Dalsland Canal

At the Köpmannebro (bridge) in Åmål begins the magnificent Dalsland Canal constructed by Nils Ericsson, 254km/160mi long, with 29 locks. It links a whole string of lakes, with only about 10km/6mi of its total length that can be described as a canal in the normal sense. This navigable lake system extends from Dalsland into Värmland and Norway. It was originally constructed in order to provide a means of transport for the products of the ironworks and sawmills of Dalsland and Värmland, and also as a convenient link with Norway and the North Sea.

Nowadays the canal is no longer used for the transport of freight, but it has become a popular tourist route, running as it does through beautiful and varied scenery which alternates between fertile farming country, dark forests, rugged hills and barren wastelands. Visitors planning to sail their own boat (or a rented one) through the canal should consult the appropriate tourist information office, since the locks are not in operation every day in the week or every week in the year.

The road now turns away from the shores of Lake Vänern and returns to Vänersborg, at the southwestern tip of the lake. In the neighborhood of the town elk can sometimes be seen on the Hunneberg and the Halleberg.