Kungsleden Kings Trail

All of our route was on real trail - no roadwalks - so there were only hikers on the trail. The trail itself included miles of boardwalk, some very rocky areas, and mostly well-worn dirt path. Many permanent bridges provided stream crossings.

Our section consisted of hiking up a long, open glacial valley, over Tjakta Pass, down another long valley, then turning east up over a pass to follow another long valley to the end. There was birch forest for the first and last few miles, but the rest was all open rocky tundra with sweeping views of mountains, waterfalls, and lakes.

There are red painted blazes, mostly on rocks, a few cairns, and a rare signpost with distances. The winter track is marked by tall metal posts with big red Xs on top for snowmobilers to see, and the summer hiking route is often near these.

Construction of the Kungsleden Trail by the Swedish Tourist Association began in the early 1900s and took 70 years to complete. The STF built the first mountain huts along the trail in 1907, near Abiskojávri and Kebnekaise. The trail was completed from Abisko to Kvikkjokk by the end of the 1920s. The trail was extended to Ammarnäs in the 1950s and to Hemavan in 1975.

The trail uses existing pathways used by indigenous peoples for centuries. Reindeer are raised along the trail, roaming freely on the tundra.