Sarek National Park

Sarek is the wildest place in Sweden and one of the last true wildernesses in Europe: a roadless park of nearly a hundred glaciers, sharp peaks and braided river deltas, with no marked trails, no huts and only two bridges away from its edges. It is a landscape for experienced, self-sufficient trekkers who can navigate, ford rivers and carry everything they need.

History

People arrived as the inland seas retreated some 8,000 years ago, nomadic hunters who were probably ancestors of the Sami; mountains were often sacred to them, and one of the most important sieidi, or places of worship, lay at the foot of Skierfe at the entrance to the Rapa valley. From the late 17th century the Sami turned from hunting reindeer to herding them, wintering on the plains and moving to summer pastures, mainly in Padjelanta, with Sarek used largely as a corridor. A silver mine at Alkavare was worked from 1672 but never made a profit and was abandoned in 1702. Carl Linnaeus was the first Swede to explore these mountains scientifically, in 1732, Charles Rabot made the first ascent of Sarektjåkkå in 1881, and Axel Hamberg studied the glaciers from 1895 until his death in 1931. Sarek was among the nine national parks Sweden created in May 1909, the first in Europe; the 1961 "Sarek peace" kept hydroelectric dams out of it, and in 1996 it became part of the Laponian Area World Heritage Site (Wikipedia, Sarek National Park).

Background

Sarek lies in Jokkmokk Municipality in Lapland and was established in 1909, among the oldest national parks in Europe. Roughly circular, about 50 km across, it borders the Stora Sjöfallet and Padjelanta national parks. Of the thirteen Swedish summits above 2,000 m, six lie within the park, including Sarektjåkkå, the second highest in the country, and it has about 200 mountains over 1,800 m, 82 of them named. The Rapa River delta, seen from the summit of Skierfe, is one of Europe's best known views. In the early 1900s the geographer Axel Hamberg built the Pårte research station here, with every piece of material carried in by porters.

Source: Wikipedia, "Sarek National Park"

What you'll find

• The Rapadalen delta - the braided river valley, one of the great sights of Lapland.
• Glaciers and peaks - the dense cluster of high mountains and ice.
• Trail-less wilderness - the raw, unmarked land itself.
• Wildlife - moose, reindeer and, rarely, the great predators of the north.

When to go

The short summer from July to September, the only realistic window, and even then the weather is harsh and the rivers high. It is not a destination for casual visitors in any season.

Before you go

This is genuine wilderness with no trails or huts and almost no bridges, so it is only for experienced, well-equipped trekkers who can navigate and ford rivers - it is dangerous for the unprepared. Weather is severe and help is far away. Most people admire it from viewpoints on its edge rather than entering.

Nearby

Kvikkjokk and Saltoluokta are the gateways; the Kungsleden trail skirts the park's eastern edge.

Key facts