Hiking the famous Kings Trail in northern Sweden
The Kungsleden trail (https://www.alltrails.com/trail/sweden/norrbotten/kungsleden–3) is one of the most popular hiking routes in Sweden, attracting visitors all year round. There are good flight connections from Germany, including direct flights from Duesseldorf or from Frankfurt with a stop in Stockholm. Upon arrival at Kiruna airport, a 1.5-hour bus ride takes you to the starting point in Abisko. Checkout the map below to get an overview of the area:
Location
Abisko, located 200 km north of the Arctic Circle, experiences complete darkness for some days in December and January. We hiked the trail using snowshoes in late March, when the daylight hours in Abisko extended to more than 13 hours. Along the way, we encountered many people using cross-country skis and pulkas, which are popular options in winter. Our trek took us from Abisko to Nikkaluokta, which is only a small section of the northern region of the entire trail, with a total distance of roughly 110km, making it a moderate hike despite the challenge of walking with snowshoes. No permits are required, and wild camping is allowed everywhere except within the National Parks, such as Abisko NP.
The trail we took is the most popular, with a total elevation gain of 2,500m and the highest point being the Tjäktja Pass, which is also the highest point on the entire trail.
The landscape is dominated by birch trees, (frozen) lakes, and, in winter, the spectacular snow-covered expanses that you cross. The daytime temperatures ranged from -15 to -3 degrees Celsius, while the coldest night dropped down to -28 degrees Celsius, which was quite chilly in our tent.
Some impressions (click on the image to enter the gallery)
Cabins
There are several STF cabins (https://www.swedishtouristassociation.com/our-accommodation-types/stay-stf-mountain-cabin/) along the way, including Abiskojaure, Alesjaure, Tjäktja, Sälka, Singi, and Kebnekaise. Except for Kebnekaise, which offers hot showers and a restaurant, they are fairly simple cabins, some with small stores, and some including a sauna. The distances between the cabins vary from around 12 to 20 km, so they are all easily hiked in one day. The hike from Singi to Kebnekaise is not part of the official trail, but you can take a shortcut back to Kiruna when time is limited. The next official stop after Singi is Kaitumjaure. There is also an option to take a snowmobile from Kebnekaise to Nikkaluokta, which we took and found to be great fun. The trail is rather uninteresting here so skipping the last part is a good choice.
Additionally, visitors often visit this region in hopes of witnessing the stunning natural phenomena of the northern lights, and we were fortunate to experience an impressive display during our stay in Singi on the night of the 23rd, coinciding with a geomagnetic storm that created a breathtaking spectacle. This occurrence was likely a result of the enormous hole in the sun’s atmosphere (https://www.livescience.com/enormous-hole-in-the-suns-atmosphere-will-trigger-stunning-auroras-friday).
Aurora gallery
