The Kungsleden trail
Kungsleden, in English the King's Trail, between Abisko and Hemavan is one of the world’s most famous hiking trails, and possibly the best one. The path is more than 450 kilometres long, and was established by Svenska Turistföreningen at the beginning of the 20th century. It has since then been visited by hikers from all over the world.
The Kungsleden stretches through a diverse landscape in the Lapland mountain region. The trail dramatically shifts along the way between alpine terrain and lower areas with mountain birch forests. Hiking along the Kungsleden takes you through lush mountain heaths bordered by lakes and towering, dramatic peaks, and you’ll also pass several small mountain villages.
Kungsleden passes through four national parks: Abisko, Stora Sjöfallet, Sarek, and Pieljekaise. The trail is well marked, and bridges have been placed where it would otherwise be difficult to cross the rushing waterways.
STF maintains no fewer than 16 mountain cabins along the Kungsleden. The cabins are spaced between 10 and 20 kilometers apart. Between Kvikkjokk and Ammarnäs, there are no STF cabins, but other limited accommodations are available.
The most common starting or ending points for a Kungsleden hike are Abisko, Vakkotavare, Saltoluokta, Kvikkjokk, Ammarnäs, or Hemavan. If you start in Nikkaluokta, however, it will take two days of hiking before you actually reach the Kungsleden.
Reindeer herding is practiced in this area, thank you for showing consideration!
Learn more about how to avoid disturbing the reindeer.
A selection of accommodations along Kungsleden
Book multiple accommodations at the same time
If you want to book multiple accommodations in one booking, the easiest way to do it is by opening each accommodation in separate tabs in your web browser. Then, choose the dates for each accommodation, the number of people, and proceed until you see that your accommodation has been added to the cart. All your selections are saved in the same cart, even if you are working in different tabs. When you are ready to pay, proceed to payment in any of the tabs, and all your selections will be included. Your selections are saved for a total of 30 minutes.
Stages of Kungsleden
Map of Kungsleden
Navigate past map or other external content.This map is a planning tool and should not replace a physical map and compass. The service “Naturkartan” (opens in new tab) is operated by a company called “Outdoor map”. Please note that trail information is owned and updated by the respective trail administrator (e.g. municipality or county administrative board).
Short facts
STF Locations
STF Abisko Turiststation
STF Ammarnäs Wärdshus
STF Hemavan Mountain station
STF Kebnekaise Mountain station
STF Kvikkjokk Mountain station
STF Ritsem
STF Saltoluokta Mountain station
STFs Mountain cabins
Film
Virtual flight along Kungsleden in Google Maps (opens in new tab)
Recommended reading and links
More pages about hiking
Hiking
The amazing thing about hiking in Sweden is that there is always more to discover.
STF’s Signature Trails
To make it easier for your next hike, we’ve selected some of Sweden’s most spectacular trails – we call them signature trails.
Mountain guide
Which peaks are the highest? What should I keep in mind if I encounter reindeer? What is it like to stay at a mountain station?