The
Abisko National Park, with the
deep Abisko Canyon, rises from
the Torneträsk lake into
high alpine terrain. This is a
park of tremendous beauty, overlooking
the classic ”Lapp Gateway”
mountain formation, and one of
the most popular and most easily
accesible spots for hikers and
skiers from near and far, who
use the Abisko mountain station
as a base for exploring the vast
mountain regions here.[1]
Geographically, Abisko
is situated in the Swedish province
of Lapland near the Norwegian border
(distance approx. 37 railway km),
and belongs to Kiruna Municipality,
Sweden's northernmost and largest
municipality. It starts from the shores
of Torne träsk, one of Sweden's
largest lakes where the village of
Abisko is located, and extends some
15 kilometres to the south-west. It
is situated about 195 kilometers north
of the Arctic circle. The total area
is 77 km².
The park was established
in 1909, the same year Sweden's first
laws on nature conservation were created.
The intentions of the
Abisko National Park was to "preserve
an area with northern Nordic fell
nature in its original condition and
as a reminiscence for scientific research".
The region has proved to be of much
scientific interest, as is evidenced
by the Abisko Scientific Research
Station which exists to study the
area. Furthermore, the national park
was intended to be a prominent tourism
attraction.
Abisko is also home
to the Abisko Scientific Research
Station, first established in 1903
near the Abisko village and incorporated
with the Royal Swedish Academy of
Sciences in 1935. It is used primarily
for environmental, biological, and
geological research and contains several
on-site laboratories as well as off-site
field research stations.
Tourism
The 425 kilometer-long Kungsleden
hiking trail, which follows the Scandinavian
mountain range, starts (or ends) at
the Abisko Turiststation (consisting
of a railway station of the same name
and the Abisko Youth Hostel) (approx.
4 km west of the village itself) and
follows through the national park.
The Nordkalottruta uses trails of
the park as part of its longer passage.
The Abisko Turiststation, run by the
Svenska Turistforeningen (STF), houses
many visitors to the park and provides
lodging, food, and other amenities,
and is one of many similar facilities
located periodically along the Kungsleden
trail. The national park is known
for its skiing opportunities, snowshoeing,
and other winter sports. As its location
is 195 km north of the Arctic Circle,
summer hikers enjoy the midnight sun,
while winter visitors may find the
light pollution-free location ideal
for viewing the aurora borealis.
Transportation
Daily passenger electric trains run
by SJ AB connect Stockholm with the
Norwegian city of Narvik, stopping
at both the Abisko village (the name
of that railway station is Abisko
Östra [east]) and the Abisko
Turiststation. Additional regional
trains provide links within the Kiruna-Narvik
stretch. Abisko is also reachable
by car via the highway E10 which links
Kiruna and Narvik since early 1980s.
Other local forms of local transportation
include hiking and dog-sledding in
winter. A chair-lift provides access
to the summit of nearby Mt. Nuolja.
Fauna
There are many species of birds in
the park.
Of the mammals, smaller
ones like the marten, stoat, squirrel,
the fell lemming and similar are common
parts of the fauna. Of larger animals,
the Moose and reindeer are common,
and moose droppings and tracks are
found; however, wolverines, arctic
foxes, lynx and bears are only seen
sporadically.[3]
This Swedish National
Park starts from the shores of the
beautiful lake Torne träsk ("träsk"
is Swedish for "lake"),
which is one of Sweden's largest lakes.
The Abisko National Park is a beautiful
park with gorgeous mountain formations.
The park is very popular with hikers
and skiers because of its easily accessible
places. Many of them use the Abisko
mountain station as a base for exploring
the enormous mountain areas here.[4]
The national park consists
of a low-lying valley framed by mountain
ranges in the south and west and the
waters of Torneträsk lake in
the north. Abiskojokka river, which
runs through the whole park, is particularly
interesting. Just before its mouth,
the river passes through canyon about
20 m deep, with sheer cliff walls
which give a picture of the area's
geological history.
From the mountaintop
of Njulla, to which there is a cable
car, there is a magnificent view of
Torneträsk in the north and the
well-known Lapporten in the east.
The lime-rich rock is favourable to
plant life, and some of the rarest
plants of the mountain regions are
found here.
Abisko's best-known
flower is the protected orchid Lapp
Orchid, which grows nowhere else in
the country. There is also a rich
fauna here. There are many small birds,
such as the rare Arctic Warbler. Mammalian
life includes martins, stout, lemmings
and elks.
Abisko's foremost sights
are the view from Njulla, Abiskojokka's
canyon, the flora and the bird life.
The Abisko Naturum centre, by the
mountain hotel, offers guided trips.[5]
