Abisko National Park in winter

7 min read Updated October 2026 Compare all tours

The Northern Sámi name of the village, Ábeskovvu, means the forest by the great water, and the great water is Torneträsk. Abisko National Park was set aside on 24 May 1909 to keep a high northern mountain landscape in its original state. It covers 7,700 hectares, and the E10 and the railway to Narvik run straight through it. Länsstyrelsen Norrbotten manages the park.

Abisko itself has two halves. Abisko Östra, the village, has most of the homes, the grocery shops and the petrol station. About 3 km further west lies the cluster around the STF mountain station, naturum and the Abisko Turist platform, which is where most visitors start. Abisko Natural Science Station also works here, where researchers from all over the world study climate change in the Arctic.

From Kiruna by rail, road or tour

Kiruna Lapland gives the road distance as 93 km, a little over an hour along the E10; the park authority and the Swedish Tourist Association both write about 100 km. In winter the train is the simplest way to arrive without a car. Trains between Kiruna and Narvik run daily all year and stop at Abisko Turist. You have to buy tickets online before you travel, because they are not sold at the station or on board. Kiruna station lies about 6 km outside the centre, and a free shuttle bus meets every train.

Buses are less clear. The national park page gives about 1 hour and 15 minutes from Kiruna bus station to Abisko Turist. Kiruna Lapland says Länstrafiken bus 91 runs only from June to September and from February to April, while the Swedish Tourist Association mentions a bus between Kiruna and Narvik with two stops a day at its station. Look up the timetable for your date at Länstrafiken Norrbotten before you rely on it. From the airport, Visit Abisko runs a door-to-door shuttle to hotels in Abisko.

If you drive, Sweden requires winter tyres from 1 December to 31 March in wintry road conditions, and you can fill up in Abisko. Our page on getting around Kiruna covers driving in the dark months.

STF Abisko Turiststation and naturum

The mountain station of the Swedish Tourist Association is its northernmost property, 250 km north of the Arctic Circle by STF's own count. It has 377 beds in the main building, the Keron hostel and cabins, and every guest can use the kitchen, sauna and drying room. Restaurant Kungsleden serves breakfast, lunch and a set dinner, and STF advises booking a table for dinner in advance. The shop sells and rents outdoor clothing and gear, including skis. Kungsleden, the long-distance trail known in English as the King's Trail, starts here.

Next door, the naturum visitor centre has a permanent exhibition on the park's plants, wildlife, geology and cultural history, a small library and space where children can play. Its late-winter season is short: the park website lists opening from 17 February to 30 April on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, from 13:00 to 17:00.

The canyon and the birch forest

The Abisko river runs through a canyon on its way to Torneträsk, and Kiruna Lapland says everyone staying in Abisko should visit it. An accessible trail leads to the canyon and to the national park symbol, with a rest area on the way, and mountain birch forest covers the slopes around it.

A guided walk adds context you would miss alone. The morning hike by Lights Over Lapland covers about 3 to 4 km along the canyon and through the birch forest, with views over the river delta and the lake, and the guide talks about animal tracks, Sámi history and Arctic life. Groups stay at ten or fewer, and children under 7 cannot join. Clothing is not included, so arrive dressed for standing in the cold.

In the afternoon, Activities in Abisko runs a two-hour snowshoe walk through the birch forest for up to eight guests, looking for traces of moose, fox and Arctic hare. A reviewer in March 2026 called it a tough hike and urged others to wear waterproof footwear. Further afield, Kiruna Lapland suggests ski or snowshoe trips to an old marble quarry, the Nissunjåkka canyon or the high valley of Kårsavagge. Kårsavagge lies in the avalanche forecast area described further down, so read the bulletin first.

Torneträsk under ice

Torneträsk is the sixth-largest lake in Sweden by area, about 331 km², and up to 168 metres deep. Kiruna Lapland calls it the largest mountain lake in Scandinavia. The park authority notes that ice forms on it around December, and it suggests skating once the new ice has formed.

Ice fishing and a snowmobile ride make use of the lake and the valley beside it. Ice fishing with Activities in Abisko is for Arctic char, cooked over a fire afterwards; before the ice on Torneträsk is safe, the group drives by minibus to a lake nearby, and later it reaches the big lake by snowmobile. One guest in February 2026 had the fishing replaced by a snowmobile trip, so ask what happens in poor conditions. The snowmobile ride by Experience Abisko follows the Abisko valley along the edge of the park. Drivers must be 18 or older with a licence valid in the EU and are liable for damage to the machine; teenagers from 15 can ride behind the driver, and children from 7 to 14 sit in the guide's sled.

For something steeper, Abisko Adventure teaches ice climbing on a frozen icefall near the village, with a certified guide and boots, crampons, harness and helmet provided. It is open to beginners from 10 years.

Aurora nights in the park

The Swedish Tourist Association describes the so-called blue hole over Abisko as a local weather phenomenon that often brings clear skies while the surroundings are cloudy. The park authority adds that Abisko gets only about 300 mm of precipitation a year. STF puts the best chances between mid-November and mid-March, within a season that runs from late August to April. None of this guarantees a clear night.

The best-known viewpoint is the Aurora Sky Station, reached by chairlift from a base station a ten-minute walk from STF. If you sleep in Abisko, the aurora chase by Lights Over Lapland collects you at your accommodation there and keeps the round trip to at most 100 km. From Kiruna, the evening tour by Paradise Lapland heads towards the park in a minibus but will not drop you in Abisko. Our page on northern lights tours from Kiruna compares the evening formats.

Avalanches, weather and short days

Off the marked trails, the mountains around Abisko are avalanche country. Naturvårdsverket publishes bulletins for the forecast area Abisko/Riksgränsfjällen, which covers Björkliden, Låkktatjåkka and Kårsavagge, and a separate page for terrain outside the forecast areas. In mid-October the area was still marked as not assessed. Check the bulletin each morning before you leave the marked trails.

Kiruna Lapland warns that winter weather in the region changes quickly, from starry sky to snowfall in very little time. Light is the other limit. In Kiruna, an hour's drive east, the sun does not rise at all from 11 December to 1 January, and on 21 December twilight lasts from 08:56 to 14:18. A short day like that leaves room for one outing in daylight, so keep longer walks for February and March.

Coming for the day from Kiruna

Without a night in Abisko, a guided day trip is the practical choice, since the activities above do not collect guests in Kiruna. The tour by Explore Arctic visits the canyon, the Silver Waterfall in Björkliden and the frozen Torneträsk, with lunch at a hotel in Björkliden and children from 5. Kiruna Guidetur lends outdoor clothing for a similar route that adds the view of Lapporten, and Lights of Vikings plans several short walks and brings snowshoes when they are needed.

Explore Arctic also takes guests from Kiruna to Abisko for a Christmas dinner and for a New Year's Eve evening with fireworks at midnight. The tour pages leave the exact dates open and accept guests from 16 years. Our day trips page compares the full-day routes, including the drive on to Narvik.