Stora Sjöfallet National Park - A powerful sense of ancient nature
Experience Stora Sjöfallet National Park in Swedish Lapland – hiking, waterfalls, breathtaking scenery, and ancient views.
Outside of Naturum by Stora Sjäfallets National Park.
A Rough Road to a Beautiful Place
Getting to Stora Sjöfallet National Park is part of the adventure. The road is bumpy with lots of gravel and holes, so you need to drive slowly. But as you get closer, the views make you forget about the road. The river runs alongside you, and on the other side, steep mountains rise high into the sky like something from another time.
I was there with my dad in July 2025.
The road to the National Park was long and ruff. But oh so beautiful!
First Stop: Naturum
We started at Naturum, a nice visitor center where you can learn about the area, buy handmade souvenirs, or have a coffee and pastry. We walked around, enjoyed the view, and took some (or rather lots) of photos.
There is a short loop trail outside where dogs are welcome. But in the rest of the park, dogs are not allowed most of the year. Between 1st of January and 30th of April, dogs on a leash are okay, rest of the year, no dogs allowed in the national park. The only exception is the Kungsleden trail, where leashed dogs are allowed all year round.
Seeing the Waterfall
Next, we wanted to see Stora Sjöfallet, the big waterfall the park is named after. We followed the GPS, but it led us the wrong way - old paths that nature has taken back still show up as roads. Later, we found out there is a small parking area along the road a little farther up. From there, it’s a short walk on wooden planks, then a rocky trail (about 500 meters) to reach the waterfall. While our little adventure ended up taking us 2 hours, you can easily visit the waterfall in 30-40 min walk (there and back).
This is how most of the trail looked on the way to the waterfall.
The last part of the trail is rocky and at some parts, slippery, so you need to watch your step, but it’s worth it. The water crashes down with great force. You can even sit on the rocks near the waterfall - it’s exciting and a little scary at the same time.
Last 500m of the trial to the waterfall was rocky and a bit tricky.
Facts about Stora Sjöfallet
📍 Location: Stora Sjöfallet / Stuor Muorkke National Park, Lapland, Sweden (part of the Laponia World Heritage Site)
🏠 Naturum Laponia: Open around 10 AM–6 PM during the season (check locally)
💲 Admission: Free
🅿️ Parking: Big, flat, and good for motorhomes
🚽 Toilets: At Naturum during opening hours
Good to Know & Tips
🛤️ The road is rough - drive slowly and plan for extra time.
🧥 Bring a windproof jacket, hat, and gloves — it’s cold and windy by the waterfall.
🐶 Dogs: Only allowed during certain months and must always be on a leash.
🗺️ Take a photo of the trail maps at Naturum since they don’t have paper maps.
🎁 Many of the souvenirs at Naturum are handmade.
Reflection
Stora Sjöfallet is one of the most impressive places I’ve been. Here I felt small - in a good way - reminded of how big and old nature is. That’s what makes this place so special. All you need is good shoes, some patience for the road, and curiosity. So go for it - let yourself feel small for a while in the amazing nature of Stora Sjöfallet.
