Exploring Majestic Arctic Circle Trail 2021
My son Henry and I traveled to Greenland in 2021 to hike "The Arctic Circle Trail." The trail is named for its latitude – essentially lying along the Arctic Circle itself at 66.6° N – and consists of undulating arctic tundra that gets progressively more mountainous as you approach Sisimiut and the coast. It is pristine wilderness at its best with plenty of wildlife, fresh drinking water, and a seemingly endless number of lakes. The distance from Kangerlussasauq to Sissimut is 160 Km.
It is also one of the most isolated treks in the world. There is no cell-phone coverage and no opportunity to purchase even a chocolate bar along its entire length. You are truly on your own out there. It is a real opportunity to sample surviving on your own in a remote environment. It was also an opportunity for me to connect with my son.
Although the trail may look “easy” on paper, many hikers report average speeds of around 2.5km/hr. There are several reasons for this:
- you start off carrying a heavy weight
- the trail can disappear suddenly
- parts of the trail are very boggy
- there are several river crossings that can be challenging
We encountered all conditions from sun to rain and wet snow. Basically the entire trail is wet and we endured wet feet for the entire trip.
Videos of the trail
Wet and wet doesn't begin to describe this 160 km trail. If we were lucky enough to be standing on dry land we stopped to celebrate.
Hiking the Arctic Circle Trail
Wet path
All alone in the wilderness
We did see some people doing this trail, but most days we hiked and never saw anyone.
River Crossing
We crossed many rivers. Some were above the knee.