West Sweden's long-distance trail through the forests, lakes and wilderness of Bohuslän, from Älvsåker south of Göteborg to Strömstad on the coast, in its 27 stages: Göteborg's lake country, the Svartedalen reserve, the open huts and shelters of Kynnefjäll, and the last hills down to the sea.
Best season: All year. West Sweden Trails publishes no season: each time of year has its own character, it says, so plan for the weather and the hours of daylight. Some services are seasonal: the kiosk and toilet at Kåsjön open in summer only, and Friluftsfrämjandet lets the Modalen hut less in summer, when walkers use the shelter most. Before you go
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Plan your days
Your dates
Checking the seasons, closures and current conditions for today…
West Sweden Trails' 27 stages, 6 to 26 km each. Many stage ends are a car park or a lake with nowhere to sleep, so the nights here are at the open shelters, the huts and the beds nearest the trail, wherever they fall. Stage 21 has an unmarked stretch walked by map and compass; the day across it takes the official times, 8 to 9 hours. The last day, from Björnerödspiggen to Strömstad, is about 27 km. Choose a plan, or pick your own start, finish and nights below.
Hut seasons as published. 2026: 1 of 3 huts have published dates, open 1 January to 31 December; 2027: 1 of 3 huts have published dates, open 1 January to 31 December.
21-day plan
Not mapped in OpenStreetMap
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Flat (<5%)
Each day in its own colour, numbered where it starts; the rest of Bohusleden in grey. Select a day for its elevation and 3D flyover.
Make your own plan
Changing where you stay suggests a new number of days: the fewest that keep each day under 8 h of walking and in daylight, where a place to stay allows.
Choose your nights (20 nights)
Days end where the route has a stay, a camp or a village.
3 h 44West Sweden Trails times, shared out for part stages
Stage 1, of which this day walks part: From Älvsåker, where Bohusleden meets Hallandsleden, to Stensjön by Gunnebo in Mölndal: 26 km and 7 to 8 hours, West Sweden Trails says, the longest stage. There is no stay at Stensjön: Hotell Eken is about halfway, and West Sweden Trails lists two open shelters later on the stage, at Hårssjön–Rambo mosse and Stora Tjärnet.
Göteborg's outdoor centre at Skatås, with trams and buses at Welandersgatan. Torpet Mon's B&B and Lisebergsbyn are a few hundred metres from the stage end.
7 h 45West Sweden Trails times, shared out for part stages
Stage 5: Through Bokedalen to the church at Angered: 12 km, 5 hours, graded hard. Torpet Freden, about 3 km in, has two shelters for 10 people and tent pitches; its cottage can be rented through Friluftsfrämjandet Partille. Between Lilla and Stora Ramsjön the older of the two bridges has collapsed: cross only by the new one, on the right seen from the south.
Stage 6 begins here; its notes are with Day 5, which walks most of it.
6 h 45West Sweden Trails times, shared out for part stages
Stage 6, of which this day walks part: Past the Gäddevatten shelters and the edge of Kungälv to Fontin: 17 km, 5 to 6 hours.
Stage 7, of which this day walks part: By Romesjön, where camping is allowed at the bathing place, to Grandalen: 16 km, 6 to 7 hours. The Kolebacka overnight hut is about 1.5 km in. West Sweden Trails reports logging at Romelanda until its notice is taken down: follow the signs on site.
6 hWest Sweden Trails times, shared out for part stages
Stage 7 continues from Day 5, where its notes are.
Stage 8: Into the Svartedalen reserve to Bottenstugan: 8.5 km, 3 to 4 hours, graded hard. Two shelters on the way and two more at Bottenstugan, with a barbecue place and a dry toilet. A landowner is working in the forest and building a gravel road between Övre and Nedre Långevatten; watch for the signs.
7 h 21West Sweden Trails times, shared out for part stages
Stage 9: Through Svartedalen to Lysevatten: 12 km, 4 to 5 hours, graded hard. The trail leaves the reserve near the end of the stage; the Stora Hästevatten shelter is about 2 km before Lysevatten.
Stage 10, of which this day walks part: To Hasteröd: 12 km, 4 to 5 hours. The Djupevatten shelter, about 8 km in, is a good place for the night. There is no public transport at Hasteröd.
7 h 01West Sweden Trails times, shared out for part stages
Stage 11, of which this day walks part: To Vassbovik: 22 km, 6 to 7 hours, with no public transport at either end. The Store Väktor shelter is about 7 km in. Parts can be wet; more boardwalks are being built.
Stage 12 begins here; its notes are with Day 10, which walks most of it.
7 h 25West Sweden Trails times, shared out for part stages
Stage 12, of which this day walks part: To Glimmingen: 12 km, 5 hours. The Stenshult shelter is about 6 km in.
Stage 13: Above Uddevalla to Bjursjön: 12 km, 5 hours. A shelter by Stora Köperödssjön suits a rest or a night, and a marked spur leads down to Uddevalla's hotels, about 2 km off the trail.
BjursjönStay in or via Uddevalla
A lake above Uddevalla with a car park and no public transport. Uddevalla's hotels are about 2 km off the trail, down a marked spur from stage 13. Bjursjöstugan has showers and a sauna for a fee at set times; it is not a place to sleep.
Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
2 h 36West Sweden Trails times, shared out for part stages
Stage 14, of which this day walks part: Past Friluftsfrämjandet's huts to Metsjö: 13 km, 4 hours, graded hard. Hällerstugan can be booked for the night; Krokestugan is closed for overnight stays; the kåta at Västra Krokevattnet is an open rest hut that cannot be booked. No public transport at either end.
Overnight
Hällerstugan
Mountain refuge · Friluftsfrämjandet Uddevalla
Pick a date to check the season.
Season
2026 2026 dates not published Open for coffee on the second and fifth Sunday of each month, 11 to 15, all year; nights by booking.friluftsframjandet.se, read 13 October 2026
Places
Number of places not published · Meals not published A hut for a large group; the number of beds is not published.
Booking
Book onlineFriluftsfrämjandet Uddevalla lets the hut for the night, booked online; it sleeps a large group.
6 h 42West Sweden Trails times, shared out for part stages
Stage 14 continues from Day 11, where its notes are.
Stage 15, of which this day walks part: By Modalen and the Strömmarna reserve to Kaserna near Munkedal: 17 km, 6 to 7 hours, graded hard. A raft crosses the Munkedalsälven in Strömmarna; it stops working when the water is low, Västkuststiftelsen has warned. The Modalen hut must be booked through Friluftsfrämjandet; the shelter beside it is open.
10 places in total · Self-catering 10 beds and a loft for about 10 sleeping mats; no electricity, a wood stove for heat and cooking, an outdoor toilet.
Booking
Book by emailBooked by e-mail to Friluftsfrämjandet Munkedal, by associations, schools and Friluftsfrämjandet members, for one night at a time: 900 SEK for associations and schools, 600 SEK for members of other branches, 500 SEK for Munkedal members. Letting is limited in summer, when walkers use the shelter most.
2 h 49West Sweden Trails times, shared out for part stages
Stage 15 continues from Day 12, where its notes are.
Stage 16, of which this day walks part: To Borgmästarbruket: 6 km, 2 to 3 hours. West Sweden Trails lists the bridge at Kaserna as closed for rebuilding from spring to September, with a temporary footbridge; its notice gives no year.
The stage ends at KynnefjällsNatur, a lodge with rooms and cabins; the Bråmarkenvägen bus stop is below it. From here north the trail crosses Bohuslän's largest wilderness: few roads and long stretches without houses.
6 h 02West Sweden Trails times, shared out for part stages
Stage 19: Into Kynnefjäll to the open hut on Vaktarekullen: 16 km, 5 to 6 hours. From here north the trail crosses Bohuslän's largest wilderness, with few roads and long stretches without houses: plan your nights in the shelters and huts and carry food for several days. Buses are very sparse, above all at weekends and in school holidays.
Stage 20 begins here; its notes are with Day 16, which walks most of it.
Booking requestPhone ahead for a night in the kåta or a shelter, or to use the sauna; the number is on West Sweden Trails' stage 21 page. The camp charges for nights and services.
The stage end touches a public road, with a few parking places about 200 m north; no public transport. Flötemarkens Vildmarkscamp is just north. From here it is about 22 km on the ground to the next night, the Nornäs shelter.
Stage 21, Stage 22 · West Sweden Trails grade: red (hard), medium
Distance
15.8 km
Climb
+301 / −307 m
Walking
8 h 30West Sweden Trails time 8 h 30; measured on the mapped line 4 h 18
km 4.5–8.7: Unmapped stretch: map and compass. See the operator's description.
Stage 21: Flötemarksön to Porsås: 14 km and 5 to 6 hours by West Sweden Trails, graded red (hard), and recommended only for walkers on a long walk who have to pass this way. The stage is not waymarked throughout. It is marked from Flötemarksön to the bridge at Holmen, about 4 km, and again from road 164 to Porsås. Between the Holmen bridge and road 164 you find your own way with map and compass, on paths and small roads, under the right of public access: road 164 is a clear boundary to the north, and walking south you keep Stora Kornsjön on your left until you meet the road to the Holmen bridge. Carry a map and compass and know how to use them. Our map has no path for this part: its dashed straight line of 4.3 km is not a route, so our 8.7 km and our time for this stage are far too low. Plan by the official 5 to 6 hours. It is about 22 km on the ground from Flötemarkens Vildmarkscamp to the next night, the Nornäs shelter. Tanum municipality, which looks after the stage, is working to make the trail continuous again.
Stage 22: From Porsås to the Nornäs shelter on Mellan-Kornsjön: 7 km, 3 hours. The road to Nornäs is private: from the Norane bus stop on road 166 it is about 1.5 km on foot.
6 h 56West Sweden Trails times, shared out for part stages
Stage 24, of which this day walks part: To Håvedalen: 19 km, 7 to 8 hours, graded hard. The Allemarken shelter, with a barbecue place, is about 1 km before the end.
9 h 23West Sweden Trails times, shared out for part stages
Stage 26, of which this day walks part: Over Björnerödspiggen, with its shelter and lookout tower about 2 km in, to Högstad: 13 km, 5 to 6 hours, graded hard.
Stage 27: Down to Strömstad: 15 km, 5 hours. A spur about 5 km in leads to a hilltop shelter at Rogstad.
Days end at a stage end with a refuge or a village, or in a village the route passes through. Walking times are the times published by bohusleden.westswedentrails.se where a stage has one, with the time measured on the mapped line beside it; a day that walks part of a stage gets a share of the stage's time by distance and climb.Outside Switzerland our walking times often run short of the times route operators publish; treat them as optimistic. Running times use 7.5 km/h plus one hour per 700 m of climb: a steady reference, not a prediction. Daylight is sunrise to sunset where the day starts; the time left is for breaks, meals and delays.Refuge dates come from the operator's own pages; when they are not published, we say so. For villages we count the places to stay OpenStreetMap lists; we have not checked which are open. A plan is not a booking: reserve every night before you commit to these day lengths.
Huts and stays, stage by stage
Where each stage ends, the 2026 and 2027 seasons the operator publishes, and how to book. Read from the operators' pages on 13 October 2026; each stage page shows the sources and the grade profile.
Loading the forecast for low point (sea level) and high point (225 m)…
Weather by month
Typical weather on this trail: at the lowest point (sea level) and the highest point (225 m). Select a month to see why it is rated as it is.
Monthly climate averages and daylight
Month
Weather
Poor
Poor
Mixed
Good
Good
Good
Good
Good
Good
Good
Mixed
Poor
Stages rated good on typical weather
0/27
0/27
0/27
21/27
27/27
27/27
27/27
27/27
27/27
27/27
0/27
0/27
High point, day / night
1°/-3°
1°/-4°
4°/-2°
9°/1°
14°/6°
18°/10°
20°/12°
19°/12°
15°/9°
9°/5°
5°/1°
2°/-2°
Low point, day / night
2°/-2°
2°/-3°
6°/-1°
10°/2°
16°/7°
19°/11°
21°/13°
20°/13°
16°/10°
11°/6°
7°/2°
3°/-1°
Rain, mm
70
56
45
46
53
77
76
88
82
103
92
84
Snow at high point
Possible
Possible
Possible
Frost
–
–
–
–
–
–
Frost
Possible
Daylight
6 h 55
9 h 14
11 h 40
14 h 23
16 h 51
18 h 27
17 h 50
15 h 36
12 h 58
10 h 22
7 h 49
6 h 15
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 Bohusleden
Arrange your stays, food and travel first, then check conditions again near departure.
Open shelters, a few huts, beds by the towns
The trail's shelters (vindskydd) are open to all, first come; they cannot be booked. The hut on Vaktarekullen is always open and cannot be booked either. Friluftsfrämjandet lets Hällerstugan (booked online) and the Modalen hut (members, associations and schools, one night, booked ahead); Krokestugan is closed for overnight stays. Flötemarkens Vildmarkscamp takes guests by phone, for a fee; hotels, hostels, the lodge at Kynnefjäll and the campsites are booked with each of them. The right of public access lets you pitch a tent or two for a night away from houses and farmland, but nature reserves have their own rules: in two areas of the Svartedalen reserve tents are not allowed at all, and fires only at the places the county board marks.
Stage 21: map and compass
Stage 21, Flötemarksön to Porsås, is not waymarked between the bridge at Holmen and road 164. You find your own way there with map and compass, on paths and small roads: road 164 is the boundary to the north, and walking south Stora Kornsjön is on your left. West Sweden Trails recommends the stage only for walkers who must pass this way; it gives 14 km and 5 to 6 hours. From Flötemarkens Vildmarkscamp to the Nornäs shelter, the next night, is about 22 km.
From Kynnefjäll north, the trail crosses Bohuslän's largest wilderness: few roads, long stretches without houses, and buses that are very sparse, above all at weekends and in school holidays. Plan your nights in the shelters and huts and carry food for several days.
West Sweden Trails posts the trail's status in its map planner. On 13 October 2026 it listed a collapsed bridge between Lilla and Stora Ramsjön on stage 5 (use the new one), logging at Romelanda on stage 7, forestry work on stage 8, and the bridge at Kaserna closed for rebuilding with a temporary footbridge. Read the notices before you set off.
Stages 8 and 9 cross the Svartedalen nature reserve. In its areas 1 and 2 tents are not allowed at all, and fires only at the places the county board marks; use the shelters, such as those at Bottenstugan. Other reserves on the way have their own rules.
Friluftsfrämjandet runs the huts on stages 14 and 15. Krokestugan is closed for overnight stays while its repairs are reviewed; Hällerstugan can be booked online; the Modalen hut is for members, associations and schools, one night at a time. The shelters beside them stay open.
On stage 15 a raft on ropes crosses the Munkedalsälven in the Strömmarna reserve. When the water is low it cannot be used, Västkuststiftelsen has warned.
Google Maps journey searches, not confirmed services. A mountain endpoint may need a booked transfer or an additional walk.
To the start at Älvsåker
Commuter trains stop at Anneberg station, handy for the start; the Älvsåkersgården bus stop is close by, and there is a large gravel car park at the trailhead.
Round Göteborg most stage ends have a stop: Gunnebo park (Stensjön), Welandersgatan with trams (Skatås), Åstebo (Kåsjön), the station at Jonsered and buses at Angereds kyrka. Further north buses are rare or absent: Grandalen and Anvik see very few, Hasteröd, Vassbovik, Bjursjön, Metsjö, Vaktarekullen and Flötemarksön have none. Munkedal has buses and trains, and Loviseholm, about 2 km from Porsås, is served from Ed.
Prepare each stage while you still have a connection: in the forests and on Kynnefjäll the signal can be weak, and stage 21 needs a map of your own.
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.
Bohusleden — frequently asked questions
How long is Bohusleden, and how many days does it take?
West Sweden Trails gives about 350 km in 27 stages; its stage times add up to about 120 to 138 hours of walking, in 27 sections on our map. The guide's day planner offers a 21-day plan on the overnight stops, and you can choose your own nights.
When is the best time to walk Bohusleden?
All year. West Sweden Trails publishes no season: each time of year has its own character, it says, so plan for the weather and the hours of daylight.
How do you get to the start of Bohusleden, and back?
Commuter trains stop at Anneberg station, handy for the start; the Älvsåkersgården bus stop is close by, and there is a large gravel car park at the trailhead. The "Connect your journey" section has the travel details, with 2 more travel notes.
Do you need to book on Bohusleden?
The trail's shelters (vindskydd) are open to all, first come; they cannot be booked.
Can I download the GPX of Bohusleden?
Yes: the whole route and every section, free, for a GPS watch or a phone. The guide also saves your plan for offline use in the app.
Is Bohusleden open? Where are closures announced?
Closures we know of are shown on the days and sections they affect, in the day planner and on the stage pages. We watch 7 official notice pages (Friluftsfrämjandet: Krokestugan; Friluftsfrämjandet: Modalenstugan; Friluftsfrämjandet Munkedal: Bohusleden; Länsstyrelsen: Svartedalen; Västkuststiftelsen: Bohusleden news; West Sweden Trails: Bohusleden trail status; West Sweden Trails: stage 21); the date we last read them is shown with the notices on this page. Check them again before you set off.
Route & sources
Route map & sources
West Sweden Trails (Västkuststiftelsen) publishes Bohusleden as 27 stages, about 350 km from Älvsåker, where it meets Hallandsleden, to Strömstad, with an official stage time for each, shown beside ours on every stage. The line here is the route on OpenStreetMap (the 27 stage relations of relation 280016, from the planet of 11 October 2026, without their side trips): 350.1 km, cut where the stage relations meet. Every stage is within about 1 km of the official length but one. Stage 21 is not mapped between the bridge at Holmen and Porsås, because it is not waymarked there: the map shows that part as a dashed straight line, 4.3 km, which is not a path. On the ground stage 21 is 14 km and 5 to 6 hours, walked by map and compass; plan by those figures, not ours. 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.