The High Coast Trail

The High Coast Trail is a forest-and-sea walk, not a mountain trek. You don’t need permits or bookings, and there’s a village or a cabin within reach most nights. What trips people up is the stage numbering, the national park’s rules, water, and a bus that doesn’t run at weekends.

When you need this

You’re deciding whether to walk the whole trail or pick a few sections, and how many days to allow. You want to know where you can sleep indoors and where you need a tent. Or you’re heading for Skuleskogen and Slåttdalsskrevan for a day, maybe by bus, and want the park’s rules before you pack.

The trail at a glance

Höga Kustenleden (the High Coast Trail) crosses the whole Swedish part of the High Coast World Heritage site. It starts at Hornöberget, at the northern end of the High Coast Bridge, and ends at Stadsträdgården in central Örnsköldsvik. You can walk it in either direction.

Check which stage numbers your map uses. The destination organisation Höga Kusten and the Swedish Tourist Association (STF) now give the trail as 135 km in nine sections, taking 7–9 days. Many guides, apps and older pages still show about 128 km in 13 stages. In 2023 Region Västernorrland announced a new division built around hubs with buses, parking and services, such as naturum at Skuleberget, Lövvik and Köpmanholmen. If your guide has 13 stages, its numbers won’t match current maps.

STF puts the walking at 3–12 hours a day, and the distances undersell the effort. The trail climbs to about 250 m above sea level, over and over, and the park calls its own terrain demanding. Section 2 is the one to watch: 26.8 km and 10–12 hours, unless you stop halfway at Fjärdbotten.

Only have a few days? The destination organisation suggests sections 1–4, Hornöberget to Ullånger, or section 6 from Skuleberget to the park’s South Entrance. The side trips up Valkallen, Fäberget and Skuleberget are worth the climb.

The trail is marked with orange paint on trees, posts and stones. Metal signposts with the trail symbol stand at road crossings and forks.

Where you sleep: cabins, shelters and villages

Every section has at least one option under a roof, from a basic cabin to a hotel. Here’s what STF names for each night.

Outside protected areas, allemansrätten lets you pitch a tent for a night or two away from houses. The nature reserves along the trail can have their own rules, and those override the right of public access. See wild camping in Sweden for how that works in practice.

Water is the other planning point. The springs and streams aren’t tested, and the destination organisation suggests boiling the water to be safe. In a dry summer some streams dry up. Its trail page lists taps section by section.

Skuleskogen National Park

Section 6 ends at Skuleskogen’s South Entrance and section 7 crosses the park to the North Entrance. Skuleskogen has been a national park since 1984. It’s old-growth forest, bare rock and rift valleys, and the rules are stricter than on the rest of the trail:

• Camping only at marked tent sites from 1 May to 30 September, and no more than three nights in one place.
• Fires only at marked fire places in the same period, with the wood provided or your own.
• Dogs on a lead at all times. See the leash law guide for the national rule.
• No cycling except on Kuststigen, the coastal path between the South and North Entrances.
• No drones, no fishing in the lakes and streams, and no picking mosses, lichens or wood-living fungi.

Tent sites are next to every overnight cabin and on the beaches at Kälsviken in the south and at Salsviken’s outlet in the north. They’re marked with yellow dots on the park map.

The park has six overnight cabins. They’re free, open all year, and can’t be booked. Each has bunks with mattresses, a wood stove, a table and chairs. Bring a sleeping bag, a pillow and cooking gear. You can stay two nights at most, and if you’ve already slept one night you give way to new arrivals. Dogs are allowed inside but not on the beds. Chop wood if needed and leave some for the next person. In winter the newer cabins, at Skrattabborrtjärn, Näskebodarna and the large one on Tärnättholmen, are easiest to heat.

Because the cabins can’t be booked, carry a tent. Also carry a stove. The county board delivers firewood once a year, and in busy cabins it can run out by late autumn. A county fire ban also overrides the fire places. Under an ordinary ban camping stoves are usually still allowed.

Two safety notes from the park. There’s no mobile coverage in parts of Skuleskogen, and it’s especially poor at the South Entrance, so arrange pickups before you walk in. And there’s no water at the entrances. The steepest trail, from Tärnättvattnet down to Tärnättholmarna via the cave, is one to avoid in the wet, with a dog or with small children. Kuststigen is the easy option.

All three entrances have wooden ramps to information decks, covered benches and composting toilets adapted for wheelchair users. The trails beyond them are steep.

Slåttdalsskrevan

The park’s best-known sight is Slåttdalsskrevan: a crevice 200 m long, 30 m deep and 7 m wide that splits Slåttdalsberget in two. It lies in the middle of the park. As a day hike it’s about 3.5 km from the South Entrance, 4.5 km from the North Entrance or 6 km from the West Entrance.

STF says walking through the crevice isn’t recommended because of safety risks. The High Coast Trail passes west of it, with viewpoints and good places for photos. The top of Slåttdalsberget has a wide view over the High Coast.

Why the coast is so high

UNESCO listed the High Coast as a World Heritage site in 2000 for its land uplift, and added Finland’s Kvarken Archipelago in 2006. At the last ice age the ice here was about 3 km thick and pressed the Earth’s crust down. Since the area became ice-free, the county board says, the land has risen 286 m relative to the sea. UNESCO calls it the highest known rebound and gives about 285 m over 9,600 years.

It’s still happening. The land rises 8–8.5 mm a year, but the sea has risen about 3 mm a year over the last 30 years. So, according to the county board, the uplift you can actually notice is now only about 5 mm a year. On the trail, look for old shorelines far above the sea. STF describes Skuleberget as having the world’s highest coastline, at 286 m. In Skuleskogen the oldest shoreline is about 282 m up.

Getting there without a car

Take the train to Örnsköldsvik or Härnösand. From there, the regional buses run by Din Tur reach several points on the trail:

The Örnsköldsvik end starts at Stadsträdgården in the town centre. Because line 50 doesn’t run at weekends, plan your start and finish on weekdays or build in a spare day. From the Naturum stop it’s about 10 km to the park’s South Entrance. For buses and tickets in general, see Sweden without a car.

When to go

The trail and the park are open all year, but services aren’t.

For tick precautions on forest trails, see ticks in Sweden.

Practical information

FAQ

How long is the High Coast Trail?

About 135 km from Hornöberget, at the High Coast Bridge, to central Örnsköldsvik, in nine sections, according to the destination organisation Höga Kusten and STF. Older guides say about 128 km in 13 stages; Region Västernorrland announced a new stage division built around hubs with transport and services. Allow 7 to 9 days for the whole trail.

Can you wild camp on the High Coast Trail?

Outside protected areas, yes: allemansrätten lets you pitch a tent for a night or two away from houses. Inside Skuleskogen National Park you may camp only at marked tent sites from 1 May to 30 September, and for at most three nights in one place. Nature reserves along the trail can have their own rules.

Are there huts or shelters on the High Coast Trail?

Yes. Skuleskogen National Park has six free overnight cabins that cannot be booked, with bunks, mattresses and a wood stove; you may stay two nights at most. Along the rest of the trail there are wind shelters, the Fjärdbotten summer-farm cabins, an open cabin at Bodviken, and village hostels, campsites and hotels.

Can you walk through Slåttdalsskrevan?

STF says walking through the crevice is not recommended because of safety risks, and the High Coast Trail passes west of it, with viewpoints. The crevice is 200 m long, 30 m deep and 7 m wide. It lies in the middle of Skuleskogen, about 3.5 km from the South Entrance, 4.5 km from the North Entrance and 6 km from the West Entrance.

How do you get to the High Coast Trail without a car?

Take the train to Örnsköldsvik or Härnösand. Bus 50 between Härnösand and Örnsköldsvik stops at Hornöberget E4, about 400 m from the start, and at Ullånger, Docksta, naturum Höga Kusten and near the park’s West Entrance, but runs on weekdays only. Line 100 also stops at Hornöberget, Ullånger and Docksta.

Why is the High Coast a World Heritage site?

For its land uplift after the last ice age. The ice pressed the Earth’s crust down, and since the area became ice-free the land has risen about 286 m relative to the sea, the highest known rebound. UNESCO listed the High Coast in 2000 and added Finland’s Kvarken Archipelago in 2006. The land still rises about 8 mm a year; rising seas cut the visible change to about 5 mm.

When is the best time to hike the High Coast Trail?

Summer is the busiest season in Skuleskogen, when all services are open. Spring is quieter, but snow can lie into May higher up. Autumn brings colours and fewer people, with colder, wetter weather and shorter days. The park is open all year; in winter you may need skis or snowshoes.

Related guides

• The High Coast — the destination beyond the trail: islands, villages, naturum.
• Hiking in Sweden — how the wider trail system, marking and safety work.
• Allemansrätten — the camping rules that apply outside the park.
• Fire bans in Sweden — check before you light the park’s fire places.
• Kungsleden — the mountain trail if you want huts and fells instead of forest and sea.

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Facts verified 2026-09-25. Sources: Sveriges nationalparker (Naturvårdsverket), Länsstyrelsen Västernorrland, UNESCO, Region Västernorrland, the Höga Kusten destination organisation and STF — full register in this topic’s source file. Bus fares and timetables change each season and are deliberately not published here. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.