Kungsleden from Hemavan to Ammarnäs

The southern section in brief

Kungsleden, the King's Trail, is around 450 km long and runs between Abisko in the north and Hemavan in the south. Hemavan is a mountain village in Västerbotten, in northern Sweden. From here, the first section of Kungsleden runs 78 km from Hemavan to Ammarnäs, through the Vindelfjällen nature reserve.

The section is divided into six stages. The first five end at a mountain hut run by the Swedish Tourist Association (Svenska Turistföreningen, STF), the sixth in the village of Ammarnäs. The trail alternates between mountain birch forest and open, treeless fell.

Stage by stage

Distances are rounded and times are a guide; weather and fitness matter more.

1. 1Hemavan – Viterskalet10–11 kmAbout 3–5 hours. Easy walking.
2. 2Viterskalet – Syter12 kmAbout 3–4 hours. Through the Syterskalet valley.
3. 3Syter – Tärnasjö14 kmAbout 4–5 hours. The bridges over Lake Tärnasjön.
4. 4Tärnasjö – Serve14 kmAbout 4–5 hours. Highest point about 900 m above sea level.
5. 5Serve – Aigert19 kmAbout 5–7 hours. The longest, and demanding.
6. 6Aigert – Ammarnäsabout 8 kmAbout 2–4 hours. Down to the Vindelälven river.
7. Hemavan – Ammarnäs78 kmSix hiking days, around a week.

1. Hemavan – Viterskalet. An easy start past the ski area and onto the open fell. For a shorter first day, start at Klippen, about 9 km from Viterskalet.

2. Viterskalet – Syter. Through Syterskalet, a U-shaped valley between high peaks, with a wind shelter on the way. Experienced hikers can take an alternative route over Norra Sytertoppen, the highest point in Västerbotten county – see Sytertoppen.

3. Syter – Tärnasjö. Steeply down through birch forest to the southern end of Lake Tärnasjön, a small archipelago you cross on seven bridges, then along the lake to the Tärnasjö hut.

4. Tärnasjö – Serve. A long climb, then birch forest, open fell and some bog, with a high point of around 900 metres above sea level. Serve has no shop, so buy food at Tärnasjö for the night at Serve and the next stage.

5. Serve – Aigert. The longest stage, which the County Administrative Board (Länsstyrelsen) considers demanding in both summer and winter. Be rested, carry food and wait for good weather if you can.

6. Aigert – Ammarnäs. A moderate day on an easy path, ending at the bridge over the Vindelälven river in Ammarnäs.

When to hike

Allow around a week, or six hiking days with one stage a day – and preferably a spare day to sit out bad weather or rest before the long stage to Aigert.

You usually cannot hike from Hemavan until after Midsummer (late June) at the earliest, and some years snow lies on into July. The STF huts are normally open from around Midsummer until mid or late September; the exact dates are set each year. Most hikers come in late July and early September. Warm weather brings mosquitoes; in September snow can come early and nights are cold.

Huts and camping

The five huts – Viterskalet, Syter, Tärnasjö, Serve and Aigert – have a warden in season, a shared kitchen and a drying room, but no electricity or running water. You fetch water, light the wood stove and use an outdoor toilet.

• Shops: Viterskalet, Tärnasjö and Aigert. Syter and Serve have none.
• Sauna: Tärnasjö and Aigert.
• Booking: beds can be booked with STF and can be fully booked.
• Bedding: duvet and pillow are provided. Bring a bottom sheet and pillowcase, plus a duvet cover, sleeping-bag liner or sleeping bag.
• Payment: card payment does not always work because of poor coverage, so bring cash in Swedish kronor.

You may camp along the trail if you follow the nature reserve's regulations; STF recommends pitching at least 150 metres from the huts, and using a hut's kitchen or drying room costs a service fee. When the huts are closed, each has an open safety room for emergencies only.

Dogs are welcome but should be kept on a lead; from 1 March to 20 August they must not run loose. The huts have a few dog rooms.

What to pack

The trail is largely easy walking, but it runs far from roads and mobile coverage. On a hut-to-hut hike your rucksack should ideally weigh no more than about 10–14 kg.

• Layers and a shell for rain and wind – the weather can turn within an hour, even in July.
• Broken-in boots and blister plasters.
• Map and compass – and the skills to use them. Markings disappear quickly in fog.
• Head torch and power bank – the huts have no electricity.
• Sheet and pillowcase, cash and food for the nights at Syter and Serve. According to STF you can take water from the streams along the trail.

The trail runs through reindeer grazing land. Walk around herds rather than straight through them, and keep your distance. Tell someone where you are going and when you expect to arrive. In an emergency call 112. Emergency telephones at several huts and shelters connect directly to the police, but not everywhere – there is none at Aigert.

No week? Day hike to Viterskalet

The first stage works well as a day hike. From naturum Vindelfjällen, the nature reserve's visitor centre in Hemavan, it is about 10–11 km to the Viterskalet hut – roughly 3–5 hours each way, just over 20 km there and back, on easy, clearly marked trail. The hut has a shop.

On the way back down, on a clear day, the view reaches Artfjället and the Okstindan glaciers in Norway. Turn back if fog or strong wind sets in. For more day hikes, see hiking in Hemavan.

Kungsleden in winter

In winter you can ski Kungsleden from Hemavan. The huts normally have a winter season from late February to the turn of April and May. The trail is marked with red crosses on poles, is not groomed and can take a different line from the summer trail, so follow the crosses.

According to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (Naturvårdsverket), avalanche risk is generally low on marked winter trails but rises quickly if you leave them. Check the avalanche forecast and the weather before you go.

Starting in Hemavan

The trail starts at naturum Vindelfjällen in Hemavan, where there is parking for many cars. For several days' parking, check the conditions with naturum. Arriving by air or bus, sleep in the village the night before. Hemavan's airport is in the middle of the village – see getting here and accommodation in Hemavan.

Getting back from Ammarnäs

From Ammarnäs a bus runs to Sorsele, then on to Storuman, and from there a bus back to Hemavan. There are several changes and few departures. Plan your return before you start and check times with the regional bus operator, Länstrafiken.

You can also walk the section the other way and finish in Hemavan.

Onwards to Abisko

The whole of Kungsleden, around 450 km, takes about a month. Hemavan–Ammarnäs is its southern beginning – you can hike it on its own or as the first part of a longer journey north.