Wilderness Paddling in Western Sweden - Canoe Discovery Tour in Dalsland

Although we have been living in Sweden for several years now, we are constantly surprised by the new discoveries and insights we gain. And by how existing insights are repeatedly confirmed, yet continue to surprise us every single time. For instance, regarding solitude and a sense of wilderness. We know all too well that even here in the relatively civilized and well-connected Western Sweden, between Gothenburg and Oslo, you can experience true solitude. Nevertheless, the find we made recently was another real eye-opener. In this case, a medium-sized lake area, almost exactly one hour away from our Treeline Studio. Intricate shorelines, coves, headlands, and islands. Almost seamlessly surrounded by a dense belt of forest. Rocky sections of shoreline, but also reed beds and water lily fields. On top of that, very few houses, farms, or docks along the shores. And only very few boats on the water.

I present: Södra and Mellersta Kornsjön – the perfect area to relax for a few days in an undisturbed waterscape, without having to travel far within Sweden!

From the West Coast motorway E6 (or our Treeline Studio), you reach the lake area via a quiet drive through the forested landscape of Dalsland, first on well-maintained paved roads, then on equally easy-to-drive gravel roads. The only challenge was finding a spot to get the boat and equipment into the water and then leave the car parked for a few days with peace of mind (which is perhaps also the reason why the area is so little frequented by other outdoor vacationers). Here is the tip: Between Mellersta and Södra Kornsjön, the forest road O 964 crosses a bridge. Directly on the west side of the bridge, on the shore of Mellersta Kornsjön, there is a somewhat hidden old boat ramp. Although now blocked for boat trailers by large stones, you can get a canoe into the water here very elegantly and without any problems. After unloading your equipment, you park your car on the east side of the bridge. There is plenty of space along the roadside here to leave your vehicle.

On our three-day trip, we only paddled on Södra Kornsjön – and we took it very easy from a paddling standpoint, so we didn’t explore the entire lake by a long shot. Our focus was on cozy camp life on an island, a little paddling, and also a bit of fishing. Speaking of which: there is definitely fish in this lake. As anywhere, you need to know a little bit about what you’re doing – but then catching a few pike or perch shouldn’t be much of a problem. A quick story on this: near a small reed bed, I had pike contact five times out of exactly six casts with a smaller soft plastic lure (the wind drift was strong and I barely had time for my casts) – that was really impressive. Trolling was successful as well. So definitely bring a rod and a few pike lures! If you follow the steps described in my article on pike fishing for beginners, hardly anything can go wrong. 🙂 Fishing permits can be bought online via iFiske. However, you should do this before driving into the area: cell phone reception is sometimes poor, and you can’t necessarily count on being able to load the app to buy the permit once you’ve arrived at the lake.

It should also be noted that the region’s relative obscurity and seemingly low tourism significance mean there is no paddling infrastructure like you find elsewhere—specifically, no wind shelters, fire pits with firewood, or similar amenities. You have to find your campsite on your own, and sometimes you may need to head a bit into the bushes along the rocky shores to find a flat spot for your tent. For true wilderness enthusiasts, of course, this is much more of a major plus than a drawback. In this context, please be sure to observe the regulations of the Swedish Right of Public Access (Allemansrätten)!