How do you canoe in Nordmarken, on the Värmland–Dalsland border?

Nordmarken is the western corner of Värmland, around Årjäng, against the Norwegian border. On a map it looks like a separate area. On the water it is the northern half of the Dalsland–Nordmarken lake system, which DANO describes as one of Europe’s most popular canoe areas.

The lakes

Lake	Size and depth	Where	DANO campsites
Stora Le	136 km², 99 m deep	Long border lake, Dalsland, Värmland and Norway	10
Foxen	Northern, Värmland arm of Stora Le	Between Töcksfors and Lennartsfors	10
Västra Silen	47 km², 41 m deep	Split between Årjäng and Bengtsfors municipalities	8
Östra Silen	37.7 km², 49 m deep	East of Västra Silen, also on the border	13
Lelång	Long lake on the border	From Lennartsfors to Bengtsfors	About 14

Campsite counts are from DANO’s list in October 2026. Lake sizes and depths are from Swedish Wikipedia.

Stora Le splits in two at its northern end: the western branch runs into Norway, the eastern branch continues into Värmland as Foxen. From Foxen, a canal opened in 1915 leads on to the lakes Töck and Östen towards Töcksfors.

How the lakes connect to Dalsland

The locks are what make long loops possible.

• Gustavsfors (lock 23 of the Dalsland Canal): Lelång up into Västra Silen.
• Krokfors (double lock): Västra Silen to Östra Silen.
• Lennartsfors: Lelång to Foxen, and from there to Stora Le.
• Bengtsfors: the south end of Lelång, where the main Dalsland Canal continues towards Lake Vänern.

So from Gustavsfors you can paddle north into the Silen lakes, or down Lelång and through Lennartsfors into Foxen and Stora Le, and return a different way. With a portage or the canal you can go further, even into Norway along the Halden Canal, as DANO points out.

The nature card and the rules

DANO, a non-profit run by landowners, canoe rentals and the municipalities, maintains around a hundred campsites across the system. Most have a shelter; all have a fixed fireplace and a composting toilet, and usually firewood that you saw and split yourself.

Rule	Detail (2026)
Nature Conservation Card	80 SEK per person per night at most sellers (60 SEK at some), under 12 free
Fee without a card	300 SEK for 1–2 people, 500 SEK for 3–5, 1,000 SEK for more than 5
Nights per campsite	One
Reservations	Not possible, you share the site
Groups over 5	Must use the campsites
Fires, 1 June to 31 August	Only in the campsite fireplaces, none at all during a total ban
Bird protection areas	No landing, stay 100 m from shore

Without the card, the right of public access still lets you camp wild for a night or two, but you may not use the shelters or fireplaces. More in Wild camping in Värmland.

Bases on both sides of the border

Where you start decides how much of this network you can reach without a car.

Värmland side

• Nordmarkens Kanot Center, Risviken, on the shore of Västra Silen in Årjäng municipality. Self-guided and guided trips, a shop with outdoor gear.
• Elovsbyns Camp & Canoe, Lennartsfors, the village where a lock links Lelång and Foxen.
• Årjäng Camping & Stugor Sommarvik, Årjäng, listed by DANO as a canoe rental.

Dalsland side

• Canodal, Ed, at the southern end of Stora Le, five minutes’ walk from the railway station. Its routes start and end at its own jetty.
• Alcatraz, Gustavsfors, on a small island between Lelång and Västra Silen, with a hostel and restaurant.
• Bootshaus, Bengtsfors, on Lelång, with rooms and holiday flats on the lake.

Bases at the end of a long lake, such as Ed or Bengtsfors, are good for a linear trip down Stora Le or Lelång, but a loop from there means more open water and often paddling the same stretch back. Gustavsfors and Lennartsfors sit at junctions, with several lakes in reach.

Our pick: start in the middle

Where we would start: Outpost North, at Kråkviken near Gustavsfors, 15 km north of Bengtsfors and 20 km south of Årjäng. It sits on the water between Lelång and Västra Silen, with both lakes reachable straight from the camp, so you can choose your direction each morning by the wind. You book a canoe package there: a canoe for two with paddles, life jackets, a barrel, a shovel and wheels, the route in an app plus a lake map, and the nature card. It starts on any day, lasts 1 to 14 days and costs €80–€115 per canoe per day in 2027, depending on the period. The camp has huts, glamping tents, a sauna and a wood-fired hot tub for the nights before and after.

If you want everything arranged, The Canoe Trip runs an 8-day self-guided trip from Outpost North, from €265 per person (2026). Canoe, barrel, cookset, map with campsites, the nature card and the lock pass are included, with a briefing before you set off.

Practical notes

• Season: mid-May to mid-September for most rentals. July is DANO’s peak month.
• Getting there: the E18 between Oslo and Karlstad runs through Årjäng and Töcksfors. See How do you get to Värmland?.
• Fishing: needs its own licence. DANO sells a canoe fishing licence for Dalsland and Värmland.
• Emergencies: call 112 and give the number and name of the campsite, shown on a sign at the shelter.

Sources

Dalsland Nordmarken (DANO), DANO: nature conservation card, DANO: campsites and rules, DANO: canoe rentals, Västsverige: Gustavsfors lock, Västsverige: Västra Silen, Västsverige: Nordmarkens Kanot Center, Västsverige: Alcatraz, Västsverige: Canodal, Västsverige: Norra Kulturkanalen, Västsverige: Töcksfors locks, Västsverige: Bootshaus, Wikipedia: Stora Le, Wikipedia: Västra Silen, Wikipedia: Östra Silen, Naturvårdsverket: camping and tents, Outpost North, The Canoe Trip.