Multi-day hike, middle Sweden

[Sarah_Lee]

Hi

We are planning a trip to Sweden in summer 2019. We are: me, my husband and then 1.5 year old daughter and her 3 grandparents. We want to book a family cottage for 2 weeks and in the second week, me and my husband will take off for a multi-day trek.

We have ruled out Kungsleden because of crowds and climate (avoiding the north because of temperatures).

The start/end of the trail should be within 2 hours driving distance from the family cottage. A loop trail seems practical, but is not necessary.

We have narrowed it down to the Jämtland mountains, with these options:
- Jämtland triangle, with one day extra to climb Syltoppen
- Valadalen square
- Rogen area, ex. Tannsdalen to Grovelsjon

Can you give us recommendations?
- how crowded are these trails end of July/start of August?
- are we really sure to get a place to sleep at the huts or is it safer to pack a tent?
- which trail has the best scenery?
- any alternatives we haven't found yet?
- how about marshland, how wet does the ground get in this region?

There seem to be plenty of family cottages in this region, so that shouldn't be a problem.

Thanks a lot for any input!

Sarah

 

[undvall]

Some answers

Hello,

First I would justlike to point out that there is no major difference in climate in the middle of the summer between the Lappland and Jämtlandsfjällen. You can get an idea of the difference looking at this picture which shows the avarage temperature in July between 1961 to 1990: http://www.smhi.se/klimatdata/meteorologi/temperatur/normal-medeltemperatur-for-juli-1.3991

That said the alternatives you are considering are all very nice:

1: Jämtland triangle is by far the most crowded. It is actually more crowded than the main part of Kungsleden! It is also the most scenic hike in Jämtland, hence the popularity.
2: Vålådalen square is my personal favorit. Nice scenery with high mountains (from a Jämtland perspective). Very nice forest! And not too may people hiking here. I actually think that Anarisstugan, which is due east of Lunndörrsstugan is one of the least visited in all of Sweden!
3: Rogen area is very different. Quite flat and in areas a lot of boulders. But the lakes are beatiful and the forest is very nice here as well! And if you want to try something different you can actually rent a canoe in Käringsjön and paddle your way around. We did that two summers ago then our little boy was only 1.5 years old and it was a great family vacation!

To answer some of your questions:

Yes you will always get a place to sleep. but if crowded that might be on a madrass on the floor. But if you bring a tent you do get more hiking options!

Depending upon weather the "rule" in Scandinavia is that marshlands and wet area can be found almost everywhere. But as long as you hike along a trail there is "spänger" (footbridges according to google translate....) over the wettest areas.

The alternatives I am "missing" is the "off trail" ones. You could for instance hike south from Lunndörrsstugan thru the pass and then turn right and continue due west south of Lunndörrsfjällen. And then up to Vålåstugorna via Storådörren or Tronndalen. But that basically requires bringing a tent of your own.

/ Stefan

 

[ludvig_svensk]

You can live and hike near Kungsleden without entering it. The strange thing with kungsleden is that as soon as you get 100 meters away from it you will be almost completely alone. People seems to be very afraid of leaving the big and comfy "highway" with all the huts.
Most often there is trails parallell with kungsleden. If you walk the parallell trails you will avoid 95% of all the people in the region.

As Undvall said, your concern about the climate doesn't seem to be grounded, the temperature is about the same anywhere you want to go (and you have to be prepared to minus degrees at night anywhere too).
Personally i like the regions around Kiruna, Jokkmokk and Hemavan. I think Hemavan could fit you well with a lot of beautiful mountains and lakes within 45 minutes, and plenty of huts to hire.

I recommend you to bring a tent. It gives you freedom to do whatever you want.

Marshlands is extremely common. If you stay at the big trails there will be bridges.

The places you have named, along with kungsleden is about the most popular places to visit/hike. July is the high season for hiking. But as i said earlier, if you avoid the biggest trails you will avoid most of the people.

 

[Sarah_Lee]

Thanks a lot for your feedback and information! We looked at Kungsleden, but found it really difficult to combine it with a family cabin within reasonable driving distance from start and end point.

We booked a family cabin between Ostersund und Are and will probably do a combined 4-5 day hike with one leg of the Jämtland triangle, a few legs of the Valadalen square and some other huts. For example: Valadalen - Stensdalen - Gasen - Helags - Sylarna - Storulvan, or any other combination around there. Is Helags worth the detour? Pics definitely look nice. Any more detailed inputs on must do's or better to avoid? We decided we prefer to avoid the big crowds, so only one leg of the Jämtland triangle.

Thanks!

Sarah