Helgum lies on the Faxälven and Helgumssjön; its proximity to the water shapes the area. When choosing the right place to stay, it is worth considering the different highlights: a bathing spot, hiking and cycling routes, and historic buildings. This can help you decide whether water, trails or local history should shape your plans. Specific details about distance, terrain and starting point help you fit activities into your travel plans.

Waterside location and access to the bathing spot

You can reach the bathing spot in Helgum from the car park by the railway crossing in the town centre via a short forest path. This makes the bathing spot a clearly identified destination in an area shaped by its waterside location. The Faxälven and Helgumssjön provide the broader geographical context; the forest path describes access to the bathing spot. If you are planning an outing by the water, this gives you a specific starting point and a short walk.

Hiking trails with different profiles

Finnåleden, also called Flottarleden, is a 23 km hiking trail in Helgum. It follows the old log-driving route from Runeåberg on the border with Jämtland to Visjön in Helgum. In addition to its length, the route’s historic course gives the trail a distinctive character: there are many wind shelters along the route, and signs provide information about historic buildings and other attractions. The terrain includes both easy-to-walk sections and very hilly stretches. So do not assume that the trail has a uniform profile: the route combines easy-to-walk sections with markedly hilly terrain.

The Helgum illuminated trail has a different focus. It runs through forest and across a clear-cut area; the route ends at the football pitch, at a car park with a picnic table. Unlike Finnåleden, the defining points of reference here are not a log-driving route or a total distance of 23 kilometres, but the trail through two different types of landscape and its specified endpoint. When choosing between the trails, you can consider terrain and route details as separate planning points: for the illuminated trail, the sequence of terrain is described, while Finnåleden also has a stated length and varied profile.

Cycling loop and nature around Visjön

For a cycling trip, Helgumssjön runt is the designated cycling loop: it is 42.9 km long and easiest to start in Helgum. This clearly distinguishes it from Finnåleden, whose 23 kilometres are covered on foot. The two routes can therefore first be distinguished by mode of travel, not just by distance. There is also a wetland with a rich birdlife around Visjön. Visjön is also the destination of the historic log-driving route followed by Finnåleden, so the hiking trail and natural area meet at the same named place.

Church architecture and local history

Helgum Church is a stone church built by Pål Pehrsson and completed in 1795. Construction work could have been completed as early as 1790, but it was not considered fully finished until 1795. The dates therefore refer to two different points in the building’s history: a possible earlier completion of the work and the year it was fully completed. The buildings at Helgum Hembygdsgård were constructed later, between 1866 and 1870. Together, the church and the buildings at Hembygdsgård provide two distinct points in time for exploring local history.

Discover more destinations: Ramsele, Långsele, Näsåker, Sollefteå, Edsele, Junsele.

Go to the main travel overview: Sollefteå.