HIKING
8 amazing viewpoints – for bon vivants and adventurers There are plenty of mountains to climb in Swedish Lapland. We’ve chosen eight peaks at very different levels, figuratively and literally speaking. You can basically drive a car up to the top of Luppio, but Kebnekaise — Sweden’s highest mountain — takes a bit more effort. What they have in common is an amazing view. Welcome to the top!
Dundret Dundret is located in Gällivare, an easy peak to reach for those who wish to discover and experience alpine nature. Walkers, bikers and runners share the landscape with plants and animals. With its 820 metres above sea level, Dundret reaches high above the treeline. From the top you can see the midnight sun for an entire month, from the 5th of June to the 11th of July, weather permitting. Then you can also see Sarek and Kebnekaise from the top. Out of the 200 plants found on Dundret 30 are true mountain species, such as alpine catchfly, Lapland lousewort, blue heath and pincushion plant. Dundret is a nature reserve.
directions: Dundret is located immediately south-west of the town Gällivare. Roads leading off route E45 take you to the reserve.
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Photo: Daniel Olausson/Mediateles
Pältsa
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Pältsan, or Pältsa, is Sweden’s northernmost alpine mountain, located by the Norwegian border in northern Lapland, west of the Three-Country Cairn. Pältsa has three peaks and the middle peak is the tallest: 1,444 metres above sea level. It’s very flat on top and consists mostly of a boulder-filled field, but the sides are more or less steep. The northernmost peak is 1,267 metres high and the southernmost 1,404 metres above sea level. The massif rises nearly 900 metres above the valley to the east. The southernmost peak is a Nunatak and rose above the ice during the latest ice age. This means it’s a very sharp peak and its west face is the only way you can get up without climbing equipment. South of the massif lies the Pältsa cabin, Sweden’s northernmost STF mountain cabin. Several hiking trails pass this area. The Three-Country Cairn is around 14 kilometres north-east of the Pältsa cabin.
directions: The easiest way of getting here in summer is via Norway and the valley Signaldalen (Gappo cabin 11 km), or from Kilpisjärvi on a beautiful boat tour for the first kilometres. From the Pältsa cabin it’s about 8.5 kilometres one-way to the highest point of the southernmost peak.
The mountain Luppio is known for its beautiful restaurant, and perhaps also from the TV-series the Sauna Ballet, a story about men from the Torney Valley who were taught ballet in the sauna. There’s a road up to the Uteblick restaurant, open in summer. Luppio is 193 metres above sea level and treats visitors to a lovely view of large parts of the Torne Valley.
directions: Signposts from route 99 just south
of Övertorneå.
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Photo: Restaurang Utbilck/Fredrik Broman
Luppio
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