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Hiking the Kungsleden

In the very north of Sweden is a famous and beautiful hiking trail called the Kungsleden or King's Trail. The Kungsleden is approximately 440 kilometres long and can be divided in several separate parts.

(I've hiked parts of the Kungsleden and the underlined words are links to my pages about that particular part of the trail.)

From Abisko to Saltoluokta
* start at the Abisko-Turiststation (easy to reach by train)
* Abiskojaure approx. 15 km
* Alesjaure approx. 20 km
* Tjäktja approx. 13km
* Sälka approx. 12 km
* Singi approx. 12 km
* Kaitumjaure approx. 13 km
* Teusajaure approx. 9 km
* Vakkotavaare approx. 16 km
* The hike ends at Saltoluokta (Kebnats). This last part of the stretch is done by bus. From Saltoluokta you can take the bus towards Gällivare and from there continue your trip by train.

A popular alternative is not to walk all the way to Saltoluokta, but take a sidetour from Singi to Kebnekaise Fjällstation (approx. 14 km) and finish the hike in Nikkaluokta (approx. 19 km). Nikkaluokta can be reached by bus.

This first part of the Kungsleden is by far the most popular, especially with the alternative route to Kebnekaise. A lot of people seem to think that this it 'the' Kungsleden, but as you can see below this is only the first part of the official Kungsleden and the trail continues to more of the beautiful Fjällen landscape towards the south. The total stretch from Abisko to Vakkotavaare is 110 km. The transport by bus from Vakkotavaare to Saltoluokta is 34 km.

From Saltoluokta to Kvikkjokk
* start at Saltoluokta (can by reached by taking the train to Gällivare and from Gällivare by bus to Kebnats. Crossing from Kebnats to Saltoluokta by boat)
* Sitojaure approx. 20 km
* Aktse approx. 13 km
* Pårte approx. 24 km
* Kvikkjokk approx. 16 km
From Kvikkjokk you can take the bus to Murjek and from there continue your trip by train.

The total length of this part of the Kungsleden is 73 km with 4 mountain huts on the way. Minimum time required to hike this stretch is 4 days. Some basic supplies can be bought at Saltoluokta, Aktse and Kvikkjokk (nothing available in Sitojaure and Pårte). A great sidetrip is a hike up the Mount Skierfe from Aktse. Here you'll have an amazing view over the Rapadalen (Rapa Valley) and the mountains of Sarek National Park.

From Kvikkjokk to Jäkkvik
* Tsielekjåkkå 15 km
* Piteälven 18 km
* Barturte 20 km
* Vuonatjviken 13 km
* Jäkkvik 8 km

This is the least popular part of the Kungsleden. This is probably not due to the beauty of the area, but due to the fact that the Swedish Tourist Organization doesn't have any mountain huts along this part of the trail. Some stops along the way have alternative accomodation, but some night you do need a tent. All in all it makes planning this hike more demanding, and therefore it is not the most logical option to choose for most. The total stretch from Kvikkjokk to Jäkkvik is 74km.

From Jäkkvik to Ammarnäs
* Jäkkvik
* Pieljekaise approx. 8 km
* Adolfström approx. 14 km
* Sjnjultje approx. 15 km
* Rävfallet approx. 25 km
* Ammarnäs approx. 21 km

The total stretch from Jäkkvik to Ammarnäs is 83 km.

From Ammarnäs to Hemavan
* Ammarnäs
* Aigertstugan approx. 8 km
* Servestugan approx. 19 km
* Tärnasjöstugan approx. 14 km
* Syterstugan approx. 14 km
* Viterskalsstugan approx. 12 km
* Hemavan approx. 11 km

The total stretch from Ammarnäs to Hemavan is 78 km.

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Alternative routes and planning
This is the official Kungsleden, but there are many hiking trails crossing the Kungsleden, which you can combine into an endless combination of wonderful longer and shorter hikes. It might be worth your while to look into some is these endless combinations to make your plan perfect trip. The Kungsleden is the "highway" through the area as it is most well known; the side trails are in my opinion just as beautiful or even better. The side trails are maybe a bit more challenging but definitely less crowded (although you can hardly call this part of Sweden 'crowded'). Another famous and beautiful hiking trail in this part of Sweden is the Padjelantaleden

Keep in mind to plan in some 'extra' days as the weather is very unpredictable and you might need a spare day when hiking is difficult or even impossible due to severe weather conditions. Also a good idea is to plan in some extra time to make one or more daytrip in the area. Many mountain huts are starting points for beautiful day hikes, something I can really recommend considering.

You can read more about this hiking trail and the northern part of Sweden on my Norrbottens Län page.

Theme: Hiking