Hiking Tresticklan.

Tresticklan is located in Dalsland. That’s probably why no one has heard of it. In general Dalsland is a forgotten landscape. Nine out of ten times when I say that I’m from Dalsland, people start talking about how beautiful the midsummer celebrations in Rättvik are and that it must be so fun to be the home county of Vasaloppet.

So it’s perhaps not surprising that no one has heard of Tresticklan. Which is a shame. It has a well-maintained network of trails that would bring tears to the eyes of the avid trail runner. It is simply a paradise located less than 2 hours from Gothenburg.

So let’s talk a little bit about Tresticklan. It is still like home to me.

Hiking Tresticklan – the story

Tresticklan is a national park. Cool. At least we kids thought so when it was inaugurated in 1996 by none other than the Swedish king. Since the activities of the municipality had certain limitations, the king’s inaugural was the largest happening that year, possibly the biggest thing to happen during the 90’s. Local TV was here reporting and if I remember it correctly, the King came flying in aboard a helicopter. Cool.

It’s been a national park ever since, and if you are particularly interested, you can read more about the park at the great website of Sweden’s National Parks.

Hiking Tresticklan

Hiking Tresticklan – Find your way

You probably know where Sweden is. If not, find Sweden on a map. Then, locate Dalsland. It’s closer than you think. Now find Ed.

You can travel conveniently to Ed from both Gothenburg and Oslo. From Gothenburg, it’s a 1h and 20 minute train ride and from Oslo, it’s about 2h and 30 minutes. Once in Ed, you can either try to get hold of the village’s only taxi, rent a car or bribe some local to drive you to Tresticklan. It is the road against Nössemark for about 20 kilometres and to the left. There are signs for the exit to the national park. The road is notoriously curvy with banked turns. Go fast or go home!

Hiking Tresticklan – Considerations

Should you run or hike in Tresticklan, it is good to know that it’s relatively deserted with few people in the area or out on the trails. The mobile coverage isn’t great so tell people where you are going to run or hike and for how long so they know when they should go out and commence a search for you.

Bring a small first aid kit and be sure to check the weather forecast and dress accordingly. It can be a long walk to the closest shelter so make sure you have proper clothing.

Hiking Tresticklan

Hiking and Running in Tresticklan

All trails set out from a place called Råbocken. It is simply a large parking lot where the odds to see a German RV are close to zero.

Until the national park starts, it is just a small dirt road, but where the national park starts, that’s where the trails begin. Slender and awesome single tracks that march right into the forest jungle. The whole area is well marked (we’ll get into that later) so there’s no problem finding your way around and there are boardwalks and bridges where you would want there to be boardwalks and bridges.

You can choose from three marked routes. Halleleden is an old trade path which goes from Råbocken – Budalsvika. It is about 4.5 kilometres long and runs an insanely undulating path up and down the countryside. From Budalsvika you can reach further into Norway and Lundsnesets Naturreservat.

The other trail is Tresticklaleden, going from Råbocken and around in a loop inside the national park. Approximately 8 km of magic forest running on narrow trails along lakes that take your breath away.

And last but not least, Orshöjdsleden leads up to a peak and then further south. If you want to, you can run it all the way down to Ed again. It’s about 9 km Råbocken – Orshjöden – Råbocken.

If you want to run all the way down to Ed, it’s approximately 26-27 kilometres.

All leads are properly marked. Råbocken – Budaslviken with a red marker, Tresticklaleden with a yellow marker and Orshöjdsleden with orange markings.

The substrate is traditional forest trails with elements of rock outcrops. Sturdy shoes are recommended. If you run, bring your trail shoes. If you hike, bring a great pair of hiking boots.

So what are you waiting for? Just get out there!

And if you have any questions – feel free to ask them below in the comments-section.