dividalshytta to Gaskashytta through Vuomahytta. After Dividalshytta, we passed Divielvan through a suspension bridge. Subsequent, the path rises again from the birch forest up within the mountains with panoramic views. Vuomahytta is situated within the mouth of a wide u-formed valley. After Voumahytta, the trail reaches virtually 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. Earlier than Inset, there are nice camp sites. In Inset, there are good lodging facilities including a husky farm. Altevasshytta is positioned a number of kilometers east of Inset. Altevatn is a dammed lake of some ten kilometers. West of it there are about 4 hundred houses, the place one can only pass alongside a road. There are three places the place you must wade because of unsafe bridges attributable to floods in the area. Shortly before the border to Sweden, you will arrive at Lappjordhytta.