The village
Tärnaby is the neighbouring village to Hemavan, 20 km south-east along the E12 road, at the foot of the Laxfjället mountain and on the shore of Lake Gäutan. It belongs to Storuman Municipality in Västerbotten County, northern Sweden, at about 65°43′ north – a little over 10 km further south than Hemavan.
By population, Tärnaby is the larger of the two villages (Statistics Sweden, 2023). It has the cottage hospital and health centre for the whole area, a grocery shop and hotels with restaurants. The villages are close enough that you can stay in one and ski, hike or have dinner in the other.
Stay in Tärnaby
Hotels, cabins and apartments at the foot of Laxfjället.
The search is made on Booking.com.
Skiing
The slopes on Laxfjället, directly above the village, are run by Tärnaby Alpint. According to the company there are 13 runs and five lifts, including the Linbanan chairlift. There are two floodlit children's areas with button lifts, a snow park with jumps, boxes and rails, ski rental and a ski school for children and adults.
From the top of Linbanan, the highest point of the ski area, a run goes from the bare fell through the birch forest down to Tärnaby Sporthotell. Anjabacken runs all the way from the top of the Anjaliften lift towards Lake Gäutan, and Ingemarbacken is wide and undulating and used for race training. In between there is everything from children's slopes to long family runs. On some evenings during the school holidays there is evening skiing.
Rental is at the ski shop by Anjaliften, below Tärnaby Fjällhotell. You can hire alpine skis, snowboards, cross-country skis, ski touring equipment, pulks and snowshoes. Tärnaby usually opens early and stays open into May, though not all lifts run early and late in the season.
The lift pass is valid in both Tärnaby and Hemavan, so you can stay in one village and ski in both. Hemavan has the larger ski area – see skiing in Hemavan.
Cross-country skiing
Floodlit trails and a longer daylight trail start from the Vikmyra ski stadium. From Ängesdalslia, towards Hemavan, a longer daylight trail runs down to Tärnaby and Vikmyra – so you can ski from the fell down to the village.
Hiking and fishing in summer
In summer, hiking trails lead up Laxfjället, with views over the village and the lakes. Ryfjället is a steeper hike, and along the Tärnaån river the Tärnaleden trail runs towards Solberg. About 40 km west of the village lies Atoklimpen. For more hikes in the area, see hiking.
The Tärnaån river is protected from hydropower development, and according to the municipality, Tärnaforsen is the only unharnessed drop on the Ume River. Tärnaån has its own fishing rules: you need a separate fishing permit, parts of the river are reserved for fly fishing, and worm fishing is not allowed. In the mountain lakes around the village you mainly fish for trout and Arctic char.
Skiing tradition
Tourism in Tärnaby goes back a long way. The Swedish Tourist Association (STF) opened a tourist station here in 1927, and the ski club was founded the year after. In the 1960s the Ume River was developed for hydropower: lakes were regulated and farms flooded.
Tärnaby has produced world champions in alpine skiing, and the tradition lives on at Tärnaby Alpina Gymnasium, a ski upper secondary school. Its students follow a regular national programme combined with alpine ski training on Laxfjället, within a nationally approved sports programme (known in Swedish as NIU). The school is run by Södra Lapplands gymnasieförbund, a joint school board of the municipalities of Storuman and Vilhelmina.
Where to stay in Tärnaby
The ski slopes lie on Laxfjället, above the village. Along the foot of the mountain, from Anjabacken in the east to Linbanan in the west, there are hotels, cabins and apartments close to the slopes.
- Tärnaby Fjällhotell – hotel rooms, apartments and hostel beds, 50–100 metres from Anjaliften, with a restaurant and sauna.
- Tärnaby Sporthotell – hotel with full and half board, cabins and camping at the western end of the village, next to Linbanan, the cross-country trails and the snowmobile trail.
- Cabins and apartments with their own kitchen, several near Anjabacken and Linbanan – good for families and groups staying a week.
- Tärnaby Camping lies by the Tärnaån river, close to the lakes.
New Year and the Swedish school winter and Easter holidays are high season in Tärnaby too, so book early. Search for places to stay under accommodation.
Getting to Tärnaby
Tärnaby lies on the E12, known as Blå vägen (the Blue Road), between Storuman and Hemavan. The nearest airport is Hemavan Tärnaby Airport, about 20 km away, with flights to and from Stockholm Arlanda; from there you continue by taxi or hire car. The bus from Umeå runs via Lycksele and Storuman and stops in both Tärnaby and Hemavan. If you drive in winter, expect snow and darkness along the E12. See getting here.
Hemavan or Tärnaby?
Both. Hemavan has the larger ski area with a 665-metre vertical drop, the gondola, the airport and the start of Kungsleden, the King's Trail. Tärnaby has its own slopes and trails, the lakes and the cottage hospital.
- Choose Hemavan if you want the most slopes, plan to walk Kungsleden or are flying in.
- Choose Tärnaby if you want a quieter stay near a smaller ski area, or want to be close to the Tärnaån river and the lakes.
More information
These links go to other organisations' own websites. Opening hours, prices, trails and fishing rules change. Check before you travel.