Walking time measured on the mapped line (TrailSplits time model, moving time; within 22 % on four in five test legs). Outside Switzerland our walking times often run short of the times route operators publish; treat them as optimistic. Climb measured on the mapped line, on terrain heights.
16kmStage distance
330mAscent, measured
3 h 56Walking time, measured
1Stage number
The 16 km gravel road from Kangerlussuaq to the Kellyville trailhead: walk it, or take a transfer or taxi. There is no hut at Kellyville.
Best season: Mid-June to late September. The trail manager gives a summer window from mid-June to late August and an autumn one from late August to late September, when snow becomes much more likely. Mosquitoes are worst from mid-June to mid-August. It advises against hiking from May to mid-June, when the snow melts and the rivers run high, and from October to February. Winter expeditions go in March and April. Before you go
Kangerlussuaq to Kellyville
Loading topographic map…
Flat (<5%) Gentle (5–10%)
Green: Kangerlussuaq to Kellyville. Grey: full trail. Elevation follows this mapped track.
Facts read from the guide's sources and OpenStreetMap on 13 October 2026. A page can change after we read it, so confirm with your accommodation before you rely on a date or a bed.
Stage start
Kangerlussuaq
Town
The airport settlement at the start, with hotels, a youth hostel and a campsite; the trail starts at Old Camp on its edge.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 5 places to stay within about 1300 m (read 13 October 2026). TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
The trailhead at the end of the 16 km road from Kangerlussuaq, with no hut: walk the road or take a transfer, then go on to Katiffik.
Walking time for this leg
No walking time is published for this leg. Measured on the mapped line, the stage takes about 3 h 56 of walking.
Make it your trip
Go in summer, register, carry a tent
The trail manager advises against hiking the trail from October to February, and from May to mid-June while the snow melts and the trail is boggy: plan your walk between mid-June and late September. No permit or fee is needed, the trail manager says, but every hiker must register the trip online with it once the flights are booked. The huts are free, open all year and first come, first served; commercial groups must not take them over. There is nowhere to buy food or fuel on the trail: bring everything from Kangerlussuaq or Sisimiut. Fishing needs a licence.
Kellyville to Sisimiut
From the trailhead, a night in each of the trail's huts.
15.6 km
22.5 km
20.6 km
22.2 km
11.7 km
19.0 km
16.8 km
13.9 km
19.6 km
Weather this week
Loading the forecast for low point (30 m) and high point (184 m)…
Weather by month
Typical weather on this stage: at the lowest point (30 m) and the highest point (184 m). Select a month to see why it is rated as it is.
Monthly climate averages and daylight
Month
Weather
Poor
Poor
Poor
Poor
Mixed
Good
Good
Good
Mixed
Poor
Poor
Poor
High point, day / night
-13°/-21°
-13°/-21°
-10°/-18°
-2°/-10°
7°/-1°
14°/5°
15°/6°
13°/4°
7°/0°
1°/-5°
-5°/-12°
-9°/-16°
Low point, day / night
-12°/-20°
-12°/-20°
-9°/-17°
-1°/-9°
8°/0°
15°/6°
16°/7°
14°/5°
8°/1°
2°/-4°
-4°/-11°
-8°/-16°
Rain, mm
11
7
6
9
10
14
27
38
28
16
14
10
Snow at high point
Likely
Likely
Likely
Likely
Possible
–
–
–
Possible
Likely
Likely
Likely
Daylight
3 h 50
7 h 58
11 h 31
15 h 24
19 h 33
24 h
22 h 17
17 h 17
13 h 21
9 h 39
5 h 39
1 h 54
Source: TerraClimate 1991–2020 monthly averages. Averages for the area at each point’s elevation (4 km grid, corrected for height). Not a forecast or a report of current trail conditions. Snow at the high point is estimated with a simple snowpack model from these temperatures and precipitation, not observed; steep islands and high summits can hold more snow than it shows. Daylight is for the 15th of each month. Hut, transport and park seasons are separate: check them for your dates.
Before you go
Prepare for the Arctic Circle Trail
Arrange your stays, food and travel first, then check conditions again near departure.
Alone in the wild
For 160 km there is no village, road or shop, and help can take days. Register before you go, carry a map, compass or GPS with the official track, and plan for river crossings that rise in warm weather and after rain. The trail manager posts alerts and trail status on its site.
The nine huts on the original route are free, open all year and kept up by the local government; they hold 4 to 21 people and cannot be booked. Hundesø is not an official hut and is not maintained.
Google Maps journey searches, not confirmed services. A mountain endpoint may need a booked transfer or an additional walk.
To the start at Kangerlussuaq
Air Greenland flies to Kangerlussuaq, though not every day. From the settlement to the Kellyville trailhead is 16 km of gravel road: walk it, or book a transfer or taxi.
Prepare every section before you leave Kangerlussuaq or Sisimiut: there is no mobile signal on most of the trail.
Keep your route and maps on your phone for places without a signal. For multi-day trips, prepare them in the installed TrailSplits app.
Open this trail in the app.Install TrailSplits, then open this trail there. On iPhone, downloads in a browser may not be available in the installed app.
Choose your route or stages. Choose Prepare offline above. Wait for the route and maps to finish downloading.
Try it before leaving coverage. Switch offline, close and reopen the app, then use My Hikes to start navigation. Repeat for every part you will need.
Saving a bookmark is not a map download. Storage can be cleared by your device; keep a backup map for remote trips.
Route & sources
About this map
The trail manager publishes the trail as nine hut-to-hut sections, 162 km from Kangerlussuaq to Sisimiut, or 146 km from the Kellyville trailhead; it publishes no section times, only distances, and gives an average of about 2.5 km an hour over the whole trail, 8 days or more. The line here is the route on OpenStreetMap (relation 8350961, "Arctic Circle Trail", from the planet of 11 October 2026): 162 km on the summer route, over the new bridge at the Itinneq and along the shore of Lake Amitsorsuaq, cut at the nine section ends. Our climb is measured on terrain heights, so short steep rises are smoothed out.
Official guidance and mapped-source comparison checked 13 October 2026. Map data is a route reference, not confirmation of today's path, weather or accommodation availability.