Strömsund

Strömsund is the largest town in the municipality of the same name in northern Jämtland. Even though the small town along highway #45 has only 3500 inhabitants, you will find there everything you need for your trip over the Vildmarksvägen: supermarkets, sporting goods, camping and fishing gear, a pharmacy, banks, doctors, gas stations, clothing, garages, and of course some charming little shops with souvenirs and gifts for the family members at home. At the tourist office you can get information about the many places of interest in the area, and there you can also buy hiking maps and make reservations for accommodation.

When in need for a little boost during your shopping round, you can pop your head into one of the cozy pubs or restaurants for lunch coffee or just a nice swedish pastry.

With its 15,000 visitors a year the Hembygdsgården (regional museum) in Strömsund is the most visited place of interest in the area. Here you can see, among other things, the giant Jorm from the Swedish children's movie 'Dunderklumpen', which made the region known all over Sweden.

Also very much worth paying a visit is 'Beppes Museum' in Öhn, 8 kilometres out of town. Guided by Beppe Wolger's daughter you will be shown a part of the famous actor/author's work, who is known by most people as the father of Pippi Longstocking. Children can dress up, paint, have a look at Beppe's puppets and the animals in the garden.

In summer the MS Tärnan regularly leaves for boat trips through the Ströms Vattu valley.

With its area of 11,857 square kilometres the municipality of Strömsund, which includes the townships of Gäddede, Bräcke, Hoting, Rossön en a lot of very small villages, is one of the largest in the country. Strömsund is especially known for its dense bear population and its magnificent nature. With around 12,300 inhabitants, which means 1 per square kilometre, the area is very thinly populated.

More information at www.stromsund.se

Vilhelmina

The old church quarter in Vilhelmina looks like a Swedish town from a picture book. The area goes all the way back to 1792. In 1921 seventy five wooden houses were consumed in a great fire. Today, in around twenty remaining colourful little houses, there are shops and a gallery for Sami art. The regional cultural museum can be found in the town hall of the church quarter.

In this town with its magnificent view over the Ångermanälven, there are very good shops and a lot of nice restaurants, pubs and hotels. In 'Folkets Hus' there is a swimming pool and a bowling alley, and also a cinema and a library.

The municipality of Vilhelmina stretches 160 kilometres along the Ångermanälven, from the Norwegian border towards the south east. It is roughly half the size of Wales. The whole area is filled with countless lakes and extensive marshlands. The highest mountain in the area is the 1598 high Marsfjäll.

More info at www.vilhelmina.se or www.sodralappland.se

Gäddede

Gäddede belongs to the municipality of Strömsund and it is the main town of the parish of Frostviken. This small town at the Norwegian border is an ideal starting point for hiking, horse riding, and bicycle tours through the north Swedish mountains. In Gäddede, you can also participate in fishing trips, canoe tours, and tours to near by the spectacular natural sights, like the Hällingsafållet end the Koralgrottan, that are not far from there.

In Gäddede itself there are several options for accommodation, two restaurants, an art cafe, several shops, two gas stations and a supermarket. The Frostvikens Hembydsgård invites a visit with its exciting collection of utensils and tools used by the colonists of old, as does the local church and the nature section of the tourist office.

The name Gäddede has, as many village names in Frostviken, its roots in the Sami language. The Sami had a sacrificial place on the spot where the river flows out into the Hetögeln lake. The translation of Gäddede is "sacrificial place".

More info at www.frostviken.se

Dorotea

Visitors of the most southern town of Lappland are being greeted by the big Dorotea bear, made of Siberian larches.

Apart from the sculpture of Lars Kupparinen, in the municipality, which extends from the southern woodlands to the mountains in the north, there are real bears too, of course. With much luck you can see these fascinating animals, or else elk or beaver, from a canoe when following the "Bear Trail".

For culture minded tourists, Dorotea, which was named after the Swedish queen Frederika Dorotea Wilhelmina von Baden, is very much worth the trip. Next to the church in Dorotea, there is a chapel with Björn Martinius' large sculpture 'the Last Supper'.

Right next to the chapel there is the open-air museum Kulerbacken and the old mill. Camping fans will enjoy the Polar caravan museum.

The Doro Camp promises enjoyment for the whole family with its playground and mini-golf course.

More information: www.dorotea.se