Eliasleden - hiking trail

In Svensbyn, along the road to Bodsjön, the hiking trail named after the great thief Elias starts. The trail passes through varied terrain and the many lookout posts offer great views along the way, there are also plenty of picnic areas.

The trail is 9.4 km but it is possible to take a detour.
One detour is 9 km and goes to a picturesque crown construction known as Nötmyrbodarna.
Another trail, which is 6 km, takes you up on Kalahatten, 240 m above sea level and offers a splendid view of the landscape if the weather permits. 
A third possibility is to go from Djuptjärn to Björnberget, a distance of 1,5 km. 

All in all this trail is 26 km. There is a possibility to drive and park your car at different stops along the trail.

Did you know that ..
Eliasleden is named after a legend of the great thief Elias that, during the 19th century, ravaged in Infjärden and, in a way, was Piteås Robin Hood. Elias got, according the folk tradition, his thieving genes as a baby while he was rocked to sleep on a stolen pillow. 

For a long time, Elias baffled the inhabitants around Infjärden with his nightly stealing rounds. But he was a weird thief because he didn't seem to be stealing for personal gain. 

Many stories tell of how he would steal from rich farmers, and then later in the night, leave the stolen goods in front of a poor villager's door. 

Elias was also skilled at not getting caught. After a stealing tour in Öjebyn he is said to have walked backwards over the Svensbybay's (Svensbyfjärden) ice dressed in womens shoes – everything to confuse his stalkers. 

The beginning of the end to Elias' career came when an old lady was out picking lingon berries on the mountain of Högberget. When she was getting closer to the Eliascave (Eliasgrottan), the home and hiding place for the thief and his stolen goods, she saw Elias who was sitting on a stump patching his pants. 

The old lade quickly got back to the village and told the people what she'd seen. 

The bailiff and a group of brave men from Svensbyn made their way up to Högberget to capture the great thief. Elias, who had just put on a big pot of palt, got caught off guard when the men stormed into the cave. To defend himself against the attack he threw his burning hot palts towards the men.

This way he managed to fight of the men for a long time. However, soon the palts were gone and Elias could after some scuffling be arrested.