Should you rent a canoe, go self-guided or book an organised trip in Dalsland?

Most canoeists in Dalsland paddle without a guide. The lakes are sheltered, the campsites are marked on the map and the lakes link up in loops, so a self-guided trip is the normal way. You decide how much to arrange yourself.

The three ways to do it

	Fully independent	Outpost North canoe package	The Canoe Trip
Canoe	your own, or rented from another base	included (Canadian canoe for two)	included (Canadian canoe for two)
Start day	any day	any day, 1 May to 12 October 2027	Sunday or Thursday, mid-May to mid-September
Length	up to you	1 to 14 days	8 days, 7 nights
Route	you plan it	you plan it, with a route in an app and a map	ready-made loop, adjustable
Camping gear	your own	barrel, shovel and canoe wheels included; tent and sleeping set €15 a day each	barrel, dry bag, Trangia, trail map and wheels included; tent and sleeping set optional
Nature card	buy it yourself	included	included
Lock pass	pay per lock	pay per lock	included
Getting there	your own car	your own car (parking €10 a day)	own car, airport shuttle or night bus
Support	none	staff at the camp	English briefing, support during the trip, ranger at basecamp
Cost per person, one week	nature card about €42 (2026), plus rental if you have no canoe	€280 in May, about €403 in July (2027)	from €265
Best for	experienced paddlers with a car and a roof rack	paddlers who want their own dates and length	first-timers, families, travellers without a car

Fully independent

You bring your own canoe or kayak, or rent one from another base, put in wherever you like and pay for the nature card yourself. The card gives you the DANO campsites with their wind shelters, fire pits and eco toilets. With your own canoe it is the cheapest option, and it suits people who already paddle and live close enough to drive with a canoe on the roof.

Logistics take the most work. You need a safe place to park, a launch spot and a plan for getting back to your car without paddling the same lake twice. You also have to work out the fire rules, the bird protection zones and which lakes connect, on your own. Read the nature card guide and the rules on wild camping first.

Outpost North canoe package

You drive to Outpost North in Gustavsfors, pick up the canoe with paddles, life jackets, a waterproof barrel, a shovel and canoe wheels, and paddle off on the day you chose. The route is in an app, you get a map of the lakes and the nature card is already paid. You plan the route yourself. A tent, a sleeping set and food packs are options, so you don’t need to own camping gear.

The base matters as much as the package. From a base in the middle of the lake system, you can paddle a loop in any direction and come back to your car. From a base at the end of a long lake, the first and last day are often the same stretch of open water, or you need a car transfer. Choosing a base covers that in detail.

The Canoe Trip

You still paddle on your own, without a guide in the canoe, from the same camp and on the same lakes. The week is fixed: 8 days, starting on a Sunday or a Thursday. In return more is arranged: a dry bag and a stove, a trail map with the campsites marked, a lock pass, a briefing in English before you set off, support during the trip and a ranger at basecamp. You can add transport from home or the airport.

It suits first-time canoeists, families, people without a car and anyone who’d rather spend the evenings before the trip doing something other than reading maps.

Guided tours

Some bases offer guided tours, mostly day trips. Alcatraz in Gustavsfors, for example, lists guided tours alongside its rental. Multi-day trips with a guide in the group are less common here; ask the bases if that is what you want.

Which operator?

For a fixed week with everything arranged, look at The Canoe Trip first if you live in Belgium, the Netherlands, France or Germany. It is the one built around travellers from those countries:

• 8 days and 7 nights (6 wild camping, the last at basecamp), from €265 per person in 2026
• Starts at Outpost North on Sundays and Thursdays, mid-May to mid-September
• Night bus from Brussels, Utrecht and Hamburg (€155, from mid-June), or an airport shuttle from Oslo Gardermoen (€95)
• Canadian canoe for two, canoe wheels, 55 L barrel, 40 L dry bag, Trangia, trail map, nature card, lock pass, English briefing and support
• Optional food pack (€129), tent (€49), sleeping set (€39) and a hut or glamping on the last night
• Rated 4.9 on Google (34 reviews). Bookings for the next season open on 12 November

Book in English, Dutch, French or German.

For your own dates and length, book a canoe package at Outpost North in Gustavsfors. It sits on the water between Lelång and Västra Silen, so both lakes start at the camp and you can paddle loops without a transfer. Prices per day in 2027:

Period	Canoe package (2 people)	Kayak package (1 person)
1 May – 2 June	€80	€45
3 June – 30 June	€95	€50
1 July – 13 August	€115	€60
14 August – 1 September	€95	€50
2 September – 12 October	€85	€45

Options per day: tent €15, sleeping set €15 per person, food pack (meat or vegetarian) €20 per person, middle seat for a third paddler €4. Three days in May cost €240 per canoe; five days in September €425. The camp also has huts, glamping tents and camping for the nights before and after. Book on the Outpost North site; bookings for 2027 are open.

Other bases rent canoes and kayaks:

Base	Where	Position in the lake system
Canodal	Ed, on Stora Le	western edge, five minutes’ walk from the train station
Nordmarkens Kanot Center	Risviken, Årjäng	on Västra Silen, on the Värmland side
Alcatraz	Gustavsfors	on an island between Lelång and Västra Silen, by the Dalsland Canal
Bootshaus	Bengtsfors	on the Dalsland Canal, southern part of the system

They differ mainly in geography. Look at a map of the routes you want to paddle and pick the base that sits closest to them. Our route overview helps with that.

Sources

The Canoe Trip, Outpost North: canoe tours, DANO: nature conservation card, DANO: regulations, Västsverige: Canodal, Västsverige: Nordmarkens Kanot Center, Västsverige: Alcatraz, Västsverige: Bootshaus.