Discover Jämtland: Nature, Trails and Culture

Jämtland offers many different reasons to visit: nature reserves, mountain trails and waterfalls sit alongside pilgrim routes, museums and dining in Östersund. If you’re planning a hotel stay, you can first decide whether nature excursions, winter sports or culture will be the focus.

Nature and nature reserves

Jämtland County has one national park, around 260 nature reserves, approximately 240 Natura 2000 sites, about ten bird sanctuaries and more than 20 natural monuments. Around 50 bodies of water and aquatic habitats have been designated for their exceptional value for nature, fish and fisheries, or culture. The county’s only national park is Sonfjället. It offers exhibitions and activities, as well as maps, hiking suggestions and information about sights.

Marked summer trails in Sonfjället National Park range from short, child-friendly outings and full-day summit hikes to multi-day treks. Guided tours to observe bears and bear tracks are also available; check availability with the tour operator. The park therefore offers everything from short walks to longer outings, with options to suit different time budgets.

Tännforsen is considered Sweden’s largest waterfall and is a winter attraction when frozen. From the tourist station, a marked, easy-to-walk trail of about one kilometre leads to the waterfall. The area around Tännforsen has been a nature reserve and Natura 2000 site since 1971 and is home to rare plants and animals.

Mountain trails and pilgrim routes

Jämtland County has more than 2,000 kilometres of state-maintained mountain trails for winter and summer. The County Administrative Board maintains this network; other trails are looked after by municipalities, local associations and private operators. Check current trail conditions before setting out, as the status of individual routes may change.

The medieval St. Olav’s Way is about 580 kilometres long and runs from Selånger in Sweden to Trondheim in Norway, from the Baltic Sea to the Atlantic. After extensive renovation work, the pilgrim route reopened in 2013. As it often passes roads and villages, you can join it at many points for shorter hikes. Classic mountain hikes such as Blanktjärnsrundan, Ottfjällsturen, Pyramiderna and Kyrksten start from Vålådalen. Vålådalen is also the starting point for multi-day trips to the mountain huts at Stensdalen, Vålåstugorna and Lunndörrsstugan.

Winter sports and cycling

Åre Municipality has around 200 ski runs across a total of seven ski areas. Check the latest information about the ski areas before your trip. For cross-country skiing, Åre offers high-altitude trails above the tree line, rolling forest tracks and floodlit training loops with artificial snow. Snow and grooming conditions vary by season.

Cyclists can also find routes with a variety of profiles: Åre Bike Park has 50 kilometres of cycling trails across 39 routes; check the current trail facilities before your visit. At Vålådalen Mountain Station, local trails range from wide tracks to technically challenging routes. The Trail Center rents trail bikes, dirt bikes and children’s bikes, as well as hardtails for gravel riding, and offers a workshop and spare parts. Check the current availability of rentals. Åre also has bike and equipment rental providers, several of which offer guided tours at different levels.

Culture, museums and dining

Jämtland’s mountain regions are a cultural landscape where people have lived and worked for thousands of years. In Östersund, you can experience three museums in one place at Jamtli. The open-air museum features historic farmsteads and buildings; the Jamtli National Museum displays art and design from the collections of the Nationalmuseum. It also presents the Överhogdal tapestries, Europe’s oldest pictorial textiles.

Jamtli offers bookable group tours of its exhibitions and cultural spaces, as well as historical walks between heritage buildings and settings. At the open-air museum, these settings are brought to life with role-play, shows and fun activities for children and adults. The programme varies by season, and specific activities may change. Check current dates and booking options when planning your visit.

Another trace of the past is Skalstuguvägen in western Jämtland: it has a 1,000-year history and was the old main road between Jämtland and Trøndelag. The Krankmårtenhögen burial ground in Berg Municipality contains about 30 graves dating from 200 BC to AD 200. Dining is also part of the experience in Östersund: since 2010, the city has been a UNESCO Creative Cities Network member as a City of Gastronomy. Its food scene includes culinary craftsmanship and locally produced foods; restaurants use and prepare ingredients from Jämtland.

Plan your route and hotel base

Your planned activities are a good starting point when choosing a hotel base: Östersund is known for its museums and dining, Åre for skiing and cycling, and Sonfjället for hiking and wildlife observation. If you’re planning to visit several destinations, check the connections and timetables relevant to your trip. SJ serves Östersund with numerous daily connections from across Sweden. Norrtåg runs between Sundsvall, Östersund and Trondheim; the Inlandsbanan operates in summer. Check current timetables before departure.

Discover more destinations: Berg, Åre, Älvdalen, Härjedalen, Strömsund, Bräcke, Krokom, Östersund, Ragunda, Björnberget, Tandsbyn.

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