Muddus National Park

Muddus, or Muttos in Lule Sami, covers about five hundred square kilometres of forest and bog between Jokkmokk and Gallivare and forms part of the Laponia World Heritage area. It is lowland rather than mountain: old pine forest, some of the trees over seven hundred years old, enormous mires, and the Muddusjokk river which has cut a gorge over a hundred metres deep with a waterfall of about forty metres at Muddusfallet. Bears use the park and there is a long bird list including whooper swan and a range of forest species. Trails run from Skaite with shelters and huts, over ground that is wet for much of its length.

Background

The park was founded in 1942 and enlarged in 1948, and today covers 493.4 square kilometres, most of it within Gällivare Municipality in the province of Lapland. Its ground mixes old-growth forest of large trees with wide bogs and deep ravines between the rocks. Sweden's oldest known pine grows here, estimated at no less than 710 years, since it was found to have survived a forest fire in 1413. Research on 75 separate sample plots showed that fires had passed through the five different forest types of the park.

Source: Wikipedia, "Muddus National Park"

What you'll find

• Pines over seven hundred years old - in unlogged forest.
• A gorge over a hundred metres deep - cut by the Muddusjokk.
• Muddusfallet - a fall of about forty metres.
• Enormous mires - crossed on boardwalk where possible.

When to go

July to September. A full day or overnight.

Before you go

Ground is wet and boardwalks do not cover everything. Mosquitoes are severe in July. Parts close in spring for breeding birds. Distances between shelters are long.

Nearby

Stora Sjofallet is west; Jokkmokk and Ajtte are south.

Key facts