Sisimiut – Hikes and history

Sisimiut – A town for the adventurer

The town with an amazing backyard, beautiful mountains, and history! While the winter gives you options such as dog sledding, northern lights, and powder snow, the summer, spring, and fall give you boat trips, hikes, and history. What more can you ask for when being an adventurer? 

See the many options here.

Sisimiut “means The residents at the foxholes” and was founded in 1756. But has been inhabited for 4500 years. First by paleo-Eskimo cultures Saqqaq and Dorset, then our proto-Inuit ancestors the Thule culture since the year 1000. Today’s inhabitants are a mix of Greenlanders and Danes. The Danes came around the 1720s, with Hans Egede as leader of the Danish missionary.

The town is located 40 km north of the arctic circle, with fishing as the biggest industry and tourism as the second, and is a great place to explore both winter and summer.

Hikes and history in Sisimiut

Sisimiut has walks and hikes from beginner level to advanced. There is a lot to see and experience here, even if you “just” go for a walk through the old part of the town, you can easily spend a couple of hours.

Walk by the water

Starting by the harbor with its many fishing boats, both small private fishermen going in and out and huge trawlers that load fish to the factory. You’ll find an art and craft workshop, for some souvenir shopping. Instead of taking the road up the hill, go left from the workshop, and you´ll find a beautiful walk by the water, that is a bit hidden.

This walk takes you to the museum, a musk ox souvenir shop, and towards the center of the town.

Arctic Circle trail

For advanced hikers, you can go on 7-14 days of a hike to/from Kangerlussuaq.

The trail is 165 km long and there are stones marked with red you can follow. On the trail, you find several huts with bunk beds, but it´s not possible to book them, so it will be a good idea to have a tent with you in case there will be a full house. This trail is for the summer season (June to end August) and you can either go from Kangerlussuaq which is the first airport you´ll arrive at in Greenland, or you can take a connecting flight to Sisimiut and hike the trail back to Kangerlussuaq to reach your return flight. Make sure to have some spare days, if the terrain is harder than expected or if the weather should get bad.

There are no shops or restaurants on the trail, so make sure to bring all supplies you´ll need. A map, compass, sunscreen, mosquito net, and a camera are also good to bring along.

Museum and church

You´ll find several old colonial houses by the museum which are from the 18th century. Here is the Greenlandic oldest church, Bethelkirken located as well. Behind the museum, you´ll find the new church which has a church service, baptizing or confirmation (summertime) on Sundays. Weddings can be held on Saturdays, so ask at the church or the locals for any celebrations while you are in Sisimiut, to see a day of tradition and our traditional clothing.

Tele øen

This second largest town in Greenland with its 5600 inhabitants, has a history that takes you 4500 years back. A 30-minute hike from town you´ll be at Tele øen, where you still see remained peat houses that our ancestors used to live in. 

You´ll find a map at the beginning of this small island next to the huge oil tanks. Follow the numbered spots, which also have some information for each stop about the old settlement and graves. The hike is approx. 2 hours.

Take a lunch box with you and enjoy it by the water with a view of the old and the new Sisimiut.

We look forward to welcoming you to Greenland 🙂

Read more travel blogs from Laali Berthelsen