The Arctic Trail

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

Bringing a good tent is a should as there are only about 40 cabins spread around the total trail system. A few of them are locked. You’ll be able to hike for days here without assembly another human being. The weather can change immediately — in just a couple of minutes — and one ought to by no means hike alone into mountain terrain.

Getting there

Permit for ten days to cover the Kilpisjärvi-Abisko part of the trail. That features 2–three days of transport, attending to and from the trail system, and about 10 kilometers by boat in the beginning. The path itself is of medium problem 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, by way of Oslo. From Tromsø in Norway, it takes nearly four hours by bus to Kilpisjärvi in Finland. Discover the completely different itineraries depending 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 too 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 straightforward 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 raise and you are quickly above the tree line. Walk 10 more kilometers and you will attain Gappohytta, also in Norway. On the way south, a superb place to pitch the tent is a few four kilometers before you reach Pältsa cabin. Nonetheless, be prepared for plenty of mosquitos!

Heading South

From Gappohytta, you possibly 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 relaxation for a while. Do not 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 across Iselva.

The walk alongside the river is sweet and relaxing. At the three cabin Rostahytta, you will meet a couple of cabin hosts. Take the opportunity to ask about weather conditions and the like. Also, eliminate garbage and unnecesessary equipment. After the coin, the trail 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 trail continues to Dærtahytta and Dividalshytta. After a few days, it is sweet to clean our garments and take a bath. The world is hilly and quite dry. After a while, nonetheless, it is sort of like walking into a swamp. Swamps imply tens of millions of mosquitos and wet boots. After a while, you will reach a beautiful fishing site. This was the first part of the trail the place we actually saw quite a number of people.

After Dividalshytta, the terrain changes to a jungle-like forest that never seems to end. Don’t miss the attractive and mighty waterfall near the trail. After hiking for several hours, we determined to set up a campsite by the river.

Go West

Hiking the Arctic Trail is assembly nature in its different shapes and expressions. Bright sunshine mixed with snow and ice. Bare raw mountain mixed with jungle forest. The sweetness lies within the contrasts.

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

Litjälktis decrease slopes do not 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 located just a few 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 along a road. There are three places the place you must wade because of unsafe bridges because of floods within the area. Shortly before the border to Sweden, you’ll arrive at Lappjordhytta.