Camping in Sweden – close to nature

Camp site by lake Hotingssjön

Red clover, daisies and bluebells are seen all over by the shores of Lake Hotingssjön. The water glitters in the sunlight and a family of ducks swim into the reeds. We park at the yellow reception house and check in for a night at the campsite. We are almost blinded by the tall birches with white trunks that glow with the green grass and leaves around.

Several motorhomes have just arrived and some ladies go for a walk with their dogs. We get a chat with Anders Hall who has driven the so called Wilderness road (Vildmarksvägen) via Gäddede and up to the mountain plateau Stekenjokk with high snow capped mountains.

“– There was still snow up there by the road and more on the higher mountain tops. I am very interested in birds and I even saw a Lapland Longspur”, he says.

He came here after one night in the small village Stora Blåsjön by the Wilderness Road and chose Camp Hoting since it is beautifully situated by the lake and right next to the Inland Road (Road E45), just north of Strömsund.

“– I have had motorhomes for 20 years, it means a lot to me to have this kind of freedom, and stay wherever I feel like”, says Anders Hall.

Carina used to be a banker – now she runs the camp site

Some guests come here without a prior reservation and some book well in advance, Carina Jonsson tells us. She has had the camp site now for three years.

“– I took over from my parents who ran this camp site for 15 years. After working in a bank for many years I felt a need to become my own boss. It was a dream come true to take the step and dare to take over the business and it feels good that the camp site stays within the family”, she says.

Giving the guests a wonderful stay and a relaxing vacation is what drives Carina to keep going.

“– Many people lead stressful lives nowadays and here at the camp site they can just hang around and relax”, she says.

There is a nice retro feel to the camp site and visitors can play mini golf, boules or frisbee golf. The beach with sand and a jetty that forms a rectangle with a safe area for the younger visitors attract on sunny days. And for the daring there is a jumping tower from a raft further out in the lake.

Freedom with a rented motorhome

Åsa Wikingsson and Mikael Andersson are also planning on a dip in the lake. They have come all the way from Trollhättan in the south of Sweden and are continuing way up north to Gällivare. After going north inland they will go by the coast to get back south.

“– We have rented this motorhome and it is our first time. It is so nice being able to bring everything we want and being able to cook and stay at the sites we choose. It is beautiful here in Jämtland Härjedalen with all the flowers and lakes. At home all flowers are gone by now”, they say.

“– I saw that there are boats for rent at the camp site, maybe we can take a tour later, says Erika as we rest on one of the benches where there is water on both sides of the trail.

A virtual sea of Fireweed (Whillow herb or Saint Anthony´s laurels) surrounds a nice barbecue hut and we continue over a wooden bridge, and into the magical forest with pillar-like pines. Several overgrown man-dug pits tell of times when moose were caught in these traps by hunters. A jogger in neon yellow clothes takes us back to the present and then a cute squirrel steals our attention.

Back at the campsite, several motorhomes and two groups of motorcyclists have turned up. Some cook in the service house where there are also opportunities to wash and iron clothes. We grill our sausages on a small barbecue and enjoy the evening light when the sky clears and the sun’s last rays color the ground and trees.

A couple comes walking from the wood-fired sauna and tells us that it was refreshing with an evening dip in the lake. They live in one of the red-painted cabins on the campsite. There is a total of 25 cabins housing from two to six people, with or without shower. For the simple cabins without a bathroom there are showers and toilets in a separate building.

Nature and Culture by the camp site

“– Mostly Swedes come here, Norwegians and Germans, but we also have guests from Italy and France. Most stay more than one night. This year we see a lot of Swedes on Staycation”, she says.

The prehistoric exhibit

“– On the island Långön in lake Hotingssjön there are graves from the Viking age”, Carina tells us and shows us an exhibit which is usually very exciting for children. The doll in Viking style apparel suddenly turns into a skeleton in a dark tomb.

Carina has a vision. She wants to arrange a stone age camp by the lake where people can try living in huts, making knives out of stones and make dinner in a cooking pit using hot stones from an open fire.

Ivar´s Car Museum in Hoting

We take time to visit Ivar’s car museum, which is close to the campsite and the nearby stop for the Inlandsbanan train. Carina guides us to old treats such as a shiny turquoise Chevrolet from 1957 and a Volvo Duett from 1965 that shines magnificently in orange. The only thing we are missing is an old caravan, perhaps the classic so called Egg from the past. We feel our visit to Hoting is just about complete after the car museum. Another year, maybe we will come here to go to Hotingtravet, which is a trotting race and a lively festival for both people and horses.

”– Even the horses can relax after the races. They get to swim around a specially built jetty and many of the horses want to do it several times”, says Carina.

We are also craving a bath in lake Hotingsjön now that the sun has come up. Thoughts of giant pike with crocodile jaws are quickly forgotten when we jump into the warm and clear water. The sand feels nice on bare feet – and we also take a boat trip out on the lake before we go on.

Life is here and now, as it should be on  vacay!

Camping in Mid Scandinavia

There are several roads leading to Jämtland Härjedalen from the Norwegian region Trøndelag, making it easy to fit two countries into one vacation. For example experience Funäsfjällen, Sweden and Røros, Norway in one trip to get a genuine feel of a living mountain village with several ski resorts as well as the cosy old mining town Røros, a World Heritage Site.

Another great combo is Östersund and Åre on the Swedish side of the border and Stiklestad and Trondheim on the Norwegian side. For a tour suggestion, see The Panoramic Route.

For a northern alternative combine the Wilderness Route on the Swedish side with a tour in Northern Trøndelag to the coastal cities Namsos, Steinkjer, Verdal and a tour out to Trondheims garden peninsula, Frosta.

Wild Camping in Jämtland Härjedalen

There are plenty of organized Camp Sites and camper areas / motorhome stopovers in Jämtland Härjedalen. If you prefer wild camping there are some rules to go by.

Local Regulations

In the communities Östersund, Åre, Krokom, Strömsund and Ragunda there are local regulations prohibiting camping with caravans and motorhomes in public areas. Public areas are defined as public roads, streets and parks. In the communities Berg, Bräcke and Härjedalens there are no such regulations for camping.

Trail Act – Driving in the Terrain

The Swedish Trail Act regulates how you are able to drive off-road in Sweden. In addition you need to be aware of traffic signs put up by the Swedish Transport Administrations. In private roads it is up to the owner whether he/she allows public traffic and if parking should be ok. If there is no signage you are allowed to park just alongside the road if the ground is not damaged or the parking means a danger to traffic or if the owner is restrained by you parking in his daily work. If you want to park near a house you need to ask permission from the owners.

Rest stops are for temporary rest

Rest stops run by the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket) are for temporary rest and not camping. The basic rule is that you can stay for a maximum of 24 hours in Rest stops and marked Parking lots along the Swedish Public roads. Saturdays and Sundays you may stay until the next weekday. If other rules apply you will see this in local signage by the rest stop or parking lot. Here is a map of Swedish Rest stops.