Vallstigen- hiking trail

The text below is taken from the brochure "Vallstigen i Nordanstig", which was produced with Ulf Sundblad as project manager and author. Ulf, who passed away in 2021, has been driving the work with Vallstigen.

Welcome out into Nordanstig's nature and to Vallstigen
The footpath follows very old hiking trails and runs between the outdoor swimming pool in Hassela to the harbor in Norrfjärden, a distance of about 59 km. It passes 14 places named after existing or former shack embankments and goes from sea level to 330 m.a.s.l. on Västansjökullen. It winds along streams with beaver dams and over mountains with views for miles. The path has rest huts/wind shelters and simpler rest areas with benches. There are bathing opportunities after the trail and showers in both Hassela and Norrfjärden.

The history of the shack embankments is briefly described at many of the shack embankments. There are plenty of tenting options along the trail. At the path, there is also information about the shack embankments, geology, animals, nature conservation areas and other attractions on 40 information boards. Swedish place names with the suffix -vallen and -bodarna are often old farmstead embankments. In the past, the barn operation was a necessary supplement to the operation on the home farm, which usually could not provide for the amount of hay and pasture needed during a year.

Suitable parking spaces are indicated in the text below. Position your vehicle so that you do not block the access of forest machines and logging trucks. It may be appropriate to go in two groups with each car facing each other so there is a vehicle when you arrive and you have a nice meeting in the middle or park a car at either end of your route.

The restoration of Vallstigen, this folder and the information screens have been carried out as a tribute to the Nature Conservation Association's former chairman Sven Norman, who meant so much to the preservation and dissemination of knowledge about our varied and beautiful nature and cultural history in the municipality of Nordanstig. The social enterprises Benefact and Naturkompetens and Ulf Sundblad have participated.

History
The trail was laid out in 1983 but partially fell into disrepair thereafter.

During the years 2015 to 2017, the trail was equipped through state grants mediated by the County Administrative Board Gävleborg (LONA), Nordanstig municipality, as well as through voluntary work by various project employees. Nordanstig municipality was the project owner and the project was led by Ulf Sundblad (Nordanstig association council).

In the project, the trail was cleared, an information brochure was produced, information boards were put up and simpler rest areas/wind shelters were built.

Status of the trail
The trail needs to be inventoried in its entirety to provide a good and up-to-date status report. The brochure that we refer to above cannot therefore be used as a basis for obtaining current information about what it looks like along the trail.

Based on a partial inventory that was carried out in 2020, we know that there is a need to improve and update information, signage and trail markings.

Development of the joint
Not timed. A decision has been made at the culture and leisure unit to prioritize measures on the coastal path based on current resources. The ambition is to also be able to work with Vallstigen in the future.

Before future work with the trail, we gratefully accept comments or error reports from the trail in our e-service for hiking trails.

General questions about hiking, accommodation, food or other activities or events
Experience Nordanstig - Nordanstig's tourist information
0652-361 10
[email protected]

Report deviations to us in our e-service.

Other questions regarding the layout, operation and maintenance of the trails
The culture and leisure unit
0652-360 00
[email protected]