June 3, 2020 | Posted by misfitwanders | Adventures, Hiking, Lifestyles, Nature, Summer, Sweden, Traveling, Uncategorized
The wind picked up and a chill ran down to my bones. Panic and adrenaline filled my body. This was my first-time skiing and I was overwhelmed by it all. Hovfjallet Ski Lodge felt menacing to me with its skiing areas. But it’s a dream for many lovers of the sport. Once I took on the mountain with my hubby’s help, my blood began to boil. I was so nervous my palms were sweaty! But I did it and I was sure glad that we were done for the day! You can check out this article to see about my first time skiing!
Wander up a mountain in Torsby and visit Hovfjallet (Hovfjället) a nature reserve and the other side is a Ski Resort. It’s a wonderful place to go to if you have a passion for skiing, or you can even enjoy this place in the warmer seasons and hike the trails on the other side of Hovfjallet in the nature reserve! With our backpacks on and our doggie by our sides, we ventured the trails as the days became warmer. The view is breathtaking there! They have a resting area, which was built in the 1930s!
If you’re a nature lover like me, then you will enjoy the wonderful hikes within Varmland county. Check it out here!
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Hovfjallet Ski Resort offers some fun skiing trails that are measured by different levels. This is Sweden’s southern most mountain, so it’s a good place for a winter holiday. The whole family can enjoy an outing to this beautiful place and enjoy skiing, several other activities, or hiking the nature reserve depending on the season.
If you’re wanting lessons, they have private lessons, or you can join the ski school. Learn more at Hovfjallet Ski School.
If you’re planning on venturing to Hovfjallet with a big group, email at tommy@hovfjallet.se or call the reception 0560-31300, 5 days prior to your arrival there so they can make sure they have the right sizes for all the gear for your group. This is for a group of 20 or more that want to learn how to ski.
Take to the snowy nature on a snowmobile! They have a snowmobile safari so you can see everything at a faster speed. The tour can be a short one, at 1.5 hours to a full day. Insurance, a guide, shoes, helmet, gas, and snowmobile overalls are included with a tour. If you want to learn more about the prices check out Snowmobile Safari.
In the warmer months of the year, you can set out onto the hiking trails that begin in this area of Hovfjallet. The trails zig zag through the forest and engulf you into the nature reserve. This Nature Reserve has some trees that are over 200 years old! What a spectacular thing to see!
Under the Hovfjallet sign is a board that explains the trails more, so you get to learn the difficulty and length of each trail. They have many picnic areas off the trails and even an outhouse that’s marked with a heart on the door. Each trail is nicely marked with an orange color and there’s a map of the trails below the Hovfjallet Nature Reserve sign. Each trail has its own symbol that you can see on the wooden signs on the trails and on the sign at the beginning of the trail.
Difficulty: Moderate – Distance: 3.7 km/2.3 miles Roundtrip – Duration: Approx. 1 hour
It went surprisingly quick to reach the torp (little house) on this trail. At first it became a little steep. But this trail was shorter and a little easier than the other paths. The sun beamed down as I gazed at the old tiny house. It was in the middle of a forest in a well maintained grassy area. They have a picnic table near it so you can rest and have a nice meal in the sun. On the side of the house, they have a map and a little bit of information about it. If you like history or seeing old buildings, this is a great one to see!
Difficulty: Difficult – Distance: 9 km/5.6 miles Roundtrip – Duration: Approx. 2.5 hours
While following the curvy path that’s filled with ups and downs, you’ll notice a beauty when you’re surrounded by nature. It’s a wonderful and peaceful feeling to get away from the busy life. The trail has some steep parts and there are manmade bridges scattered all over that helps when it’s wet season. Watch out for roots popping out of the ground, or loose rocks while you climb upwards.
Difficulty: Difficult – Distance: 8 km/5 miles Roundtrip – Duration: Approx. 2.5 hours
The trail zig zags left to right as we follow the manmade bridges covering the wetlands. At first, it was nice and flat. But then we begin to hike up through trees that feel like they’re going to engulf you in their forest. Watch your feet! There’s a lot of roots sticking up or muddy areas on the path. Parts of this trail become pretty steep as you go upwards. This trail connects with Hovfjällsrundan and Torprundan trails. So, if you want to switch trails, it’s possible!
As you make it halfway on this trail, you get to see an unmistakable beautiful view at the top. It overlooks lush greenery and a glittering lake. It’s breathtaking and definitely worth the hike. They have an outhouse near this trail along with some resting areas and grilling areas.
Difficulty: Difficult – Distance: 12 km/7.5 miles Roundtrip – Duration: Approx. 3.5 hours
Since this is the longest of the 4, that alone makes it harder. But if you can endure Råkullsrundan then you will have no problem with this one. With my backpack on filled with weights, I pushed on. We made this part of our training. We had a big hike coming up, so we decided to practice with weights in the bags and going on trails near our home. A chilly breeze picked up and being surrounded by the forest, we didn’t have much sunlight beaming down for warmth. But every step warmed me to my bones. I began to perspire from the twists and turns in the path. At times, I had to take big steps up stones or weasel my way between rocks. But being this surrounded by wilderness is always amazing to me.
If you plan on visiting in the winter, be sure to have the right gear. The same goes for if you want to take on the hikes in the warmer seasons. I suggest a nice waterproof coat with gloves, warm hat, and snowpants. Good boots are a must when it comes to dealing with snow! So, my go to nowadays are Meindl boots. In the spring and summer, make sure you don’t forget to bring your water bottle and maybe a daypack. Check out hiking gadgets. There you will see the gear I have used when I go on hikes!
After a long day skiing or hiking, you may want to relax. A bathhouse is a best place for just that! This is TorsbyBadet, which translates to The Torsby Bath. Breathe easy as you unwind here and enjoy the warm waters. There are 4 swimming areas, whirlpool cave, and a handicap ramp. There’s even a splash pool for the little ones and a communal sauna or same sex saunas.
If you’re feeling rickety throughout your body, maybe you need a massage. That’s offered here and so are facials, seeing a chiropractor and using a gym. You can check out their website Torsbybadet.
Maybe fishing peaks your interest. There are some great spots in the Hovfjallet area. Just stop by the Torsby Tourist office, call, or email to learn more.
Torsby Turustbyrå, phone 0560-160
50, turist@torsby.se
At the Hovfjallet ski lodge, they have cottages that you can rent if you’re planning on staying there. They have cottages with 3 bedrooms to 10 bedrooms! Enjoy the beautiful view in these cottages with their high vaulted ceilings and wonderful windows. Some of them even have a sauna, a sleeping loft, and a wood burning stove. They offer three different accommodations that are near Hovfjallet ski lodge as well. If you enjoy the caravan camping, that’s there also! Check out here and learn more!
A nice timbered cottage with a great view at the top is where you can have meals, or just relax and have a coffee. Chug down a cold beer at the pub in this wooden cottage, or just come and enjoy the music events. They have a schedule on their website. Check out the Ski Lodge Restaurant for more info.
On nice sunny days or winter days when you’re out skiing, they have spots you can grill out. Make your own fire with wood in the grill area that’s near the main office. That’s where you’ll find the bathrooms too! Watch people ski down the slope from this area. Or take a hike up to the top and see the wonderful view! On the hiking trails, they have areas where you can have a fire and cook up something. There are nice spots for picnics as well!
This nice getaway ski lodge/nature reserve is in Torsby. This is a town in Värmland county, the county known for its nature. This tiny town has around 4,000 locals and a lot of wilderness! The world’s longest ski tunnel is actually in this town.
You can make it to Hovfjallet a couple different ways. You can either rent a car and drive or take the transportation system. If you decide to take the transport system they have, it would take around 11 hours to get to Torsby from Stockholm. Then you would need to check for a bus that’s going to Hovfjallet from Torsby. It would be easier to rent a vehicle to get to this spot.
Check out google to see the way you can take.
Then, once you make it to Torsby, you’ll have to take a local bus to Hovfjallet.
Check out Varmland Trafik to find out the hours the local buses are running.
If you rent a car and you’re coming from Stockholm, it would take around 5 hours to get there. Take E20 N and head towards E 20/ E 4 Helsingborg/Göteborg. Merge onto E 18/E 20. Stay right and follow signs for E 18 towards Oslo. Keep on E 18. Now, Stay right and follow the signs for Route 61/ Route 62 towards Kongsvinger/Arvika. Continue on this. Then take the E 45 ramp towards Mora/Sunne, and stay on E 45. Then you’re there!
It’s best to use google for directions. Check out google here.
Hovfjallet is yet another beautiful place in the nature filled Varmland county. If you love the outdoors, then this is a great area to see in any season! If you’re in Varmland county and you want to venture in the wilderness more, check out hikes in Varmland.
Or if you’ve never hiked in Sweden before, check out Hiking in Sweden. This will give you a lot of information about hiking in Sweden and more! You can find some of the best trails on this page.
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