Treasure hike 06: Rock paintings/Evagraven

A fascinating walk with unique experiences; the rock paintings, Evagraven and Fiskhålsgraven. Well-marked, good information and prepared with footbridges, i.e. dry and easy.

The path is marked with the usual sight markings, red elks against a grey background with information boards at the sights. It is possible to divide the hike into three, one for each sight, circa 2 km one way to each of the destinations.

Start the hike to the rock paintings; slightly uphill for 3 km. The rock paintings are 4,000 to 5,000 years old, presenting 20 well preserved depictions of animals and a few of humans; fine picnic site with good information. It is easy to become fascinated by the wings of history and to ponder how the hand-painted pieces of art on rock have kept so well throughout the millennia.

The tour continues across the summit of Mount Ruändan with the possibility for a break at Rypkâllhaugen – a pyramid-shaped mound just near the path at its highest point. The mound is considered by some to be a natural mound of soil; others think it is a burial mound. It has at some point been plundered but not excavated by archaeologists. The hike continues to Evagraven, a large canyon formed some 10,000 years ago during the melting of the inland ice; situated just over a 1 km walk from the rock paintings. 

Here you can opt to shorten the hike by going straight downhill along the canyon back to Ruvallen, ca 2 km, or continue to Fiskhålsgraven – a canyon featuring the protected dwarfed char, a unique species that survived the Ice Age. The species probably came here 7,000 years ago during the melting from the Baltic Sea when its surface lay 250 metres higher compared to the current level. Fiskhålsgraven is situated at a distance of 2 km of the Evagraven. A quick look from the edge of the ravine will show the depth and the interesting rock formations. 

In the lower section of the ravine, where the path turns towards Ruvallen it is easy to climb down to the small tarn that hosts the char. Cross the small bridge to find a very nice picnic site shielded by a rock. The distance back to Ruvallen is about 2 km.

Both canyons were formed when the dammed ice lake in the valley of the River Ljungan ran over towards the south during the most dramatic phase of the ice melting. Later on, trappers used the steep edges to kill animals, hurling them down the precipices. 

Near Fiskhålsgraven the stump of a tree was found in the 1950s. The pine was 8,000 years old, showing that the area of Flatruet was covered by high woods. There is a slice of the stump on display in Fjällmuseet in Funäsdalen.

Terrain:
Alpine terrain, well-marked path with footbridges, easy incline from the start to the sights.

Markings:
Red elks on grey boards, good information boards at the sights.