When the wind picked up, I felt cold all the way through. My body was full of fear and adrenaline. It was my first time skiing, and I felt like I couldn’t handle it. The ski areas at Hovfjallet Ski Lodge made me feel scared. But for many sports fans, it’s a dream come true. When my husband and I started to climb the mountain, my blood started to boil. It made my palms sweat because I was so scared! I did it, though, and I was glad the day was over! You can read this to find out about my first time skiing!
In Torsby, you can walk up a mountain to see Hovfjallet, which is both a nature reserve and a ski resort on the other side. If you love skiing, this is a great place to visit. If you come here in the summer, you can also enjoy the trails on the other side of Hovfjallet in the nature reserve! As the days got warmer, we went out on the trails with our dogs by our sides and our packs on. That view is stunning! They have a place to rest that was built in the 1930s!
If you’re a nature lover like me, then you will enjoy the wonderful hikes within Varmland county. Check it out here!
Things to do at Hovfjallet
The ski trails at Hovfjallet Ski Resort are fun, and there are different levels of difficulty. This is the southernmost mountain in Sweden. It’s a nice place to spend the winter. The whole family can enjoy a trip to this lovely spot, where they can ski, do other fun things, or hike in the nature reserve, depending on the time of year.
Skiing at Hovfjallet Ski Resort
If you’re wanting lessons, they have private lessons, or you can join the ski school. Learn more at Hovfjallet Ski School. If you’re planning on venturing to Hovfjallet with a big group, email at tommy@hovfjallet.se or call the reception 0560-31300, 5 days prior to your arrival there so they can make sure they have the right sizes for all the gear for your group. This is for a group of 20 or more that want to learn how to ski.
Hovfjallet Ski Resort
Ride a Snowmobile
Ride a snowmobile through the snowy woods! You can see more in less time on their snowmobile safari. The tour can last anywhere from 1.5 hours to a whole day. A tour comes with insurance, a guide, shoes, a helmet, gas, and overalls for your snowmobile. Check out Snowmobile Safari to learn more about the prices.
Hike Hovfjallet Nature Reserve
During the warmer months, you can start hiking on the trails that start in this part of Hovfjallet. You can get lost in the nature reserve as you walk along the trails that wind through the trees. Some of the trees in this Nature Reserve are more than 200 years old! What a wonderful sight it was!
Map of Hiking Trails
There is a board under the Hovfjallet sign that tells you more about the trails. It tells you how hard and how long each trail is. Off the trails, there are a lot of places to have a picnic, and there’s even an outhouse with a heart on the door. An orange line shows the way to each trail, and there is a map of the trails below the sign for the Hovfjallet Nature Reserve. On the wooden signs along the trails and at the start of each trail, there is a symbol that represents that trail.
Torprundan
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 3.7 km/2.3 miles Roundtrip
Duration: Approx. 1 hour
To my surprise, this trail got me to the torp (little house) very quickly. It got a little steep at first. But this path was a little easier and shorter than the others. As I looked at the old, small house, the sun was shining down. It was on a well-kept grassy area in the middle of a forest. There is a picnic table nearby where you can sit and eat outside in the sun. There is a map and some information about the house on the side. This is a great building to see if you like history or old things.
Torprundan House
Björnåsrundan
Difficulty: Difficult
Distance: 9 km/5.6 miles Roundtrip
Duration: Approx. 2.5 hours
As you walk along the winding, up-and-down path, you’ll notice how beautiful nature is. When you get away from your busy life, it feels great and calm. There are some steep parts on the trail, and there are many man-made bridges that help when it rains. Be careful as you climb because roots or loose rocks could pop out of the ground.
Hiking Trails Signs
Råkullsrundan
Difficulty: Difficult
Distance: 8 km/5 miles Roundtrip
Duration: Approx. 2.5 hours
As we follow the man-made bridges over the wetlands, the trail goes back and forth between them. It was nice and flat at first. But then we start to hike up through trees that look like they’re going to swallow you up. Pay attention to your feet! There are a lot of roots that stick out or muddy spots on the path. As you go up this trail, some parts get pretty steep. This trail links up with the Torprundan and Hovfjallsrundan trails. That means you can change trails if you want to!
Råkullsrundan Trail
This trail has a clear, beautiful view at the top when you reach the halfway point. It has a view of a lake that sparkles in the sun. The hike is well worth it because the view is so beautiful. There is an outhouse near this trail, as well as places to rest and grill.
Viewpoint
Hovfjällsrundan
Difficulty: Difficult
Distance: 12 km/7.5 miles Roundtrip
Duration: Approx. 3.5 hours
This is the hardest of the four because it is the longest. You will be fine with this one, though, if you can handle Råkullsrundan. I pushed on with my weights packed in my gear. This was part of our train- ing. We were going on a big hike soon, so we chose to practice on trails close to our house with weights in the bags. It got cold, and since we were in the middle of a forest, there wasn’t much sunlight to keep us warm. But each step warmed me up. The path’s turns and twists made me start to sweat. I had to take big steps up stones or sneak my way between rocks sometimes. But I always find it amazing to be this close to nature.
Stoney and rooted trail
Best Gear for the Activity
Make sure you have the right gear if you want to go in the winter. The same is true if you want to go hiking when it’s warmer outside. I think you should wear a nice waterproof coat with gloves, a warm hat, and snow pants. When you go outside in the snow, you need good boots! So, Meindl boots are what I wear these days. In the spring and summer, don’t forget to bring a water bottle and maybe a school bag. Check out hiking gadgets. You can see the gear I use on hikes there!
Bathhouse in Torsby
You might want to take it easy after a long day of skiing or hiking. The best place to do that is in a bathhouse! TorsbyBadet, which means “The Torsby Bath,” is what this is. Take it easy as you relax here and enjoy the warm water. There are 4 swimming areas, a whirlpool cave, and a ramp for people who need it. You can choose between a public sauna or saunas for people of the same gender. There is also a splash pool for kids. It’s possible that you need a massage if you feel weak all over. This place lets you do that, as well as get facials, see a chiropractor, and use a gym. TorsbyBadet is their website that you can look at.
Lake in Hovfjallet
Fishing in the Hovfjallet Area
Maybe fishing peaks your interest. There are some great spots in the Hovfjallet area. Just stop by the Torsby Tourist office, call, or email to learn more. Torsby Turustbyrå, phone 0560-160 50, turist@torsby.se
Places to Stay in Hovfjallet Ski Lodge
There are cottages at the Hovfjallet ski lodge that you can rent if you want to stay there. It ranges from cottages with three bedrooms to ones with ten! This cottage has high vaulted ceilings and lovely windows that let you enjoy the view. Some of them have a sauna, a sleeping loft, and a stove that burns wood. There are three different places to stay, and all of them are close to the Hovfjallet ski lodge. You can also camp in a caravan if that’s more your style. Read here to find out more!
Eat Delicious Food at the Restaurant or Grill out!
A nice log cabin with a great view is at the top, where you can eat or just sit back and enjoy a coffee. You can drink a cold beer at the pub in this wooden cottage, or you can just come to the music events. Their website shows when they’re open. To find out more, go to the Ski Lodge Restaurant.
Hovfjallet Grill Spot
There are places where you can grill out on nice, sunny days or while skiing in the winter. In the grill area next to the main office, you can use wood to make your own fire. That’s also where the bathrooms are! From here, you can see skiers going down the hill. You could also hike to the top and enjoy the view! There are places on the hiking trails where you can build a fire and cook something. There are also nice places to have a picnic!
Where is it located?
This nice getaway ski lodge/nature reserve is in Torsby. This is a town in Värmland county, the county known for its nature. This tiny town has around 4,000 locals and a lot of wilderness! The world’s longest ski tunnel is actually in this town.
How to Get There
There are a few different ways to get to Hovfjallet. You can rent a car and drive, or you can use the public transportation. It would take about 11 hours to get from Stockholm to Torsby using their public transportation system. After that, you’d need to find a bus from Torsby that goes to Hovfjallet. To get to this place, it would be easier to rent a car. Look it up on Google to see what you can do.
Then, once you get to Torsby, you’ll need to take a bus to get to Hovfjallet. Varmland Trafik will tell you when the local buses are running.
If you rent a car and you’re coming from Stockholm, it would take around 5 hours to get there. Take E20 N and head towards E 20/ E 4 Helsingborg/Göteborg. Merge onto E 18/E 20. Stay right and follow signs for E 18 towards Oslo. Keep on E 18. Now, Stay right and follow the signs for Route 61/ Route 62 towards Kongsvinger/Arvika. Continue on this. Then take the E 45 ramp towards Mora/Sunne, and stay on E 45. Then you’re there!nnIt’s best to use Google for directions. Check out Google here.
Hikes in Värmland
Hovfjallet is yet another beautiful place in the nature-filled Varmland County. If you love the outdoors, this is a great area to see in any season! If you’re in Varmland County and you want to venture into the wilderness more, check out hikes in Varmland.
Hiking in Sweden
Or if you’ve never hiked in Sweden before, check out Hiking in Sweden. This will give you a lot of information about hiking in Sweden and more! You can find some of the best trails on this page.
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