Kungsleden
SELive- 473
- km
- 27
- stages
- +8 523
- m ascent
- −8 434
- m descent
Stages, times and the profile follow the direction you pick.
Difficulty
Hard
avg +316 m/day · 17.5 km/day · 46 km without an overnight · hardest day +817 m
Derived from distance and ascent, not terrain grade — not a SAC or T-scale rating.
Kungsleden runs south through Swedish Lapland, from the birch woods at Abisko across open tundra and high passes to Hemavan. The northern half is the classic: a chain of Svenska Turistföreningen huts a short day apart, over Tjäktjapasset — the highest point of the trail, at about 1,150 m — and past the Kebnekaise massif. Between Vakkotavare and Saltoluokta a bus and a boat carry you across; further south, at Teusajaure, Aktse and other lakes, you take a hut boat or row yourself. South of Kvikkjokk the trail is quieter and wilder, with longer days, fewer huts and stretches where the night is in a small village. Midsummer light, reindeer and wide valleys are the reward; weather, bogs and river crossings are the work.
Your own day-by-day draft. The stages below are the trail's published ones; your plan is set by the days you have.
Places along the way
Overnight network: moderate
46km
Longest stretch with no mapped overnight
km 248–294
46 overnight places
19 huts · 19 shelters · 6 lean-tos · +2 other
+1 more within 2 km off route
Next longest: km 97–132 · 35 km
No mapped overnight here — carry water and food through.
Statistics
- 1 137
- m highest
- 302
- m lowest
- +8 523
- m ascent
- −8 434
- m descent
- 17.5
- km/day
- 27
- stages
Hardest stage Aigert Fjällstuga → Serve Fjällstuga +817 m
Stages
27-stage division of Kungsleden (Abisko → Hemavan, OSM superroute 1657661 without the Kebnekaise/Nikkaluokta side trip) on the 2026-10-24 line; nights at the STF huts and, where the line has none, the villages (Vuonatjviken, Jäkkvik, Adolfström, Ammarnäs); owner A 2026-10-24 · updated 2026-10-24
Good to know
- Route
- Abisko → Hemavan
- Season
- Late June–September
- Daylight
- 24 h 00 mid-June · 12 h 59 mid-September
- Waymarking
- Red-painted cairns and marks (summer route)
- Managed by
- Svenska Turistföreningen (STF) huts; Länsstyrelsen
- Overnight: the STF huts are staffed in season (usually mid-June to late September; dates differ per hut — check STF before you go), paid, with self-catering kitchens and some shops; outside the season a small emergency room may stay open. South of Kvikkjokk there are long stretches without huts — carry a tent. Camping is allowed under the Swedish right of public access (allemansrätten), away from the huts and with care.
- Lakes: hut boats run on timetables in summer (Teusajaure, Saltoluokta, Aktse and others); where you row yourself, always leave one boat on each shore — which can mean rowing across three times. Crossings are cancelled in strong wind.
- Getting through the middle: between Vakkotavare and Kebnats there is a bus, and a boat across Langas to Saltoluokta. The route follows the road there; most people ride.
- Terrain: mostly good paths and boardwalks, with bogs, boulder fields and river crossings on bridges or by wading; Tjäktjapasset can hold snow into July. Expect mosquitoes from late June and fast-changing weather above the tree line.
- Getting there and out: Abisko and Abisko Turiststation are on the Kiruna–Narvik railway; Hemavan has buses and an airport. Kvikkjokk, Jäkkvik and Ammarnäs have road access for shorter sections.
Route & elevation: OSM relation 1657661 (Kungsleden, Abisko → Hemavan; Kebnekaise/Nikkaluokta side trip 17085816-9 left out) + Copernicus GLO-30, 2026-10-24 · imported 2026-10-24
Elevation figures · full-res GPX, 10 m threshold
© OpenStreetMap contributors · Terrain: © Copernicus DEM GLO-30
Plan your nights on Kungsleden.
The planner lays out your days by where the roofs on the trail are, and shows where you need another option.