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Vanlife trip in Dalarna!

In this article, I will share all the information you need to visit the places mentioned in the video below. This trip is perfect for anyone planning a road trip in Dalarna with a car or motorhome!

This article is a complementing guide to our youtube video “Vanlife adventure in Dalarna” where we visit 7 great places in 3 days!
watch it here:

Quick summary

We started our road trip in Vansbro and headed to Malingarnas nature reserve. We continued in the woods to Predikstolen and stayed overnight in Ludvika.

The following day we continued to Våffelbruket in Ludvika and to Skräddartorpsfallet, Smedjebakcen, and Älvpromenaden in Avesta. We slept in Säter by the parking lot at Dammsjön.

On the third day, we headed to Östra Silvbergsgruva and had the last stop in Borlänge at Tjärna Discgolfbana. Then we headed back to Vansbo again.

In total, this trip took us three days. We free camped for two nights and drove about 300 kilometers.

Under every location, there is a link to Google maps for easy access to the places!

Vansbro – Malingarnas nature reserve

This was a quick and easy stop on our way to Predikstolen. We parked the van and enjoyed an hour by the lake. There are many different parking lots to stop by and almost everyone has a table and seating area. I highly recommend taking a little hike down to the water.

We had a snack and prepared ourselves for the trip to Predikstolen.

Google maps link to Malingarnas naturreservat.

Predikstolen

From Malingarna it is 14 km to Predikstolen. From road 66 it´s only dirt roads through the woods to the parking lot by the viewpoint.

We have a big van, over 6 meters long, and even though we were nervous to drive through the woods it went fine! The roads to Predikstolen are mostly gravel.

The parking lot at Predikstolen is big but it can be good to know that the parking lot is located at the end of a steep hill. For cars, this should be no problem, but for a big and heavy camper, it can be more difficult. We parked before the hill and walked up to the parking lot and further on to the trail to the top.

It´s a short hike to the top and no problem to follow the trail.

At the top, there are two places to sit by and one fireplace. By these places the view is amazing!

If you want to see more of the naturereserve there is a trail, about 3 km, that goes into the woods and to another viewpoint. This is a magical trail and a great way to experience more of the reserve.

After our trip to Predikstolen, we continued the dirt roads to Nyhammar and stayed there for the night.

Google maps link to Predikstolen.

Våffelbruket, Ludvika

We started the next day with delicious waffles at Våffelbruket in Ludvika.

This place is located right by road 66 which makes It an easy stop. You can sit inside the café or outside with a view over the lake Väsman.

With new energy, we headed back onto the road to the next stop: Skräddartorpsfallet.

Google maps link to Våffelbruket.

Skräddartorpsfallet, Smedjebacken

From Ludvika we took the road Snåövägen to Björsö and continued in the woods by the lake Söndagssjön where the wilderness camping site is located. Just a few hundred meters past the camp and you are at skräddartorpsfallet.

The fall is right by the road. The area has both longer and shorter hiking trails but we decided to stay by the fall and just enjoy the area. We brought swimming clothes to have a swim in the river but never went in. But we´ve heard that it´s a fun and adventures bathing area.

Google maps link to Skräddartorpfallet.

Älvpromenaden, Avesta

From Skräddartorpsfallet we headed right into the heart of Avesta to walk the trail Älvpromenaden. We parked at Gamla Byn and found a parking lot right by the river and the trail.

The hiking trail is 9 km long and passes by very different areas of the city. Old factory buildings combined with new, sight over the river and beautiful landscapes.

We spent the night free camping at Dammsjön in Säter.

Google maps link to the start of Älvpromenaden.

Östra silvbergs gruva, Säter

The parking lot at Dammsjön was a great place to stay before heading to Östra Silvbergsgruvan. At Dammsjön we could take a fresh morning bath before we went to the mineshaft, Östra Silvbergsgruvan, which is only 7 km away.

The mineshaft is a popular destination so we tried to get there early in the morning. We really enjoyed the beautiful area and found a lot of interesting things to see, like the ancient graveyard.

Google maps link to Östra Silvbergsgruvan.

On our way home…

After the mine in Säter, we headed back home through Borlänge and met up with some friends. We went on a disc golf course in Tjärna and had a great time! The sand dunes at this course are truly something unique!