Where is the best place to canoe in Värmland?
Short answer
For a multi-day lake trip, Nordmarken on the Dalsland border is the strongest area in Värmland: its lakes connect into the Dalsland–Nordmarken system, with around a hundred prepared campsites and loops in several directions if you start from a central base. Glaskogen suits shorter trips inside one reserve, Klarälven suits a slow river or timber raft trip, and Fryken, Glafsfjorden and Värmeln are big single lakes for day trips or linear tours.
Canoeists ask about six areas in Värmland most. They differ in the layout of the water: one long river, one long lake, a closed set of lakes, or a network that keeps going. The layout decides how long you can paddle without turning round.
The six areas compared
| Area | Type of water | Multi-day potential | Crowds in July | Wild camping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nordmarken (Årjäng, Dalsland border) | Network of large lakes joined by locks and channels | High: loops of 3–8 days, linked to the Dalsland lakes | Busy on main routes, quiet side lakes | Around 100 DANO campsites with shelters, plus allemansrätten |
| Glaskogen (Arvika) | Lakes inside one nature reserve, 150 km of routes | Medium: tours of 1–5 days, longer if you portage out | Peak from late June to mid-August | About 40 shelters, card required, max two days per place |
| Klarälven (northern Värmland) | Slow-flowing river | Medium: downstream only, 1 day to a week | Raft season peaks in July | Riverside camping under allemansrätten |
| Fryken (Sunne, Torsby) | Three long lakes in a chain, about 80 km | Low to medium: linear, so you need a transfer back | Spread out along 80 km | Allemansrätten, campsites on shore |
| Glafsfjorden and Arvika | Large lake near town, rivers from the Norwegian border | Medium: linear tours ending in Arvika | Spread out over several routes | Allemansrätten, shelters or cabins on package routes |
| Värmeln (east of Arvika) | Large single lake | Medium: packages of several days from Arvika | Spread out | Allemansrätten |
The crowd column is a rough guide: no area publishes visitor counts. DANO does say that July is its peak month, when many canoeists can pass one campsite in a day. Glaskogen’s infocentre keeps its longest hours from 29 June to 16 August (2026).
Nordmarken
Nordmarken is the western corner of Värmland around Årjäng. Its lakes, Västra Silen, Östra Silen, Foxen and the northern arm of Stora Le, are part of the Dalsland–Nordmarken lake system, and locks at Gustavsfors, Krokfors and Lennartsfors link them to Lelång and the Dalsland Canal. You can paddle for a week without crossing the same water twice. Full guide: How do you canoe in Nordmarken?.
Glaskogen
Värmland’s largest nature reserve, just under 29,000 hectares, south-west of Arvika. The two big lakes are Stora Gla and Övre Gla, with smaller lakes around them and marked tours from a few hours to five days. The infrastructure is good and well kept. The trade-off is scale: the routes stay inside the reserve, and going further means portaging into other lake systems. Full guide: Is Glaskogen a good place for a canoe trip?.
Klarälven
A long, slow river through forest, best known for timber rafting. Vildmark i Värmland runs raft trips from one day to a week and also rents canoes. River trips are one-way, so you need transport back to the start. See Klarälven: canoe or raft?.
Fryken
Three lakes in a row, Övre, Mellan and Nedre Fryken, about 80 km in total, with Sunne at the narrows between the upper and middle lake. Fine for day trips and a calm linear tour. There is no network to loop through, so a multi-day trip ends far from where it started.
Glafsfjorden, Arvika and Värmeln
Arvika sits at the head of Glafsfjorden. Arvika Kanot & Turistcenter runs guided and self-guided tours of up to a week on Värmeln, the Jösse and Köla rivers and Glaskogen, with transport to the start and a paddle back to town. A good choice if you want a set route with the logistics handled from Arvika.
Which area for which trip
| You want | Go to |
|---|---|
| A multi-day lake loop with wild camping | Nordmarken |
| A short trip in a protected reserve with shelters | Glaskogen |
| Drifting downstream, or building a raft | Klarälven |
| One calm lake, day trips | Fryken or Glafsfjorden |
| A set linear route from town | Arvika and Värmeln |
Our pick for a multi-day lake trip
For three days or more on lakes, go to Nordmarken and start from a base in the middle of the system. A central base lets you set off in any direction depending on the wind and come back by a different route.
Where we would start: Outpost North at Gustavsfors, on the water between Lelång and Västra Silen, right on the Värmland–Dalsland border. Both lakes start at the jetty, the locks into Östra Silen and Foxen open longer loops, and you need no car transfer. You book a canoe or kayak package there, starting on any day for 1 to 14 days, with the route in an app and the nature card included. More on choosing a base in Where is the best base for a canoe trip in Värmland?.
Sources
Dalsland Nordmarken (DANO), DANO: campsites, Glaskogen: about the reserve, Glaskogen: canoeing, Länsstyrelsen Värmland: Glaskogen, Visit Värmland: paddle through Värmland, Visit Värmland: canoeing in Arvika, Visit Värmland: Arvika Kanot & Turistcenter, Vildmark i Värmland, Västsverige: Gustavsfors lock, Outpost North.
