All activities / Trekking / Hiking / Abisko
Trekking / Hiking in Abisko
A tiny settlement on Lake Tornetrask in Swedish Lapland, 200 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, wrapped around Abisko National Park and the U-shaped Lapporten valley. It is the northern trailhead of the Kungsleden, the King's Trail, and one of the most reliable places on earth to see the northern lights.
Why here
Abisko is the great northern gateway to the Kungsleden, the King's Trail, and the finest long-distance walking in Sweden. The classic and most scenic stretch runs 107 kilometres from Abisko south to Nikkaluokta at the foot of Kebnekaise, chosen by the Swedish Tourist Association as one of its Signature Trails: seven staffed mountain huts spaced a day apart, a route over the Tjaktja pass and along broad glacial valleys through the Abisko and Vadvetjakka national parks. You walk from birch forest into open fell, past reindeer, glacial rivers and the U-shaped Lapporten valley that frames every photo of the region. The trail is built for self-guided hikers, waymarked and hut to hut, so you carry a light pack and sleep warm, or camp freely under Sweden's right of public access. Above Abisko the land runs to the Norwegian border and the turquoise Trollsjon lake, some of the clearest water in the country, and in the long light of July and August the sun barely sets. This is the true Swedish Arctic, wild and walkable at once.
Best months
The Kungsleden hiking season is short, roughly late June to mid-September, once the snow has cleared the passes and the huts are staffed; July and August bring the midnight sun and the most settled weather but also the mosquitoes, while early September brings autumn colour and colder nights. Rivers run high after snowmelt, some crossings use boats or bridges, and weather on the exposed fell can turn cold and wet in any month, so full waterproofs and warm layers are needed year-round. Snow lingers on the Tjaktja pass into early summer.
Getting there & around
Abisko is easy to reach for an Arctic trailhead: the Abisko Turiststation and Abisko Ostra stations sit on the main line, with direct night trains from Stockholm and a short hop from Kiruna airport, and the E10 runs through. Most walkers start at the Abisko Turiststation and finish at Nikkaluokta, where a bus runs to Kiruna. The trail is free to walk and camp; the seven huts on the Abisko to Nikkaluokta stretch are first come, first served and cash-light, so carry a membership card and book longer guided walks ahead. Give the full stretch five to seven days.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate, advanced
Schools & guides (2)
Abisko Mountain Lodge
OutfitterAbisko Mountain Lodge sits about two kilometres west of Abisko National Park and the Kungsleden trailhead, at the edge of the Lapporten valley. The lodge runs guided summer hikes, including the walk to the turquoise Trollsjon lake, plus ski touring, heli-skiing and northern lights outings through the long winter. Its Brasserie Fjallkoket serves a Coast to Coast tasting menu, and rooms and cabins put walkers within reach of both the trail and the Abisko aurora.
Swedish Tourist Association
ClubThe Swedish Tourist Association, Svenska Turistforeningen, was founded in 1885 and runs the huts of the Kungsleden. It operates sixteen mountain cabins spaced a day's walk apart along the King's Trail plus the Abisko Turiststation trailhead, staffing the Abiskojaure, Alesjaure, Tjaktja, Salka and Singi cabins on the Abisko to Nikkaluokta stretch and running daily guided walks into Abisko National Park. The non-profit club has served Swedish fell walkers for over a century.