Stora Sjöfallet

Stora Sjöfallet is a waterfall and a national park area in Norrbotten County in northern Sweden, first protected as a national park in 1909. It is one of Sweden’s early national parks and sits high in the Scandinavian mountain chain.

Visitors come for hiking, mountain scenery and access to alpine landscapes including nearby peaks and glaciers; trails link into the surrounding mountain areas used by trekkers. The waterfall itself is a focal point for viewpoints and short walks, though its flow has been substantially altered by 20th century hydropower development.

Protected as a national park in 1909 to conserve its alpine and freshwater landscapes, the area later experienced hydropower regulation that changed river flows over the falls. The park has since been managed for both conservation and controlled public access to its mountain and freshwater habitats.

Located in northern Sweden within Norrbotten County and the province of Lapland, the site lies north of the Arctic Circle in the Scandinavian mountains. The area is remote, accessed from small mountain villages and trailheads rather than large urban centers.

• Arctic location: Situated north of the Arctic Circle, offering continuous daylight in midsummer and polar night conditions in winter.
• Altered waterfall flow: Hydropower development in the 20th century reduced the natural flow over the falls, a major change affecting the site.