Hello everyone!

I made a serious mistake planning my hiking vacation this year. I'm used to planning hikes in central Europe in early summer. I have experience hiking in Norway in July-August but completely disregarded during my booking that the Kungsleden is still basically closed in early June. So now I have a one month window in Sweden and no plans on what to do.

Do you have recommendations for trails that are more likely to be accessible in June? Or should I just bite the bullet and try to move my trip to July or August instead?

I'm planning to walk south to north from early/mid august to half september. I'm debating on the tent. The options I have is a trekking stick tent of 1.5 kg that is not free standing or a 2.1kg tent that is free standing.

Is there a benefit to a free standing tent on kungsleden? Or can I pick the lighter tent and be ok?

Hi all,

I am planning to hike the whole kungsleden this summer, but will probably start after mid-august. I want to go northbound to finish in Abisko. I have only been there in summer, until late August and temperatures were fine - I have looked up climate data and I think I will be fine even with my current gear if I finish after mid-september, too. It's been crazy how fast the temperatures increase the past few years.

However I've found that most huts on the northern part are closed in september. I want to camp mostly, but can I still buy food? Do some huts stay open as self-service with some food available? Are the huts closed because the conditions are worse, or is it just because summer holiday has ended and there are less people?

It will probably be quieter as well. I will hike alone but do enjoy meeting people on the trail. Has someone does this in this season, and can tell me a bit more about how it is? Like there is a difference between seeing 10 people every day, one person every day, or one person every 10 days...

Hi guys, in August I’m going to walk across the whole kungsleden. Anyone tried to send a package of food somewhere along it? I’m worried about the re-supply after the first week.

Furthermore, starting from Abisko, there’s a place where buy gas canister?

Thank you so much!

I’m planning on hiking the kungsleden sobo towards the end of June… just a couple of questions if anyone has the answers.

How has the snow been this year? Do you think I’ll encounter any snowpack?

Secondly I am planning of using trail runners what do you think of this idea so early in the season?

Sorry if this has been asked before. Everything I read about the Kungsleden says that most people hike North to South. But, lots of advice seems to recommend hiking South to North for concrete reasons (sun at your back, best scenery at the end).

So, what's the advantage of North to South that makes most people hike that direction?

I'm most interested in the Northern section e.g. Abisko to Vakkotavare.

In the absence of a dedicated sub for it, I wonder if anyone here has experience of the Sörmlandsleden and knows whether you need a guide book? I ask as there doesn’t seem to be one. I’m looking into both at the moment, and it’s sounding a lot easier than Kungsleden but seems odd to go on a multi-day trip with no analogue info. Thanks in advance

Sweden doesn't allow meals to be brought in from other countries, so is there somewhere in Abisko that sells meals ? I know there's food available to buy at the stugas but traveling on my own will mean I will buy and have to carry anyway as I won't be able to eat a full bag of pasta in one night ! Or do the stugas sell dehydrated meals ? Thanks in advance for your help :)

Trying to see if is doable to do kungsleden with my splitboard and getting some good descents. Everything i see is nordic touring and very few alpine skies.

I am looking at hiking the section from Kvikkjokk to Abisko.

I will be flying in from Dublin - what would be the most affordable method of getting in there?

I was also thinking of flying out of Tromso Norway - because its quite cheap and it seems faster to get there than down to Stockholm. Thoughts?

Hello!

I will be doing the Kungesleden from Hemavan to Abisko in early August.
I´m just doing my initial research. Wich websites or apps have you used to plan ur hike?

Any special tips for that time of the year? I want to wild camp everynight. Still figuring out, how im going to do with the food.

Also, I´ve heard about some detours that are really worthy. Do you recommend any?

Thanks in advance!

Hi

I'm thinking of walking from Alesjaure to Vistas, but I'm not sure which of the trails is best. There are apparently two trails from Alesjaure. Any experiences - good advice?

Hi!

• If interested, here's a video ft. Slow travel, film photography, and 280km of the Kungsleden.
• If you've any questions about the logistics to reach the trail, or the photography things, feel free to ask!

https://youtu.be/IfOgjQ671eg?si=2uM_jYMSl4f3m5wZ

Hi all,

I'm planning to do the whole hike from mid August - mid September. Just have a couple of planning questions.

Parking - Is there anywhere in Abisko I can park and leave the car while I hike? I read somewhere that the train station has a parking lot but I can't see any more information on it.

Dogs - Long shot, but does anyone know if the transport, bus from Vakkotavare to Kebnats and motor boats in general allow dogs?

Hiya,

I am planning to do the Kungsleden in Late july to mid august.
As the Kungsleden passes the Kebnekaise I really wanted to take a day to hike to the highest mountain of sweden.

I will be taking the west route as this is the easiest and that's where the Kungsleden is. Now my question that I can't find really a lot about is: Would microspikes be sufficient, do I need them and are crampons a neccesity.

Obviously as I am hiking the Kungsleden I don't want any extra weight.
Thanks!

Since beginning our studies, I and two of my univ. classmates have dreamed of doing Kungsleden to celebrate our graduation. We are all moving back to our home countries and would like to have a memorable ending to our time in Sweden. However, it turns out that due to internships and other obligations we can only hike June 1st ~ June 12th.

The cabins open June 14th this year and I hear that snow and melt can be quite big problems in early June.

On an average year, would waterproof boots and show shoes allow us to still enjoy our time this early in the season or are better of finding another hike? Would the southern leg have noticeably better conditions than the northern one?

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I have been lurking quite a bit in this subreddit and so far, I feel like few non-UL hikers seem to be represented. What saddens me is the judgemental tone in some posts when people don't have the most expensive, UL gear.

However, according to friends of mine who have hiked this trail before, this does not correctly represent the hiking populus on Kungsleden at all: There are said to be a lot of young people with cheaper, heavier, second-hand gear, bigger packs, and less care about living as simply as possible on trail to make a few km more a day. So before you off on me, know I won't be the only one with sub-optimal pack weight. The hike should still be doable.

I'm planning on hiking Kungsleden this year from mid August to September. As a beginner hiker and frugal student, I'm not just looking at the weight of each purchase but also its price point. Everything needs to be multi-purpose, long-lasting and especially usable for future travels that aren't just long-distance hiking. Seeing my pack list next to some of these incredible lighterpack lists is very discouraging. https://lighterpack.com/r/ik8rw5

I guess what I am asking is: Is there anyone out there who has hiked with a heavier pack and not regretted it? How do you approach the planning? What do you prioritize in terms of weight and cost?

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Hi guys, I'm planning to do the full Kungsleden in mid Augusut (12 to Sept 1) but I'm struggling on logistic stuff. I need you support.

I plan to reach Abisko from Stockholm with the night train (does anyone know how much it cost and when the sales will open)?

From Abisko I plan to walk till Hemavan and I'm trying to figure out how to return to Stockholm Airport from there. As per my understanding there's a bus (number 31) from Hemavan to Umea, and the train from Umea to the airport, is it correct? Do you know where I can find prices and hours to plan my trail?

Thank you all!

Hello! Doing the Abisko to Nikkaluotka hike later this year. When I arrive in Nikkaluotka, what is the quickest way back to Abisko? Is there transportation available? Thanks in advance!

I'm hesitating between doing the Kungsleden (probably Abisko-Nikkaluokta ) in August or the West Highland Way in May. This would be my first multi-day hike. I've been camping since I was a kid and love hiking (i'm up for a challenge, but still want something accessible where you can take the time to observe your surrondings and not always be out of breath). From my research, both the Kungsleden and the WHW are good for beginners and are safe for solo travelers.
I understand that the Kungsleden is more remote/isolated than the WHW where you pass hotels and villages everyday (Is that still fun if you want to be in nature?). But, the WHW offers more food options/accommodations along the way, which means you don't need to carry as much food in your backpack as you do on the Kungsleden.
Which one would you recommend? Thank you!

This late July / early August, I'm looking to hike three weeks on the trail (southbound) and would like to travel to Abisko by night train from Stockholm. From what I've heard so far, that is probably going to be the busiest season on the trail, so the trains will probably be fully booked as well. How far in advance can you usually book a spot? I've checked the sj.se website for a couple of weeks and currently the farthest in the future would be early June. So is four months the limit or is there a specific date when spots become available?
Tack så mycket!

Hello! I am new to backpacking and I am trying to decide which my first backpack should be. I am a tall guy and I'd like the most comfortable option since I plan to hike the first part of the Kungsleden this year.
I see the Osprey gets recommended by a lot of gear websites, but Kajka is very popular in here too but I can't find as many reviews. Which one would you recommend?

Hi guys, I’m planning on hiking Vakkotavare-Abisko (northbound) in September and I’ve got a couple of questions about the huts. Would be great if you could give me some info.

1. I assume there are no showers since there is no running water. So how is the washing situation?
2. The website speaks of dry rooms. What are those. Will they dry wet shoes in a night? Can’t really imagine but would be great!
3. The site tells you to call ahead for a boat ride but how can we do this without cell coverage? Can the huts call each other?
4. What are the cooking facilities? Do I need to bring oil for cooking?

Thought of question 5: we plan to walk this in 6 hiking days. Is this realistic?

General question about gear 😅 how do I keep my goretex trail runners dry when walking through snow or rain. They don’t seem to stay dry, even after washing and treating them properly.

Thanks! Will probably think of more questions later 😇

Hello, I love to hike but, sadly, I have developed vertigo when hiking at elevation on exposed, steep mountainside trails. Has anyone with fear of heights hiked Kungsleden? I have watched many Kungsleden hike videos that do not show high exposed trails, but I would greatly appreciate hearing from someone with vertigo who has hiked it. Thanks!

Hi guys,

I'm planning on walking the Kungsleden on summer 2024 but I've read on multiple sites that it takes a month to complete.

I am well trained and I usually walk a lot (30km/day is an average walk for me), for example I walked the West highland way in Scotland in 5 days and half (154 km) with a huge backpack (15 kg), so I don't understand why every site keeps saying that.

It doesn't add up, to walk 440 km with 25 km/day you need around 18 days. What am I missing? Is the path extremely difficult with rough terrain and a lot of altitude difference?

Thanks

Planning a trip for next year, I want to do 16-18 days over in sweden doing this hike pretty much straight away then relaxing for the last couple days.

Hoping to end of august - early sept, I did some research and it says about food and the mountain hits close in September any more info helps and I want to do these dates to hopefully see northern lights (I missed them in Iceland) any info on why these dates are good and or bad is great advice.

I’m curious on how long it would actually take, I’ve set myself around 12 days as I want to enjoy it.

What sort of equipment would be a good extra/ mandatory I should be bringing for it. Also is it just better experience in general to camp the nights (with my buddy) or should we pay for those huts or even just do a mix and experience both?

Also any general advice for this hike that would help and the whole transport is weird in September and I cant find loads on it from google at the moment ill keep looking, any tips and information would be greatly appreciated!

Heya, I am planning on doing Kungsleden in early august.

I had some questions hopefully someone could answer :)

• I was wondering what temperature it would be?
• Are there a lot of mosquitos?
• Can I buy dehydrated meals anywhere?
• What the lightest but best full trail-map is?

Thanks in advance!

Hi! If interested, here are 123 photos:

https://www.barrisonford.com/kungsleden-hike

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• Berlin - Stockholm night train
• Stockholm - Abisko night train
• Abisko - Jäkkvik hiking
• Jäkkvik - Arjeplog - Jörn - Stockholm - Malmo - Berlin

I made the trip in July this year but only uploaded the pics yesterday. This community was very helpful as I was preparing so I figured there'd be no harm in sharing some pics from the journey. If it's a problem, feel free to delete! I asked for permission btw.

https://preview.redd.it/dd126mawxdwb1.jpg?width=4500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=324fd709f56237e98f593d58738888b0802f6fe8

https://preview.redd.it/ysbtyhfgxdwb1.jpg?width=4500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2c6d7c2aff7f2eade4f530a9f3e32f29e987c103

https://preview.redd.it/rp46offgxdwb1.jpg?width=4500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f54f7663c2cbef19af34737412737d05d3760ff3

I’m starting to plan our hike from Nikkaluotka to Abisko for next summer. I know the weather can vary year to year. I don’t mind snow but would like to avoid postholing. Would I need microspikes at the pass? I’d also like to avoid extremely muddy conditions right after the snow melts. I am trying to decide when to hike. Last week of June is the earliest I can start and middle of July is the latest. What would you recommend?

PS. Because of various reasons, we cannot do the hike in August/September.