Sweden's Gorgeous New Hiking Trail Connects Stockholm With Many Stunning Islands

Adventurous thru-hikers rejoice: As of fall 2024, there's a new long trail on the planet, and it opens up one of the most unique and breathtaking natural landscapes in Europe to year-round trekking. A stunning 30,000 islands and rocky skerries large and small make up the Stockholm Archipelago, along Sweden's eastern Baltic Sea, accessible by ferry boat system and all manner of private vessels, from motorboats to kayaks, right from the capital city. The new 170-mile-long Stockholm Archipelago Trail has 20 defined segments that connect 21 of the islands, woven together from existing footpaths — some carved into the landscape by human feet, some by animal hooves — many of them hundreds of years old.

Sweden is one of Europe's most family-friendly destinations, in part because Swedes embrace a simple, accessible style of vacationing. That makes this a great destination for budget-conscious hikers: The Archipelago Foundation operates campgrounds, and the Swedish Tourist Association runs hostels. Hardy Swedes love their rustic accommodations, and the islands are also dotted with simple, affordable cabins — and a few luxurious ones – that you can rent for a night or two, some of which come with rowboats or kayaks. You can choose between setting up a base of operations for day hiking, or string together a two-week long thru-hike with camping and hosteling along the way. Just follow the painted blazes and ribbon markings from tree to tree as you wander though this carless inter-island paradise.

The terrain is highly varied from island to island, and the 20 sections of the trail are categorized as easy, average and challenging. The challenging Nåttarö segment forms a 6.4-mile loop from where the ferry docks in a charming village, just a 30 minute ride from the mainland. You can rent a cozy cottage, room at the inn, hostel bed or campsite here, feast on oysters at the local tavern, and take a break from hiking by renting a kayak for some afternoon splish-splashing. The hike takes you through fragrant pine forests, along dramatic, windswept cliffs, taking barefoot breaks at the island's claim to fame: its welcoming, sandy beaches. The whole island is owned by the Archipelago Foundation, and is a nature preserve.

A cluster of islands in the same area can easily be grouped together. The easy-rated Rånö segment follows a fairly level gravel path past the bucolic grazing fields of Rånö Gård, a farm that has been in operation since the 16th century, to a campground and coves and beaches perfect for swimming. If you were to pick just one hike out of all the islands have to offer, the challenging 10-mile Utö segment is a microcosm of the entire trail, with beaches, coves, granite cliffs, forest paths and vistas across the glistening sea dotted with islands. The rust-red, white-trimmed buildings perched on granite outcroppings make for scenery so postcard picturesque it almost makes your eyes hurt.

You can certainly take Rick Steves' advice and visit Sweden in the peak summer season. The archipelago is a region where Sweden's urbanites frolic all summer long, sailing, kayaking, and swimming, and celebrating the summer solstice holiday of Midsommer by donning crowns of wildflowers to dance around a maypole. But Swedes don't limit their outdoor time to the summer season, and neither should you. The Stockholm Archipelago trail is designed to be hiked year-round. In crisp, colorful fall you can forage for ripe berries, and wild mushrooms that you can gather to cook up over your campfire. Swedish law stipulates "the right of public access," meaning you can camp and forage pretty much anywhere, so long as you do so respectfully.

Stockholm winters area absolutely magical, a time when you can take a cruise through the archipelago, sitting on deck watching the misty ice floes go by snug under a reindeer hide lap blanket. Winter activities in the Stockholm Archipelago include snowshoeing, hiking, ice skating, and even kayaking, and you'll have all the solitude in the world here in the off season. For cold weather safety, book a winter kayaking excursion with a tour operators that provides dry suits, plan to get your blood moving with an island hike, and finish your day with a restorative session in a wood-fired sauna.

Eager tour operators have already jumped on the bandwagon as sections of the Stockholm Archipelago Trail open, designing self-guided inn-to-inn tours suitable for spring, summer or fall itineraries. We're already envisioning putting together an epic, bucket list shoulder season "surf and turf" adventure by combining an island-to-island kayak tour with a thru-hike of the trail, traveling hostel-to-hostel — or let's get real: sauna-to-sauna.