The Priest’s Path: Sweden’s Remote Pilgrimage Trek

The Präststigen (“Priests’ trail”) is a 37-mile (60 km) route that begins in Kvikkjokk and leads to the 1788 chapel at Alkavare on the western edge of Sarek National Park. Hikers follow a cairn-marked line through birch woodlands, alpine ridges and glacial lakes, often crossing the Arctic Circle and taking a short boat ride across Sakkat lake before ascending steep switchbacks. The trail has no marked paths beyond the cairns, requiring wild camping, heavy backpacks and self-sufficiency. The chapel hosts a summer service each year, most recently attended by a small group of eleven pilgrims, including the priest Mogens Amstrup Jacobsen, who arrived by helicopter and led the ceremony for the first time.

The Guardian

The chapel was erected in 1788 as part of the forced Christianisation of the Sami, Europe’s last Indigenous population, whose traditional reindeer-herding lands encompass Sarek. The Sami refer to the broader Laponia region as Sápmi, underscoring their deep connection to the landscape. Sarek, together with the wider Laponia area, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996 for its combined cultural and natural values. Botanist Carl Linnaeus visited the region in 1732, and the early segment of the trail is sometimes called Linnaeus’s trail. The route also passes the site of an 1911 observatory built by geologist Axel Hamberg for meteorological and glacial research.

The Guardian

Local guide Christian Heimrot of Laponia Adventures emphasizes that the area is a “living landscape” rather than a pristine wilderness, noting the long-standing Sami presence and their modern use of motorcycles and snowmobiles for reindeer herding. Participants rely on natural water sources, reindeer stew for meals and occasional rowing boats left by park rangers to cross rivers. The guidebook *Priest’s Path* by Hans Fowelin, currently only in Swedish, provides cairn locations for navigation. Hikers encounter diverse flora such as mountain gentian, ptarmigan berries and wild angelica, the latter traditionally used by the Sami for vitamin C.

The Guardian

Laponia Adventures plans a small-group expedition along the Priest’s Path in July 2027, offering equipment rental and advice for independent trekkers. The company highlights the route’s blend of striking scenery, cultural heritage and the remote “point of inaccessibility” near Padjelanta National Park, a location about 31 miles (50 km) from the nearest road or settlement. Interested travelers can find further details on the Arctic Sweden website.

The Guardian