View over the High Coast from the top of Skuleberget
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UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
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Location | Västernorrland County, Sweden |
Coordinates | 63°00′00″N 18°25′00″E / 63°N 18.41667°E |
Criteria | viii |
Reference | 898 |
Inscription | 2000 (24th Session) |
Extensions | 2006 |
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The High Coast (Swedish: Höga kusten) is a part of the coast of Sweden on the Gulf of Bothnia, in the municipalities of Kramfors, Härnösand and Örnsköldsvik and notable as a type area for research on post-glacial rebound and eustacy, in which the land rises as the weight of the glaciers melts off of it. This phenomenon was first recognised and studied there; since the last ice age the land has risen 800 m, which accounts for the unusual landscape with tall cliff formations. The High Coast is part of the Swedish/Finnish High Coast/Kvarken Archipelago World Heritage Site (the High Coast was joined with the Finnish Kvarken areas in 2006).
UNESCO, when putting the area on the World Heritage List in 2000, remarked that "the High Coast site affords outstanding opportunities for the understanding of the important processes that formed the glaciated and land uplift areas of the Earth's surface".
The most popular places to visit in the High Coast of Sweden are Skule Mountain, Skuleskogen National Park and the islands Ulvön and Trysunda.
The High Coast of Sweden is excellent for hiking and is seen as one of the best hiking regions in Sweden. Both outdoor magazines (such as Utemagasinet and Outside) and daily newspapers (such as Svenska Dagbladet) rank the High Coast Trail as the top of Sweden's hiking trails. The Höga Kustenleden is a 128 kilometer long trail along the High Coast. For dayhikes Skule Mountain and Skule National park are perfect. If you are looking to hike with likeminded people the High Coast Hike (Höga Kusten Hike) is an annual event suitable for both experienced and new hikers.