Snowshoeing and hiking in Abisko

6 min read Updated October 2026 Compare all tours

Abisko National Park was founded in 1909, one of the first in Sweden. Marked paths start from the entrance area by the naturum, the park's visitor centre, and the Kungsleden, Sweden's best-known hiking trail, sets off from STF Abisko Turiststation. Most guided walks stay within a few kilometres of here, in birch forest, along the Abiskojåkka canyon or on the shore of Torneträsk.

In winter, snowshoes make the forest walkable when the snow is deep. The guided tours lend them, choose the route by the weather and add a warm drink, a fire or photos. They differ mostly in length, group size and time of day.

Morning walks in the park

The guided morning walk by Lights Over Lapland lasts two hours, with pickup from your accommodation. Depending on the conditions it follows the canyon, passes through the birch forest and reaches the delta or the shore of the lake. The tour page gives 3 to 4 kilometres. Food and drinks are not included, and children under 7 cannot join. Reviewers like the guides and the animal tracks, and some saw a moose. The recurring criticism is that it is an easy stroll on a marked path that you could also do alone.

That path is free. The canyon loop starts at the naturum and is marked in yellow. On the west bank a wooden boardwalk of about 300 metres runs along the canyon to a picnic spot with the park's symbol, the golden crown. You return along the east side or by a gravel road down to Torneträsk, about an hour in all. An accessible version from the car park is about one kilometre there and back, on a deck 1.9 metres wide. From 1 May to 31 July the river delta is closed to protect nesting birds.

AKKA Nature takes at most six guests on a slow morning snowshoe walk of about three hours, with modern snowshoes, poles and a warm drink. It is graded easy to moderate and suits beginners, but you bring your own hiking boots and warm clothes. All reviews so far are top marks and name the same guide.

Afternoon and longer days

Activities in Abisko runs a two-hour snowshoe walk in the afternoon through birch forest with views of the mountains, including transfer, warm clothing and a hot drink. Reviewers mention the viewpoint Stor Nabben and a fika at the top. Some found the group of eight too large or the pace too gentle. The operator strongly recommends waterproof shoes, and children under 8 cannot join.

Lights Over Lapland also offers an afternoon hike starting at 14:00 that takes one of three routes: across the frozen Torneträsk to an island or a tipi, up to the Stornabben viewpoint, or through the canyon. A fire, a drink and a snack follow if time allows. For more distance, a five-hour snowshoe tour covers about 4 to 8 kilometres after a short drive, with a fire in the wilderness and photos of the day; winter boots are not provided.

Explore Arctic combines a three-hour morning walk with a professional photographer, who takes pictures of you among the forests and lakes. Snowshoes are provided, and overalls and shoes on request. One reviewer had poor weather and saw plenty of animal tracks but no animals.

Walking after dark

Evening snowshoe tours combine the walk with a search for the aurora, which no guide can promise. One tour crosses the birch forest at night, looks for animal tracks and stops for warm berry juice; on a full moon you can see Lapporten. Snowshoes are not listed in its inclusions, though reviewers say they were provided. One reviewer missed an explanation of the northern lights. AKKA Nature leads a smaller evening walk for up to six guests with head torches, ending with Swedish glögg by a fire, or indoors when the weather is bad.

For a longer trip, AKKA Nature runs a two-day snowshoe journey from Abisko to the Abiskojaure cabins, with a night in a shared, off-grid mountain cabin and meals on the way, including a three-course dinner back in Abisko. Groups are limited to six. You bring your own backpack, warm clothes, boots and drinks.

Autumn, summer and all year

Outside the snow season the walks change but do not stop. Outback Abisko runs an autumn night hike through the birch forest near Björkliden up to the bare mountain, with a campfire, coffee or tea and local snacks; in uncertain weather it moves indoors for talks, films and a short Sámi language lesson. AKKA Nature offers an easy two-hour walk with stories and Swedish fika throughout the year, for at most seven guests. Children must be at least 135 centimetres tall.

In summer you can walk the Kungsleden. The first stage from Abisko to the Abiskojaure huts is 14 kilometres on a wide, easy path and takes four to five hours, ending with a suspension bridge over the Kamajåkka. From 25 May to 19 July 2027 the sun stays above the horizon, so you can walk at any hour.

Lapporten, safety and park rules

Lapporten, the U-shaped valley between Abisko and Björkliden, has no marked trail. Visit Narvik puts the walk at more than 12 kilometres each way with about 500 metres of climbing and asks you to plan the route by map, weather and season. For most visitors it is a view rather than a destination, for example from the ski area at Björkliden.

In the national park you may only pitch a tent or light a fire at designated places, although camping stoves are allowed. Drones may not be landed. Before a walk on open mountain terrain in winter, check the avalanche forecasts of the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency at lavinprognoser.se, which include the area Abisko/Riksgränsfjällen. In an emergency, 112 connects you to mountain rescue as well as the other services. The naturum has short seasonal opening hours, so check them with the County Administrative Board before you go. Our page on Abisko National Park covers the park in more detail.