Explore Swedish Lapland
Around 7.15am every morning between June and August (exact times at w grandnordic.se), the Inlandsbanan sets out from Östersund on its fifteen-hour journey to Gällivare, north of the Arctic Circle. Just outside Östersund, the train crosses the Indalsälven River, one of Sweden’s greatest natural sources of power, the first sure sign that civilization is slowly being left behind and only the wilds of nature lie ahead. Indeed, it’s a good hour and a half before the train makes the first stop of any significance: Ulriksfors, the wayside halt for the small waterside town of Strömsund, which is the starting point for Route 342, the Wilderness Way (Vildmarksvägen), a circular road looping out towards the Norwegian border. The route passes through stunning scenery more than worthy of its name, rejoining the main Inlandsvägen in Vilhelmina which, in turn, is directly linked to Strömsund via the appealing little town of Dorotea.
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Strömsund and around
Strömsund and around
Built on a narrow isthmus of land between Russfjärden lake and the extensive Ströms Vattudal network of waterways that stretches to the northwest, STRÖMSUND is a shy and retiring sort of place. It consists of no more than a couple of parallel streets sporting the odd shop or two, and is of interest mainly as a centre for canoeing on the surrounding rivers and lakes. The tourist office can rent out canoes (around 200kr/day) and also provide information – walking routes, details of places to stay and maps – on the road known as the Wilderness Way, which starts here.
Stone age rock paintings
Strömsund’s other claim to fame is its proximity to the impressive Stone Age rock paintings (hällmålningar in Swedish) at Fångsjön, around 10km southeast along Route 345. The paintings, created by hunter-gatherers around 2500BC, were a plea to their gods for plentiful game.
- Vildmarksvägen: the Wilderness Way
