Swimming at Bönkasen

The most popular spot to take a dip is Bönkasen, a small natural beach on the western side of the lake, a short drive west of Bengtsfors. It's a simple, unpretentious place with a jetty, changing room, and basic facilities — exactly what you want when the goal is swimming in a warm lake framed by rocky headlands. The setting here is particularly beautiful: the cliffs catch the evening light and the water stays calm even when wind stirs the open lake. Note that camping at the beach itself is not permitted, so plan your visit as a day trip or combine it with the nearby campgrounds.↗

Fishing the Rocky Depths

Ärtingen is a well-regarded fishing lake with a healthy diversity of species. Anglers here can expect pike lurking among the rocky shores, excellent populations of large perch, and deeper-water species including whitefish, vendace, and burbot. The southern basin, where the lake reaches its deepest point, holds the cold-water fish, while the reed coves at both ends are home to bream, tench, rudd, roach, and eel. Brown and rainbow trout are present in smaller numbers.↗

A fishing licence is required but is family-friendly in concept: children under 16 fish free, and all permits cover the whole household. Day and season cards are available, and there is a separate permit for trolling from a boat.↗

Camping and Slow Days

Two campgrounds sit around the lake, including Dalslands Camping & Canoe Central on the eastern shore, which combines lakeside accommodation with canoe and kayak rentals. This is the kind of place where you pitch a tent among birch trees, swim in the morning, paddle the shoreline in the afternoon, and grill dinner as the sun barely sets. The surrounding landscape is dominated by forest and rolling mountain terrain, with a few small farms tucked into the northwest — peaceful, rural Dalsland at its most characterful.↗↗↗

The Dalsland Canal Connection

Ärtingen sits at the edge of one of Sweden's most celebrated waterway systems. Via the short Greaströmmen canal, the lake connects to Lake Lelång and the broader Dalsland Canal network — a chain of natural lakes and hand-dug channels that threads through the province and eventually links to Lake Vänern, Sweden's largest lake. While Ärtingen itself is drained locally by the Årbolsälven stream heading toward the Göta älv basin, the canal connection means that paddlers and boaters can use the lake as a quiet side-stitch on a longer Dalsland water adventure.↗↗↗