Hiking trails in the Jokkmokk area
With hiking- and ski trails and overnight cabins it is easy to explore nature with or without a guide. Read more below about Padjelantaleden – Sweden’s maybe most beautiful summer trail, the famous Royal Trail with the gems Aktse, Saltoluokta and Kvikkjokk, Nordkalottleden will bring you exciting tours in the border land between Sweden, Norway and Finland. In the National park Muddus there are good trails that bring you through bog land, virgin forest, ravines and good bird watching places.
Padjelantaleden
The trail leads from Kvikkjokk, up through the luxuriant Tarra valley (Darrhávagge) up over the high mountains in the flowery heaths in Padjelanta along the large lakes, further north to the Akka cabins or Vaisaluokta where you have the boat over to Ritsem. Padjelanta also is summer pasture land for the Sámi villages Tuorpon, Jåkkåkaska and Sirkas.
The distance is approximately 150 km. Count on needing 10-14 days.
The Padjelanta trail is a well marked summer trail with cabins along the way at suitable distances. The cabins inside the park is run by the Sámi association: Badjelánnda Laponia Turism, north and east of the park you will find STF cabins. The cabins are equipped for self-catering with LPG, pots, kitchenware and beds (bring sleeping bags and/or sheets). You can of course tent after the trail if you prefer. You need to have some open-air experience and satisfactory mountain equipment, however the trail is easy walked and suitable for those who never hiked in the mountains before. In the summertime there are church services in the mountains. You can for example experience a church service in Staloluokta and Arasluokta. The church hut in Staloluokta inaugurated in 1971, Staloluokta is the summer place for the Sámi village Tuorpon.
For more information: BLT, County Administration Board of Norrbotten
Also see: Guided tours
The Royal Trail
The Royal Trail is a known ski- and hiking trail. The terrain is in general easy accessible. The winter trails are marked with red crosses and the summer trail with cairn or red painted stones. It is approximately 440 km long and reaches through Abisko in Lapland to Hemavan in the south. There are STF cabins along the trail and the distances varies between 10 and 20 km. The cabins are equipped for self-catering with pots, plates and mugs. There are wood burning stoves for heating and LPG for cooking. There are beds with mattresses, pillows and blankets in dorms, bring your own sleeping bag or sheets.
The distance Kvikkjokk-Saltoluokta is 73 km, count on needing 4 days. This is a varied tour in many ways. During summertime you will have to go by boat several times. The vegetation changes from old pine virgin forest to birch forest, bare mountain regions and down to the forest.
A tip is to stay one extra day in Aktse for a hike up to Skierfe and come on a boat tour in the Rapaätno delta, or to climb the holy mountain Nammatj.
More information: County Administration Board of Norrbotten
Muddus
In the national park there are fine hiking trails with four cabins and two tourist huts. Experience the virgin forest with its giant pines, the mosaic bog areas, the deep ravines with its interesting flora, the waterfall of Muddusjokk and the animal life. The easiest way to reach Muddus is to get off the road from the Ligga dam. From the end of the road in Skaite starts one hiking path towards the Muddus waterfall and Måskoskåså. The parks trail systems also connects from Solaure and Sarkavare.
The cabins are open all year round, but are not staffed.
More information: County Administration Board of Norrbotten
Nordkalottleden
The Nordkalottleden (the Arctic area of the Scandinavian countries) is a Scandinavian collaboration where they tie together already existing hiking trails in the mountains. The trail reaches over 800 km through the northern parts of Sweden (350 km), Norway (380 km) and Finland (70 km) and they pass the borders ten times. The trail starts and ends in Kvikkjokk in Sweden, and Sulitjelma and Kautokeino in Norway. On several places the trail overlaps parts of the Royal Trail and the Padjelanta trail.
Nordkalottleden is marked with cairns and signs, but you will need a map. The water levels can be high, especially in the beginning of the summer, which might force you to change the course.
The hiking on Nordkalottleden is tough; it is not for the inexperienced beginner. The distances between the cabins are often too long to fit in a normal day tour. This means you will have to bring your own tent. Nordkalottleden is partly not well visited, so it is not unique to walk for days without meeting anyone.
Rallarstigen
The trail between Gällivare and Porjus was a trail used by the Sámi people and settlers in the 1800th century. Through the middle of the 1900th century the first tourists came to see Porjus, Harsprånget and Stora Sjöfallet.
When the railway to Gällivare was ready 1888 the trail became a lively trafficked trail. 1891 the Swedish Tourist Association (STF) had a footbridge made for the trail, and it became the first hiking trail in Gällivare region. 14 years later a new footbridge was made and they called the trail Turistvägen (the Tourist road). The summer of 1910 the building of the water power plant in Porjus bgan. 1945 was the road between Gällivare and Porjus done, and with that the trail lost its importance as a road.
At the 12th of June 1994 the trail was re-inaugurated; a 44 km long wilderness trail goes through Stubba virgin forest and Muddus national park, which is now put in order with new footbridges over the bog lands.
How to get there: The outskirts of Porjus, road 45 towards Gällivare. There are information boards at the beginning of the trail.
