Kungsleden – Day 6: From Rävfallsstugan to Ammarnäs

While the four Swedes load their luggage onto a four-wheeler and set off for Ammarnäs with a small backpack, we take stock of our equipment. Miraculously, everything is still there. We were a little worried that we might have lost something in the chaos.

Our tent, on the other hand, is currently unusable. Two of the three poles are broken and several segments are deformed. Well, we can replace the poles. Two of the three tunnels through which the poles pass have small holes, but fortunately these do not affect the waterproofing of the outer tent. We will be able to patch that somehow. We conclude that we probably got off lightly.

Last stop Ammarnäs – the dream of completing Kungsleden is over

We briefly consider continuing the Kungsleden from Ammarnäs as a hut-to-hut tour. It would be possible, but we decide against it because it would limit our options. We like spending the night in cabins, but it’s just as important for us to be able to camp spontaneously in great places along the way.

And so we set off in the direction of Ammarnäs. We choose the direct route through the Vindelälven valley, which leads to the village without any elevation gain. We don’t feel like climbing the ridge again this morning, even though it would certainly be the nicer route.

Two-thirds of today’s route is on a gravel road that looks the same for miles. We are bored and our feet soon start to hurt. The Vindelälven river is a paradise for fishermen and we see many cars with fishermen coming towards us. We are happy when we finally arrive at the Wärdshus in Ammarnäs and get a small cabin for the night, despite the coronavirus restrictions.

STF Ammarnäs Wärdshus Hotel and Youth Hostel
Wärdshus is beautifully situated in the middle of the small village of Ammarnäs with a view of the lake. Here you can camp, stay in simple shared rooms or in hotel standard accommodation. The restaurant serves breakfast and dinner in the high season. If you want to explore the village, you can rent bikes for free.
Beds: 51-75 in 18 rooms
Store: Yes
Sauna: No
Payment: Cash or by card
Restaurant: Breakfast and dinner in high season
Further info: WIFI, electricity and hot showers, no washing machine, www.swedishtouristassociation.com

Traditional Sami singing rounds off this year’s Kungsleden adventure

After freshening up a bit, we enjoy an excellent dinner in the hotel restaurant. The evening is rounded off by the sudden appearance of the Sami waitress, who sings a joik for us. This is a traditional Sami song that consists of sounds rather than words. She sings about the warmth of the sun as she personally feels it. We are touched by this performance and grateful that we can end this year’s section of the Kungsleden Trail in such a unique way!

Epilogue

Since we now had some unexpected vacation time, we stayed an extra day in Ammarnäs and drove from there via Umeå back to the camper. With this we spontaneously headed for the parking lot near the Aktse cabin and were able to make a three-day cabin tour to the mountain Skierffe, from where we could admire the impressive Rapadalen. On our way back south, we even stopped at Hilleberg in Östersund to have our tent repaired. But that’s another story!

If you want to read more about the section from Ammarnäs to Hemavan, you can do so in our article about the 9th section of our Norge på langs tour: In 2022 we hiked from Hemavan to Kvikkjokk and finally got to know the last part of the Kungsleden!

Rävfallsstugan   

Latitude: 66° 05' 43"

Longitude: 16° 07' 08"

Description

The cabin has a large open room with a kitchen, two seating areas and a bunk bed. Two further rooms with an additional 12 beds are locked. About 100 meters from the cabin there is a sauna right by the river.

Ammarnäs   

Latitude: 65° 57' 37"

Longitude: 16° 12' 44"

Description

Ammarnäs has several places to stay and a supermarket. We choose the Wärdshus.