Sweden · Jamtland / Lapland · Premium route guide
Vildmarksvagen, Sweden's Wilderness Road
Forest, fells and the Stekenjokk plateau on Sweden's Wilderness Road.
A loop through Jamtland and southern Lapland, up over the bare Stekenjokk plateau near the Norwegian border. Long empty roads, reindeer and lakes everywhere.
- Distance
- 487.6 km
- Peak elevation
- 876 m
- Elevation gain
- 2,386 m
- Best months
- Mid Jun–mid Oct
- Sweden · Jamtland · Lapland
- Loop
- Mostly paved
- Seasonal closure
The route
A loop from Stromsund north west to Gaddede, up onto the Stekenjokk plateau, down to Klimpfjall, east to Vilhelmina and south through Dorotea back to Stromsund.
Works with Garmin, TomTom, BMW Navigator, Calimoto, Kurviger, komoot, MyRouteApp. Import as a track to ride the exact line. Road data from OpenStreetMap (ODbL); elevation from SRTM.
Track vs. route, how to load this into your GPS
What you are downloading is a GPX track, a dense, road-snapped breadcrumb of the exact line, with elevation on every point. It is not a GPX route (a short list of turn waypoints your device re-plans between). Tracks preserve our road choice; routes let the device pick its own way and can send you down a boring motorway shortcut.
How to use it on your navigator:
- BMW Navigator / Garmin Zumo / zumo XT: import as a track, then Convert to Route (or Trip Planner, new trip from track) if you want turn by turn prompts. Keep Recalculation off so it stays on our line.
- TomTom Rider: import the GPX in MyDrive, it loads as a track / itinerary. Enable Follow the exact route so it does not re-plan.
- Calimoto: open the GPX and choose Import as tour, Calimoto follows the track line.
- Kurviger / komoot / MyRouteApp: open the GPX and pick Import as track to keep the road choice. Only choose Import as route if you want the app to re-plan for your bike profile.
- Google Maps / Apple Maps: these do not read GPX. Use the map on this page for turn cues, or import the file into a GPX capable app first.
Rule of thumb: if your device asks "track or route?", pick track to ride our exact line, pick route only if you want the device to re-plan.
Elevation profile
From ~240 m at the base to 876 m at the top, 2,386 m of total climbing across the route.
Our track is 488 km with about 2,400 m of climbing, around 11 to 12 hours of riding. Visit Sweden gives about 500 km. A long day, or better two days with a night in Gaddede or Klimpfjall.
Why ride it
Empty roads through forest and lakes, then a climb above the tree line onto a bare high plateau with snow patches into summer. Very little traffic.
Hazards
Reindeer and elk, frost heave and patched tarmac, short gravel repairs, and cold wind on the plateau even in July.
Fuel
Fuel up in Stromsund, Gaddede, Vilhelmina and Dorotea. There is nothing on the plateau.
Best months and difficulty
Mid June to mid October. Difficulty: moderate.
What to see along the way
- Stromsund - Start and finish.
- Gaddede - Village near the Norwegian border. Fuel.
- Stekenjokk - High plateau, the top of the route. Closed in winter.
- Klimpfjall - Mountain village below the plateau.
- Vilhelmina - Town in southern Lapland. Fuel and food.
- Dorotea - Fuel stop on the way back south.
Rent a bike
Rent a motorcycle or scooter for Vildmarksvagen, Sweden's Wilderness Road
Flying in? Pick up a bike near the start of the route. We've pre-filled the pick-up city with Stromsund / Vilhelmina - change it if you're basing elsewhere.
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