How many days do you need for a canoe trip in Dalsland? 2, 3, 5 or 7 days
Short answer
Three days is the shortest canoe trip in Dalsland that feels like a journey: two nights wild camping and one whole lake. Five days takes you through a lock to a second lake, and seven days links the Silen lakes with Lelång and Foxen, with a spare day for wind. From a central base such as Gustavsfors, every length is a loop of 10–17 km a day, with no car transfer.
Most groups paddle 10–17 km a day on the Dalsland lakes, so the number of days mostly decides how far from base you get. Every sample loop below starts and ends at Gustavsfors, where Lelång and Västra Silen meet, and none needs a car.
The four lengths side by side
Distances are rough map figures. Wind, side trips and your own line change them. Prices are for one Outpost North canoe package (two people) in 2027: €80 a day from 1 May to 2 June, €115 a day from 1 July to 13 August. A third person in the middle seat adds €4 a day.
| Days | Sample loop | Rough total | Per day | Nights out | Canoe package (2027) | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Southern Västra Silen | 20–25 km | 10–12 km | 1 | €160–€230 | a first try, young children, a weekend |
| 3 | All of Västra Silen | 40–50 km | 13–17 km | 2 | €240–€345 | a first real trip, families |
| 5 | Västra and Östra Silen via Krokfors | 60–80 km | 12–16 km | 4 | €400–€575 | couples, families with older children |
| 7 | Silen lakes, Lelång and Foxen | 100–120 km | 14–17 km | 6 | €560–€805 | fit groups with some experience |
The package includes the DANO nature card. With your own canoe, add SEK 80 per person for each night at a DANO campsite, free under 12. Details in Do you need a nature card?.
2 days: one night on an island
Paddle north on Västra Silen for 10–12 km, pick a campsite on an island or a headland, and come back along the other shore the next morning.
Two days is shorter than it looks. Collecting the canoe, the briefing and packing the barrels take a good part of the first morning, and you want to be back before the end of the second afternoon. You never get far from the camp.
Who it suits: people who want to know whether they like wild camping before they book a week, families with small children, and anyone with a weekend. If you drive from the Netherlands or Belgium, spend the night before at the base so day one starts on the water.
3 days: the whole of Västra Silen
Day one takes you up the western shore, day two to the northern end of the lake near Årjäng and back to a second campsite, and day three down the eastern shore to Gustavsfors. That is two nights wild camping and roughly 15 km a day.
Västra Silen has no lock on this loop and is full of islands and bays, so you can tuck in behind land when the wind picks up. If a north wind makes the lake rough, turn south on Lelång towards Bengtsfors instead and come back the same way.
Who it suits: a first multi-day trip, families, and paddlers who want a quiet lake without logistics.
5 days: through the lock to Östra Silen
Cross Västra Silen to the double lock at Krokfors on day one. Lock through on day two and spend days two and three among the bays of Östra Silen. On day four you come back through Krokfors, and day five takes you home across Västra Silen. Four nights wild camping.
The alternative goes north: about 25 km up Lelång to Lennartsfors, through its three-chamber lock into Foxen for a day, and back down. Lelång is long and straight, so this version is more exposed to wind. How the locks work and what they cost is in How do you canoe through the locks of the Dalsland Canal?.
Who it suits: couples and friends with a few days of paddling behind them, families with children from about 10, and anyone who wants a lock on the way.
7 days: the grand loop
Do the Silen lakes first (three days out and back through Krokfors), pass Gustavsfors, lock onto Lelång and paddle north to Lennartsfors and Foxen before you turn for home. Six nights wild camping and 100–120 km.
Plan one of the seven days with no distance at all. A week in Dalsland often brings a day of strong wind, and with a free day you can sit it out on an island. Passing Gustavsfors halfway also gives you a natural point to shorten the trip if the weather turns.
Who it suits: fit beginners and experienced paddlers who want a real week on the water, and anyone who drives a long way and wants the drive to count. A route with all lakes and locks is in Which canoe routes can you paddle in Dalsland?.
How to choose
- First time in a canoe: 3 days. Two days is often over before you find a rhythm.
- Children under 10: 2 or 3 days, with short stages. See Can you do a canoe trip in Dalsland with kids?.
- One week of holiday including the drive: 5 days on the water, with a night at the base on each side.
- A full week and no planning: the organised 8-day trip below.
Where we would start
All four loops start from the shore at Outpost North in Gustavsfors, on the water between Lelång and Västra Silen. You book a canoe or kayak package there that starts on any day you choose and lasts 1 to 14 days, with the route in an app, a map and the nature card included. The camp has huts and camping for the night before and after. Because both lakes start at the camp, a short trip and a long one use the same launch, with no transfer.
For the full week with everything arranged, The Canoe Trip runs a self-guided 8-day trip from Outpost North: 6 nights wild camping and the last night at basecamp, canoe, map, nature card and lock pass included, from €265 per person. It starts on Sundays and Thursdays from mid-May to mid-September.
Sources
Outpost North: canoe tours, DANO: nature conservation card, Dalslands Kanal: lock stations, Västsverige: Västra Silen, Wikipedia: Lelång, The Canoe Trip.
