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Finnskogen

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Finnskogen is a wilderness and cultural area spanning the border between Hedmark, Norway and Värmland, Sweden. Here there are undulating, wooded ridges, river valleys, large and small lakes and marshes. And everywhere there are cultural artifacts attesting to the area's Finnish roots. Together with the many animals and birds living there, this makes Finnskogen a fascinating trekking area, both for distance hikers and for families with children.

Flisbergen in Finnskogen
Flisbergen in Finnskogen

Finnskogen is named after the Finnish immigrants who settled there from about 1600 on. The Finns brought in their customs, including smoke sauna and burning forests to plant crops. Today, the Finnish culture remains in building styles, in local character and in some words and expressions. There are hundreds of place names of Finnish origin, both on maps and in everyday speech.

Cycling is good on many roads closed to vehicular traffic, and the many lakes offer excellent canoeing.

Most popular routes:
Sjutorpvandringen.

Good starting points:
Søre Osen, Gravberget, Kirkenær, Svullrya, Øiermoen and Morokulien.

Maps:
In addition to the 1:50,000 scale main series, there's a folder of six 1:50,000 maps of Finnskogleden (the 240 km trail along the Swedish border, 2003) that include trails, route descriptions and details on lodgings.