Hiking in Fjällnäs and Tänndalen

This is part three of four. You can read part one here, Part two here and part four here.

The first mountain trip went up on Malmag soap. It is a so-called gold tour, which are recommended trails that are particularly well maintained and signposted. In addition to the ones we describe in this post, there are seven more in the neighbourhood. You can read more about them and other trails in Funäsfjället. here.

The tour was 8 km and offered a nice mix of mountains, forest and beautiful small lakes. It was a bit hilly which gave a nice start to our hiking week. We took a shortcut through the forest right above the hotel to get to the trail but it was very wet and thorny so our recommendation is that you instead walk a few hundred metres south along the country road as you get directly onto the trail without any hassle.

At the top there was also a mountain hut where you can have a coffee break with a nice view.

Tour two was somewhat improvised as, due to the weather, we had planned to skip the hike and instead explore the surrounding villages. Strengthened by a 'bubble waffle', we suddenly got energy and inspiration to climb the Svanå cliffs which is just under a thousand metres high.

The tour starts by going up a fairly steep ski slope, followed by half a mile along the mountainside and ends with a climb up the cliff itself. Climbing is perhaps a strong choice of words as it is actually a regular hiking trail all the way up, but in 25 seconds of wind it was still a bit of a strain.

You can go the same way back once you reach the top but we instead followed the trail down to Svansjön and continued there along the water. A nice trip that mostly consists of mountains but also beautiful views of Svansjön and surrounding mountains. The trip was just over 9 km from the car park but then we also went a detour so count on about 8 km. This was also a golden trail.

One should always strive for new heights so the third day it was therefore a gold trail at Lillskarven. The trail offers in addition to the peak itself, an old ruin called Andersborg, old mining holes and a waffle hut.

You have two options from the mountain car park: Either you focus on the loop with the waffle hut which is about 6 km or you aim for the top which is the same loop with a detour of 2 km in total. The trail itself is very easy to hike and the only challenge is to accept the waffle prices. There are also plenty of rest stops along the trail so don't forget to bring a coffee.

As for the detour, it's a bit tougher as it takes you up to 1224 metres above sea level in a relatively short distance. However, the view from the top is well worth the effort so we can really recommend it.

On the last day of the hike, we were in disagreement about where to go because of the weather, but it was resolved in an excellent way. By chance, we were served breakfast by a mountain guide who told us that the most beautiful hike on the mountain goes to Lake Bolagen. When we had just got all the hiking gear in the car, we ran into one of the owners who provided us with both the key to their mountain cabin and the code to the toilet. At that moment we valued the toilet code, but it would turn out that the cabin was also a gold nugget.

The tour starts at the mountain car park just below Svansjökläppen and then goes along the mountainside almost all the way. With the exception of the last kilometre, the tour is very flat but you should stay a bit up on the mountain as it is very gentle closer to the lake. This had apparently been a golden tour before but because of the reindeer herding in the area they had to remove all markings and trails. However, it was no problem to find and it was really only the path down to the lake that was a bit tricky to find.

The landscape was stunningly beautiful. High snow-capped peaks, mountain lakes and not least a barren but green blanket in between. We also passed a reindeer herders cabin that looked very dramatic against the dark sky.

Then there was the weather. It started off with brilliant sunshine but we hadn't gone more than a kilometre when the rain clouds started to appear. It first started to drizzle but quickly turned into persistent rain and strong winds. When we were looking for the path down to the water, we were almost about to turn back as the weather was really not very nice.

When we were the most frozen and had just come over the last crest down to the lake, we saw the most cosy little mountain cabin imaginable. It is completely alone down by the lake and has an unreal view of the Norwegian and Swedish mountains. It was undeniably lucky that we didn't turn around, as we would have missed the best experience of the entire trip.

Once inside the cottage, you have a well-kept rustic interior with an old-fashioned wood stove, a well-equipped kitchen and about ten beds. Outside in the yard there is a sauna, boat and outhouse so there is really no need for the visitor. Since we were a little cold, we focused on getting some heat in the cabin and once it started to spread and lunch was served, the spirits of life began to return.

We stayed in the cabin for quite a while as it was so cosy but eventually we had to drag ourselves home. The weather really hadn't gotten any better but after this experience we were strengthened both in body and mind which made the trip back much easier. The tour is a total of 12 km from the mountain car park. As an alternative to this, you can take the rowing boat directly from the hotel and on the other side of the lake then walk straight across the mountain to the cabin. This tour is a little shorter but then you get a much steeper climb on the other side.