Etapp 18 - Rävfallet to Ammarnäs
At 21 kilometres, this section is about average but starts, after crossing the river at Rävfallet, with a steep uphill climb to reach the plateau, which takes up most of your hike. The downhill at the end gets very steep into Ammarnäs as you're crossing a ski slope. The final section from the bottom of the trail into the centre of Ammarnäs is on tarmac roads.
Trail Information
Distance: 21km
Difficulty: Medium. Decent trails and a lot of flats, but a few steep climbs.
Transport: None
Resupply: None
Accommodation & Shopping
Rävfallsstugan
A simple but large hut in the forest with drop toilets, a woodshed and a location very close to the impressive Rävfalls. Not far from Ammarnäs, it is a good position for weekend hikes and part of the King's Trail. A large fire pit sits outside, and the cabin can be rented from either Ammarnäs Livs or Adolfström.
Stabburet
A new wilderness shelter on the top of one of the hills facing a small lake. It has a good interior and a new drop toilet.
Näsbergs
A wind shelter with a drop toilet and fire pit overlooking a lake—a short distance outside of Ammarnäs.
Sights
Rävfalls
A large waterfall with a bridge crossing. Impressive enough, they named a cabin after it.
Side Trails
Quite a few run across Kungsleden as you reach the bottom of the final descent, so keep an eye on the trail you are following to avoid getting sidetracked.
The Experience
Day 21 - 8th:
Rävfallsstugan is a good sized cabin, rentable through Ammarnäs Livs or Adolfström. Just past it is the waterfall Rävfalls. A suspension bridge crosses it before you do a steep climb through a birch forest. Even an hour into the climb, you are not above the tree-line, though it is getting sparser. Eventually, you break out to the hilltops, walking on the long flat planes with the occasional up and down.
I met four people along this section of the trail, all heading away from Ammarnäs. One couple were putting Kungsleden to shame by hiking the Green Ribbon, a 1332km trek. They were seven weeks into the trail and had over 400 kilometres remaining. They both enjoyed my carved staff idea, and I once again recommended my camera clip.
A few kilometres past where I stopped for lunch and a few kilometres before I planned to stop for the night was Stabburet, a new wild shelter with a small airlock style door and a newly built drop toilet. Whilst STF doesn't serve this section, it's slowly building up its own locations for overnighting. Distances are deceiving in the hills. I saw the hut and thought It was just down the valley from where I stood and up the other side. It turns out it was at least three valley climbs away.
I walked another few kilometres further before reaching the large lake I'd intended to stop at, given there was no water before. As it was a lake, I used my filter to purify the water, as at this stage, I had become trusting of the flowing water's safety, but still water, even in a large lake, is suspect.
The spot was lovely, and if it had been a little warmer, I'd have gone for a swim.
As I unpacked, I discovered that I had miscounted and didn't have tea for the evening or coffee for the morning. It was going to be a tough final stretch into Ammarnäs.
Approx 18km
Total 333km (80%)
Day 22 - 9th:
9 am start to the day, to tackle the final six kilometres into Ammarnäs. The walk went by quickly. The trail is good, though there was a lot of wind. Just off the main trail, before you start the descent, there is a wind shelter called Näsbergs, with a drop toilet, fire pit and a lovely lake view.
The final descent is very steel as the hill is a ski slope in winter, and you pass under several chair lifts. The footing is uneven and uncertain, and it cuts across the ski-slope several times as you trek downwards. At the summit, there are some benches to take in the view and a wind-shelter if you wanted to stay overlooking the town, but it is more for ski season BBQing.
At the bottom, you reach Ammarnäs Fritidcentre.
Approx: 10km
Total: 343km (Book 339/364) 82%