Dag Hammarskjöldsleden route in Northern Sweden

Arctic_Alex · Sep 18, 2022

I am not sure if this belongs here and if people are interested in hearing about quite different pilgrimage routes. But there is this route which is called Dag Hammarskjöldsleden, a 105 km long and rather modern pilgrimage route in the mountains of the far north of Sweden.
The path runs from Nikkaluokta to Abisko close to the border to Norway (or the other way, whatever is preferred) and totally avoids any roads suitable for vehicles. This is an area where you only find footpaths and cabins, at some of which you can restock your provisions. Except the starting and endpoint there are no bars, no cafes, no restaurants except one larger mountain cabin that houses a restaurant.
The path follows to large extend part of the Kungsleden, the King's trail and connects several meditation sites, each of them with different character.
I have been on this path many times as friends of mine live exactly at one of the two endpoints (Nikkaluokta). As I am visiting them right now I thought, why not mention this quite different pilgrimage route on here
I will attach two images taken just 150 metres from where I am writing these lines.

Eugene Carroll · Sep 19, 2022

Arctic_Alex said:
I am not sure if this belongs here and if people are interested in hearing about quite different pilgrimage routes. But there is this route which is called Dag Hammarskjöldsleden, a 105 km long and rather modern pilgrimage route in the mountains of the far north of Sweden.
The path runs from Nikkaluokta to Abisko close to the border to Norway (or the other way, whatever is preferred) and totally avoids any roads suitable for vehicles. This is an area where you only find footpaths and cabins, at some of which you can restock your provisions. Except the starting and endpoint there are no bars, no cafes, no restaurants except one larger mountain cabin that houses a restaurant.
The path follows to large extend part of the Kungsleden, the King's trail and connects several meditation sites, each of them with different character.
I have been on this path many times as friends of mine live exactly at one of the two endpoints (Nikkaluokta). As I am visiting them right now I thought, why not mention this quite different pilgrimage route on here
I will attach two images taken just 150 metres from where I am writing these lines.

Eugene Carroll · Sep 19, 2022

Hi, yes very interested in this route which I hope to walk in May/June next year. Any posts about your experience would be very helpful

Arctic_Alex · Sep 19, 2022

Eugene Carroll said:
Hi, yes very interested in this route which I hope to walk in May/June next year. Any posts about your experience would be very helpful

Well one thing I need to mention first is, that May/June (if this means you want to start in May and finish in June) is too early for this part of Kungsleden – unless you want to turn it into a serious challenge for the very experienced mountain hiker.
Keep in mind that people are still doing this route on skis in April. None of the cabins along the way will be open before June 16th, for good reasons: The melting season is tricky: depending on the year, it will be an unpredictable blend of soft snow fields, very wet bog and flooded terrain. At the Tjäktja pass you might still encounter deep snow or plain ice, depending on timing and variations in annual weather. Also, during spring, snow, ice and water might damage or even destroy some of the bridges along the way, others might be taken away by helicopter to avoid damage, only to be reinstalled in June. This varies a bit from year to year. But while during winter you ca use natural snow bridges, in May these will not hold your weight any longer.

Of course in 2023 it could be an early spring, or you might have all the time you want and you are happy to camp in your tent for a week as you cannot do a certain section yet or are willing to do detours when the terrain is impassable. But unless you really know what you are doing, I do not recommend starting before mid-June. However, that is also when the mosquitos awaken ;-)

On this path there is the risk that weather dictates you to run around all year round, but starting too early means really asking for it.

Arctic_Alex · Sep 20, 2022

So here we go: My morning stroll today was actually the first 14 kilometres of the Dag Hammarskjöldsleden to the first meditation site – and back again. So I can add some images for entertainment ;-)
As it is off-season now, I hardly met a single soul on the path.
I will post the images in chronological order. So you can see the path starts rather broad and easy going, becoming more rocky and narrow later. Overall this first stretch ist by far the easiest bit of the way and the least exposed. Soon after, it climbs a bit higher above the tree line where it remains for almost the whole way.
This is around 200 km north of the Arctic Circle and early morning temperatures were around -2°C or 28 F.
As I posted images of the starting point and the chapel nearby earlier, I will not repost those here.

Anna Sar · Sep 21, 2022

I already love this route. Thank you for sharing. One day...!

Eugene Carroll · Sep 21, 2022

Arctic_Alex said:
So here we go: My morning stroll today was actually the first 14 kilometres of the Dag Hammarskjöldsleden to the first meditation site – and back again. So I can add some images for entertainment ;-)
As it is off-season now, I hardly met a single soul on the path.
I will post the images in chronological order. So you can see the path starts rather broad and easy going, becoming more rocky and narrow later. Overall this first stretch ist by far the easiest bit of the way and the least exposed. Soon after, it climbs a bit higher above the tree line where it remains for almost the whole way.
This is around 200 km north of the Arctic Circle and early morning temperatures were around -2°C or 28 F.
As I posted images of the starting point and the chapel nearby earlier, I will not repost those here.

Wow, looks amazing. Your posts have already helped me plan and think about this route. I will walk it with my son (we both have a few Caminos under our belts). Now looking at the end of August as a possible, good time to walk. Thanks again

Tgoldhill · Nov 7, 2024

Hello, I am thinking of walking the Via Francigena del Sud from Rome to Santa Maria di Leuca in April/May 2025. Has anyone walked this route? What is it like and how are the accommodations. Are...

Dag Hammarskjöldsleden route in Northern Sweden

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