The boom is in the water!
Preparations for the summer have reached their peak: the log boom is now in place in the Klarälven River. From this point on, it is ready to receive logs that have been used for timber rafts. After a rafting trip, you dismantle the raft and leave the logs in the water. Carried by the current, they slowly drift into the boom, where they are collected and prepared to become the building material for new timber rafts.
Spring Arrives with the “Lusten” Boats
The Klarälven has long been used as a timber floating route. The logs were floated loose along the gently flowing river. On the final stretch into Karlstad, the logs were towed by boats named after the lake Lusten: the Lusten boats. For the residents of Karlstad, it was a clear sign of spring when the Lusten boats, heavily loaded with timber, appeared on the Klarälven River.
Photo: Anders Winter Collection
Why a Log Boom?
Vildmark i Värmland began offering timber rafting trips for Swedish and international guests in 1980. At that time, log driving was still in full operation, and the guests’ timber rafts could be seen as a temporary use of logs that were already drifting downstream on their way to sawmills and pulp mills.
In 1991, log driving on the Klarälven came to an end, and since then all timber has been transported by road and rail. Vildmark i Värmland, however, continued its timber rafting activities. Each raft consists of at least 60 logs, and it then became essential to collect them after use so they could be reused to build new timber rafts.
Summer arrives with the log boom
Each year, the season ends when the log boom is taken in. The logs are stored safely on land, lying dormant beneath their blanket of snow. And every year, ahead of the first timber rafting trip, the boom is put back into the water. Getting all the logs into place is a major task—and when it’s done, you know: summer has arrived!
The boom at Björkebo, where all timber rafting trips end, consists of around 50 logs. They are joined together with so-called couplings—heavy chains with a special linking system. All the couplings used today by Vildmark i Värmland date back to the log driving era before 1991. In this way, the traditional craft lives on to this day.
Want to learn more about timber rafting on the Klarälven River?
There are several different packages available, ranging from a one-day experience to trips lasting up to a week. What all options have in common is that you build, travel on, and dismantle your own timber raft. Bring your children, friends, neighbours, or colleagues and create unforgettable memories on an adventure in northern Värmland. See all our timber rafting packages.
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