Laktajakk Waterfall Hike, Abisko, Sweden

Laktajakk, also spelt Loktajohka, is a beautiful waterfall in Swedish Lapland, along the E10 road near Abisko. The waterfall is easily accessible and well worth the short hike from the main road. Especially considering this isn't an area where there are that many waterfalls.

Laktajakk Waterfall.

The Laktajakk will probably catch your eye already from the road, as you can see it from there while driving. That's how I first saw it and wondered if it was accessible and how I could get there, considering how close it is to the road.

Sure enough there was a trail. There are no properly marked trails leading to it, however it is quite easy to find the trail that leads up to it.

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Overview of the Laktajakk Waterfall Hike & Map

This is a short hike with no particular challenges along the trail. I would not swear this is the only trail that leads to the waterfall, since it's that close to the main road and to the Laktajakk train station, there could well be other access points. However, with no trails marked on paper or digital maps alike, the one I chose from my hike seemed to be the closest access point.

You could easily combine this short hike with other day hikes in the area. For instance, I combined it with the nearby hike to Trollsjön.

Here is a GPS of the hike to the Laktajakk Waterfall. You can download the GPX file for free from the activity linked below. Not that you'd really need one for such a short trail, but it could be useful to locate the trailhead along the road.

How to get to the Laktajakk Waterfall trailhead and Parking

Located along the route E10, about 10 KM east of the Norway/Sweden border, the waterfall is easy to reach from both directions.

• Driving Directions: If you are arriving from Norway, you will find the waterfall on your right, about one KM after the big parking area by the Laktajakk train station, which is also the Trollsjön trailhead. If you are coming from the opposite direction, it's about 27km from Abisko, so a little less than half an hour by car.
• Parking: There is a small parking area right next to the road, big enough for 4-5 cars. It looks more like a small pull-out area, but you can park there. The small parking area is here. If it's full, you may need to head toward the parking area by the Laktajakk train station, which adds about one KM to the hike, each way.
• Public Transport: the Laktajakk train station is a short walk away, and you can reach the waterfall following a different trail that loosely follows the train tracks eastward. I have not done that trail, but it's visible on the topo maps of the area.

The Laktajakk Waterfall Hiking Trail

From the road, the trail immediately enters the birch forest, gradually gaining elevation as it approaches the train station and train tracks. As a reference, you can look for the sign with "Rallarvägen Loktajohka" written on it, this one:

The trailhead, on Road E10.

The trail is visible and easy to follow, but from time to time it crosses other trails – just keep walking towards the general direction of the waterfall, following the Loktajohka River upstream

At some point, the trail passes by a hut, a bit in disrepair. The trail then heads towards the train tracks, which you'll have to cross on foot. Trains aren't really frequent, but it goes without saying, still look both ways!

The Loktajohka Hut.

After crossing the rail tracks, the trail continues to follow the river upstream, and at this point, the waterfall is just a few hundred meters away. As you hike up toward the waterfall, the views will open up on the other side, too, toward the vast expanse of the wilderness of the Abisko National Park.

From here, it's just a short, uphill walk to reach the waterfall. Keep following the river upstream and you'll reach the waterfall within a few minutes. The also trail continues uphill above the waterfall, if you want to explore the area further.

Laktajakk Waterfall Photos and Photography Tips

This was quite a fun waterfall to photograph, and it offers several good viewpoints. There are two main viewpoints, one on the side of the river, to your left, where you can see the waterfall almost from the front. This is probably the best and closest viewpoint to the waterfall, and perhaps the only one accessible after heavy rains or in late spring/early summer during the thaw. The reason is that the other viewpoint is essentially on the riverbed.

In mid-September, the volume of water going through the falls was quite low, and there were plenty of spots on the riverbed that were accessible. Overall, these were my favorites. However, earlier in the season, the waterfall may be more impressive to see and photograph with a much higher volume of water going through it.

In any case, you'll need a wide-angle lens; the waterfall is quite large, and you'll be quite close to it as well. I only used my 14-24mm lens (full frame) here, except for the photos from the trail. I spent a considerable amount of time exploring different compositions from various angles, and this waterfall offers a wealth of options, making it quite a fun one to photograph.

Where to stay

There aren't too many options in the area; this is a very remote location. There are, of course, Abisko and the Abisko Tourist center, then Björkliden, and a few more accommodations around Riksgränsen, close to the Norwegian border, which is also where the only mini-market in the area is located. It's a remote location, and that's the beauty of it.

If you are in a van or a camper, there are, a few parking areas where an overnight is allowed, such as this one.

Additional Resources

• For more nearby hikes, check out Trollsjön – a beautiful lake in the Wilderness of Northern Sweden.
• Discover more hiking destinations