*** Update 16/02/2020:
My guide to Bohuslenden is now dated, but I still think it can be a useful complement to hiking the trail, so I will keep it online.
I had planned to re-hike the entire Bohusleden a few years ago, but got invested in another, bigger hiking project, which was/is establishing a new, alternate Swedish E1 trail. I have hiked some of my favorite sections of Bohusleden multiple times, and will try to update this guide when I can. I have put a few updates here and there over the years.
Here's a link to the new and improved official trail guide to Bohusleden.
But now on to my original introduction below. I hope it will still be helpful for some hikers. Over the years I have received a fair amount of positive feedback on my guide, which I am of course happy about. Feel free to email me with any questions or feedback, and if I have time I will get back to you. My email can be found on my Blogger profile.
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Greetings and welcome to my companion guide to Sweden's (and small parts of Norway's) Bohusleden! If you are just looking for all the links to the trip reports themselves, scroll down--they are at the bottom of this post. If you have never been backpacking in Sweden before, you might want to read my article on general tips and information on nature, backpacking, and camping in Sweden.
Bohusleden is a hiking trail in Sweden that runs 370km from just outside of southern Göteborg in the small town of Lindome, to the cozy coastal town Strömstad near the Norwegian boarder. I completed the trail on 9 section hikes, hiking 347km total and skipping 23km (Stages 18 and 17); the two stages I skipped follow roads entirely, but I still drove down these sections for the sake of reporting on them. In total my guide contains 632 pictures for you to enjoy.
By my count, the trail passes right by or very close to 111 lakes or large ponds (big enough to swim in). This makes this trail ideal for summer trips for swimming, and if you do your research on getting the proper permits, it's also good for fishing.
I followed the format the official guide provided by breaking down the trail into 27 different stages. The older official guide was written from the perspective of going generally northbound (i.e. from Lindome to Strömstad), but I have nearly always hiked the other way around, going generally southbound, so I wrote from this perspective. I tried not to repeat anything to be found in the official guide, but will add details, give feedback, highlight things missing from the official guide, offer tips, explain off-trail alternatives/options, etc. In short: try and prepare backpackers even more for this trail adventure should they stumble upon my guide.
I give estimates on how long it took me to hike a given section, but please keep in mind that everyone is different, and how long it takes depends on a lot of variables.
I was generally very impressed with the trail and the experience of hiking it, and strongly encourage anyone interested in backpacking/camping/hiking to check it out. I have hiked on many different trails spanning several nations on three different continents, and Bohusleden is definitely one of my favorite trails.
Thanks for reading, and hope this is helpful and/or enjoyable to read! :)
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Trip reports:
Stage 27, Strömstad-Högstad
Stage 26, Högstad-Krokstrand
Stage 25, Krokstrand-Håvedalen
Stage 24, Håvedalen-Vassbotten
Stage 23, Vassbotten-Nornäs
Stage 22, Nornäs-Daletjärnen
*Stages 27-22 were completed on a section hike in August 2012.
Stage 21, Daletjärnen-Holmen
*Stage 21 completed on overnight trip April 2012.
Stage 20, Holmen-Vaktarekullen
Stage 19, Vaktarekullen-Lunden
*Stages 20 and 19 were completed on a section hike in October 2012.
Stages 18 and 17 double report, Lunden-Harska
Stage 16, Harska-Kaserna
Stage 15, Kaserna-Metsjö
Stage 14, Metsjö-Bovik
Stage 13, Bovik-Glimmingen
*Stages 18-13 were completed on a section hike in May 2013.
Stage 12, Glimmingen-Vassbovik
Stage 11, Vassbovik-Hasteröd
*Stages 12-11 were completed on a section hike in July 2013.
Stage 10, Hasteröd-Lysevatten
Stage 9, Lysevatten-Bottenstugan
**Update 18/10/2015: Trip report on a return to Stage 9 plus hiking around several side trails in the Svartedalen nature reserve.
Stage 8, Bottenstugan-Grandalen
*Stages 10-8 were completed on a section hike in August 2013.
Stage 7, Grandalen-Fotin
Stage 6, Fotin-Angereds kyrk
Stage 5, Angereds kyrka-Jonsered
*Stages 7-5 were completed on a section hike in September 2013.
Stages 4 and 3 double report, Jonsered-Skatås
*Stages 4-3 were completed on a section hike in October 2013.
Stages 2 and 1 double report, Skatås-Blåvattnerna
*Stages 2-1 were completed on various day hikes throughout 2012 and 2013.
An Epilogue
Includes final thoughts, reflections, food planning, and how I'd like to hike the trail next time knowing what I know now.
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