Stora Sjöfallet National Park, National park in Norrbotten, Sweden
Stora Sjöfallet National Park covers 1,278 km² in Norrbotten County, surrounding the artificial Akkajaure reservoir from the north, east and south. The Áhkká massif in the south has thirteen peaks and ten glaciers, reaching 2,015 m. The park's namesake waterfall, Stuor Muorkkegårttje, now lies outside the protected area.
Established in 1909, the park was among Sweden's first national parks, and now forms part of the Laponia UNESCO World Heritage site. Its creation marked an early effort to protect this northern wilderness.
The Lule Sami name Stuor Muorkke means "great portage", while the Swedish name refers to the five-level waterfall on the Lule River. Each of the five falls is named after a figure in Lapland's history, among them Lars Levi Laestadius, founder of Laestadianism, and SG Hermelin, an industrial entrepreneur in Norrbotten. Two Sami communities, Sörkaitum and Sirka, hold grazing pastures inside the park.
Bring your own supplies as facilities are limited, and pack warm clothing for changeable weather conditions. Camping is allowed in designated areas, and marked trails help with navigation.
The Akka mountain massif within the park is called the Queen of Lapland and appears as a setting in Selma Lagerlöf's celebrated children's story about the boy Nils Holgersson. This literary connection has made the mountains known far beyond the region.
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