Hiking Varmland is an Essential Way to Experience Sweden

The sun radiated the land with a glow. Hiking Varmland left me feeling warm all the way down to my toes. Many people passed by with smiles and the flowers surrounding us were in bloom. This area engulfed us in the nature’s beauty. That’s when I realized I had fallen in love with hiking Varmland, my hubby’s homeland in Sweden. This was the beginning of our years living in Sweden. Now, it’s going on 3 years of being consumed by forests and in walking distance to a couple of lakes. All my stress leaves me once I begin walking through the forests. Since I have a dog, we have several walks a day through our backyard forest. It’s such a great way to leave stress behind and enjoy life with the fresh air and the sound of chirping birds.

Fun Facts about Värmland:

  • This area is filled with nature and is why many come to visit. 87% of Värmland is forest.
  • There are 10,000 lakes scattered throughout this part of Sweden.
  • Sweden’s longest river Klarälven, runs in the middle of this province. It streams into one of Europe’s largest lakes, Vänern (which lies near Karlstad, a city).
  • Lake Vänern has 22,000 islands in it and it feels more like a sea than a lake.

Hiking Varmland, a Province in Sweden

Hiking Varmland can vary. If you want to have an easy walk, there are loads of those spread out in the area that can last to an hour or up to a whole day. If you want to challenge yourself, there are trails that can last for days and others that can be pretty steep. The animals that are in the area range from deer, moose, elk, wild boar to wolverines, lynx, wolves, and bears. The predatory animals will rarely bother humans. But it’s pretty common to see deer and moose. Check out Vandringsleder.se for more information.

Sweden is known for its weather changing pretty quickly, so be prepared for it. If you’re wanting to start hiking Varmland, It’s always best to check out the weather before you start heading out and bring a compass or a gps device with you. Check out hiking in Sweden to learn more about Swedish weather.

1. Gettjärnsklätten- Outside of Sunne

Difficulty: Easy-Moderate- Distance: 1 km- 3.3 km (.6- 2 mi.) – Duration: Approx. 30 min.-2 hours- Coordinates: 59.9000° N, 12.9500° E, (Outside of Sunne)- Transport: Rent a car to get to it

Trails for gettjärnsklätten in Sunne
Hiking Varmland trails in Gettjärnsklätten

The trail goes 200 meters up high from the parking area. The map above is in Swedish, so I will translate so you can understand and be able to use the map.

Translation for Map:

  • Naturstig- Nature path
  • Reservatets Parkering- Reserved Parking
  • Djupdalsbäcken- Deep valley creek
  • Sandnäs- A name of a place
  • Getnäs- A name of a place
  • Utsikt- View
  • Vandringsleder- Trails
  • Naturreservat- Nature reserve

There are several different paths as you can see on the map. It really depends on where you want to start your journey from and how long you want it to be. It can be 1 km to 3.3 km long, and it’s best to rent a vehicle to get there and back. You can rent a vehicle if you click here. The terrain isn’t too difficult and the trails are marked. Once you get to the top, there’s a beautiful view where you get to look over the area. The trails don’t loop and it’s best to have a day pack with you and a water bottle.

My go to daypack has always been Osprey. Since I began my traveling adventures in 2012, I’ve used Osprey backpacks. They’re built to be durable and many of them include a waterproof cover, which is really helpful. The only downside I found is that the 24L size one that I have doesn’t have a clip on the spot where I put my water bottle. So I’ve gone through several water bottles with mine falling out as I toss it around when I’m traveling. Whoops!

View at Gettjärnsklätten
View on top of Gettjärnsklätten

Check out the daypack here!

Our Hike up to the View

It took us about 30 min to 45 minutes to get up the 1 km (.6 mi.) steep hike. I felt like I was huffing and puffing for dear life! This was a practice hike for us before we ventured to Norway for our hiking trip. My body was out of practice, but once we made it to the top, the view reminded me why I enjoy hiking. The breeze helped cool me down and just as soon as my body felt overused, it went away. Seeing that view, I felt alive!

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2. Hiking Varmland in Kil around Lake Södra Hyn

Difficulty: Easy- Distance: 12.9 Km (8 mi.) – Duration: Approx. 3.5 hours – Coordinates: 59.4809° N, 13.3960° E (Outside of Kil) – Transport: Rent a car to get here

This area while hiking Varmland, is relatively easy and there are parts where you walk through pastures. Be wary, a part of the hike you walk through high grass, so it’s best to have long pants on since they usually have stinging nettles! As you follow this path, you’ll get to walk alongside the river Klarälven. Spring time here is filled with blooming flowers and luscious green grass. All the markings on the path are orange, so they stick out. This trail loops around and stays fairly easy the whole way.

Map of hiking Varmland trail
Trail around Södra Hyn

Check out Walking in Värmland. It’s a great guide book for hikes in Värmland in detail and it’s in English. That’s always a plus! It has 22 routes and helpful maps in it. The photo above is from the book. This is what we have used for some of our hikes in this area. It has been a great help!

Pathway hiking Varmland
Södra Hyn in Kil

Watery Hiking Varmland in the Fall Time

Our journey on this trail became a hectic mess. First off, we decided to go on this adventure on a day where the snow was melting… So we ended up enduring several puddles on the paths. It took away from the trail. But, we plan on trying it again in springtime. It will be a great time to see all the flowers and life in this beautiful spot!

3. Hiking Varmland Around Lake Vågsjörna in Munkfors

Difficulty: Easy- Distance: 7 Km (4.3 mi.) – Duration: Approx. 2.5 hours – pic. Of trail- Coordinates: 59° 48.554 N, 13° 34.244 E (In Munkors) – Transport: Rent a car to get here

Map
Trail around lake Vågsjörna

This trail is well marked and is a great place for a picnic or a swim when the weather allows it. The path loops around and is easy to walk. The green/white marked path will lead you to a jetty and go through Swedish forests. There are parts of the trail where you’ll get to see the makeshift paths swedes made so hikers can take the paths easily.

Common Swedish red house
Swedish Summer House

In Sweden, it’s hard NOT to see any of their traditional red houses. On this trail, you get to see one of their red houses. They began using this paint to help preserve the wooden cottages. It originally came from copper mines in Dalarna. This began as early as the 16th century and now, has become more of a tradition. Don’t forget to grab a good water bottle for hiking Varmland! No matter where you hike, it’s always good to go prepared. If you feel unsure about the trail, take a gps with you and bring a friend. Something that I’ve found is a helpful thing to have is a bandana. It can help you on cold days or it can help stop your hair from getting in your face. So versatile!

Sign
Sundsbergsleden Sign

The Town Sunne in Sweden!

This is one of the hikes in the town that I live in! It’s a joy to have nature surrounding you, and this is one of the best places to be engulfed by nature. There are several different trails here and they’re nicely marked. These trails can start near Selma spa. They have signs up to tell you more about the trails. There are parts of the path where you go into forests and feel like you’re not near any towns. These loop trails give you the feeling of the town along with a taste of the wilderness. If you plan on hiking during rainy season be sure to bring a rain jacket. I recommend a marmot rainjacket. They’re durable and can last for years. I’ve had mine for about 5 years and it’s still working great! Plus, they have several colors you can choose from.

Sundbergs trail
Sundbergsleden pathway and me

Go to Varmlandsleder to download a map of this trail.

If you have any questions about this area, you can reach help here.

Sunne Tourism: turist@sunne.se  +46 (0)565 164 00

5. Brattfallet and Halgaleden

Difficulty: Difficult – Distance: 6.8 Km (4.3 mi.) – Duration: Approx. 4 hours – Coordinates: N 60° 17.624 E 13° 28.092 (North of Ekshärad)- Transport: Rent a car to get here

If you want to see a waterfall, this is the trail for you. The water splashes down on red rocks which give it a unique look. This trail opens May 15th, and it resides in Hagfors. The path is well marked and to see the waterfall at its best, go in the spring or winter time. You can download the map here for the trail. Hiking Varmland can have any hike that you want. It’s just you need to know where to find them.

Since this trail is harder than the others, don’t forget to have durable boots on. I highly recommend waterproof Salomon boots. Mine have lasted for years and recently, I’ve been having problems with them being waterproof. But they survived longer than I had expected. It was actually my hubby that made me realize how important your shoes are when it comes to hiking out in nature! Never again will I use crappy $20 shoes. I tried that once, I walked them to their death! It was so hot and the trail I was on lasted around a whole day. My shoes melted! The next day, I had to walk out of that canyon with melted bottoms on my shoes, what a hike!

Waterfall
Brattfallet and Halgaleden

If you have any questions or need help, you can reach Hagfors community.

Contact

Hagfors-Ekshärad tourist information: turist@hagfors.se 

Telephone: +46 (0)563 187 50

Värmland Information:

Check out Hiking in Sweden if you want to learn more about the country and the things that are offered in nature. There are great places where you can hunt for berries or mushrooms. Sweden even has a law, where people have a right to roam nature. You can learn more about these things in the article Hiking in Sweden.

Hiking Sweden

If you like hiking in Värmland, then check out Hovfjället Nature Reserve. It’s a beautiful place with some great hiking trails near Torsby! You can learn more here. This is a place you can enjoy in all seasons since it has Hovfjället Ski Resort in this area. Here, you can ski, ride snowmobiles, and other activities. Check out more about Hovfjället. Plus, you can learn more about hiking trails in Värmland on the page, Hiking in Sweden.

Good to Have:

Varmland Info.

One Day Walks

Helpful guide (in Swedish): 

Sunne.se

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Misfit Wanders

The Lost Little Dragon
The Lost Little Dragon

About Me

Misfit Wanders

Misfit Wanders

I´m a kooky girl that likes to travel. I grew up in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA. Then moved to Northern California for about 5 years. But now, it's going on 5 years living in Sweden with my hubby and our furbabies, plus our little boy and my mom has joined our crew! Over the pandemic time, it has been hard to travel. Thus, my travel blog had been at a stand still. I started going to a University and I had a baby. Now I'm on a different kind of adventure. But my family and I plan on traveling when we can still. Traveling is something I cherish. New adventures is what keeps me moving, that and a stubbornness. I have a weird sense of humor if you haven´t figured that out from my posts. My writing can be perplexing, but I like to tell stories, and the best way is from my own experiences. So sit back and relax, as you take a spin through my hikes or enjoy following my footsteps as I wander in different countries! Most of my writings will be focused on hikes and the outdoors in Sweden.

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