Siljansleden is a full 340 kilometres long and extends in two loops around the lakes Siljan and Orsasjön. This is magnificent landscape with extensive forests and height differences of 400 meter. The trails here pass tarns and small lakes where you can stop for swimming and fishing.
There is much to discover in the region around Siljan. Tällberg offers all that is great about Dalarna in a compressed format, with beautiful countryside and traditional farm buildings. The Rättvik Natural History Museum presents the unique plant and animal life, together with the geology of the Siljan region. Springkällan as a natural spring where water from a cold source forms a 5-metre geyser. The spring was formed during test drilling for oil in 1869 and is unique in Sweden. The mountain grazing huts of Fryksås have a wonderful view across the heights north of Orsasjön, and is the largest preserved collection of mountain grazing huts in Sweden. Goats and other animals are kept here during the summer.
Siljansleden passes through the towns of Leksand, Orsa and Rättvik, and these are good places to join the trail and start hiking. In Mora you can follow the route of the famous Vasalopp ski race from the town centre for 5 kilometres, bringing you to Siljansleden proper. It is also possible to start hiking at any point of the trail. There is also a “Siljansleden by Bike”, which follows the hiking trail at certain points.
Much of the time, you will be hiking along old mountain grazing trails. Many of the old huts are in high locations with a wonderful view, and some have a history that goes right back to the medieval period. The countryside here is wild with coniferous forest and marshland, and the trail passes lakes and water courses. It is suitable both for people who want to take short day-long trips and those looking for a longer journey. Overnight and camping sites are arranged along the trail at appropriate distances. It is also possible to overnight in extremely simple facilities known as “eldpallkojor”, with wooden sleeping benches around a fireplace.
Signs and orange marking around trees make it easy to follow Siljansleden, which is part of a European network of long-distance paths (Europaled 1).
The complete Siljansleden consists of 2 overlapping loops that share a 60km section between Fryksås and Rättvik. There is also a 10km spur trail connected to the western part of the route. For FKT purposes, the best route is the southwest loop (without the spur), which encircles Siljan and Orsasjön for ~200km.
