About Abisko

Abisko, "the forest at the great water", is a small (75 squarekilometers) national parc, founded 1910, south of the lake Torneträsk in the north of Sweden. Nearest town is Kiruna. Abisko is north of the arctic circle, and the midnight sun is seen from top of the mountain Njulla (1169m) between 27 May to 18 July. In the parc is the mountain birch forest dominating. At a few places, mainly along the river Abiskojåkkå, do pine grow. These are remnants from the time when the climate was warmer. In the valley is the river Abiskojåkkå, shortly before it flow into Torneträsk, in a 20 meter deep canyon. The delta is a bird protection area, entrance forbidden 1 May to 31 July. The slopes of Slåttatjåkka and Njulla are botanically interesting, a tour along the brook Ridonjira on Njulla is recommended. One can take a chair lift in one direction and then walk the other. Abisko is a dry (300 mm per year) and sunny place, since the clouds from Atlantic is stopped by the mountains in the west.	Golf in Björkliden Abisko Turist halt Torneträsk Abisko Tourist Station The self service kitchen Towards Abisko Östra Abisko Östra Entry point to Kungsleden
Abisko is easily reached, the road and railway between Kiruna and Narvik pass through the parc. There are daily bus and train connections with Kiruna. In Kiruna is also an airport. The Abisko tourist station (operated by the swedish tourist federation) is close to the railway station Abisko Turist. It offers all kinds of lodging, hotel, self service, and camping place. The restaurant is good and have a nice view over Torneträsk. Here you can eat breakfast, lunch, dinner, and have a glass of wine in the evening. Abisko Turist is one of the endpoints of Kungsleden, the other one is Hemavan 400 km south. The part Abisko - Nikkaluokta is the most popular part of Kungsleden. There is also an exhibition describing the parc, guided tours are possible. Other places with lodging is in Björkliden (8 km west), Abisko Östra (4km east), and Riksgränsen at the border to Norway. In Björkliden is a 9-hole golf course. To my knowledge the most northern golf course in the world. I do not play golf myself, but from I friend that do, have I got the photos of the golf course in Björkliden. Björkliden offers some of the largest caves in Sweden. Abisko Östra is a small village with a rather well equipped shop. Be aware of that the minor halts mentioned on the railway may or may not exist any longer. Things change with time. Between Abisko Turist and Abisko Östra is a bio- and geoscience research station.
Lapporten southeast of Abisko, is a well known view, reproduced by many artists. It is a U-shaped valley, sculptured by the inlancd ice. There is a track from Abisko Turist (10km). The track is easy. Nissunvagge is another U-shaped valley, south of Lapporten. In the northern part is a 50 meter deep canyon. As to Lapporten is there an easy track to it. The mountains around the valleys are about 1700 meters high. The view of Lapporten is seen from all around the area. If one wants to make a longer tour through these valleys then tent is required, there are no huts nearby.
Yet another U-shaped valley is Kärkevagge, west of Björkliden. Kärkevagge means the "The stone valley", the name reflects the large amount of large stones in the bottom of the valley. These were put there by the melting inland ice. The valley ends with the lake Rissajaure, surrounded with steep mountain slopes. The depth of the lake is about 30m, the bottom is said be seen due to the clear water. The valley is otherwise dominated by meadows. Kärkevagge is reached from the Låktatjåkka halt, a 5 km walk (oneway).
The rain that do not fall in Abisko, fall in Vadvetjåkka. Vadvetjåkka is a small (25 squarekilometers) national parc northwest of Torneträsk. The average yearly precipitation is 1700 mm. The parc is of botanical interest and have some caves. You must be an experienced cave crawler to visit them. There is 10 km track to the parc from the Kopparåsen railway halt, or 7 km from the hut in Pålnoviken. There are no huts in the parc itself, i.e. tent is required. The parc is dominated by low mountains, the highest is 1248m, the delta Tjuonaluoppal, and is surrounded with brooks that can be difficult to ford.
The railway Luleå - Kiruna - Narvik was built around 1900 to transport the ore from the ore fields in Kiruna, to the harbour in Luleå, and the ice-free harbour in Narvik. It was a hard work to build the railway and many died. They are burried in Tornehamn grave yard, a beautiful and peaceful place. Tornehamn was the "capital" during the construction of the part Kiruna - Narvik. Tornehamn is three kilometers west of Björkliden, one can walk that distance or take the train to the halt.
The Låktatjåkka hut is placed in a mountain pass (1228m), 9 km west of Björkliden and 11 km from the Låktatjåkka halt. It provides lodging, self service, sauna and a restaurant. The tour Låktatjåkka halt - hut - Björkliden can be done during one day. The track is easy, though there is a height difference of 700 meters. Some summers is it possible, in the middle of the summer, to ski in the area around the hut.
There are two other huts reachable within a day, at the south end of Abiskojaure (15 km from Abisko) on Kungsleden and in Kårsavagge (14 km from Abisko). The hut in Kårsvagge can also be reached from the Låktatjåkka hut (9 km). In the west end of Kårsavagge is a small glacier with a nice delta before the lake Kårsavaggejaure.
Sven Hörnell was one of the best photographer of the Lappland mountains. He founded a centre in Rikgsränsen where one can see his photos of the mountains. Worth a visit. The area is during the winter a popular skiing resort.