Helags

Helagsfjallet reaches 1,797 metres in Harjedalen, which makes it the highest mountain in Sweden south of the Arctic Circle, and on its northern face lies the southernmost glacier in the country - a small cirque glacier that has been retreating measurably for decades and is monitored for that reason. The Swedish Touring Club hut sits below the face at around a thousand metres, about twelve kilometres in from the road at Ljungdalen, and is the base for the ascent, which is a walk rather than a climb by the normal route though the ground is loose and exposed. Reindeer graze the surrounding fells. In spring the area is skied.

What you actually see

• 1,797 metres - the highest south of the Arctic Circle.
• Sweden's southernmost glacier - on the northern face, retreating.
• A touring club hut below - about twelve kilometres from the road.
• Reindeer on the surrounding fells - grazing through the summer.

When to go

July to September; March to April for skiing. Two to three days.

Honest expectations

The hut is twelve kilometres in - this is a walk-in, not a drive-to. Weather above the treeline changes fast. Huts must be booked in high season. Glacier ground should not be crossed without knowledge.

Nearby

Ljungdalen is the road end; Flatruet is south.