Sweden's national parks - quick facts:
- There are 29 National Parks in Sweden.
- From Vadvetjåkka in the North to Stenshuvud in the South.
- Padjelanta in Lapland is the largest national park in Sweden.
- The first 9 national parks in Sweden were established in 1909.
- Sweden was the first country in Europe to establish the national park concept.
Author of this article: Amanda Fast, WildSweden
1) Tyresta National Park - close to Stockholm
Just a stone’s throw from Stockholm you can find the beautiful and very likeable Tyresta National park. Here you can meet roe deer, mountain hare and moose. The red fox has made a recovery. Smaller mammals like bats, squirrels, ermines and weasels are also around. In the winter you can sometimes even see tracks of pine marten in the snow. 112 species of breeding birds have been observed in the Tyresta area, the most common of which are European robins, willow warblers and chaffinches. Less common species are three-toed woodpecker, capercaillie and spotted nutcracker. The tawny owl, eagle owl, pygmy owl nest in the area. From the lake you can hear the characteristic call of the black-throated divers.
>> If you want to see some wild animals it is actually easier in other parts of Stockholm. Perhaps join a guided nature and wildlife safari in Stockholm, but please see the animals and learn about the danger before going.
Photo: Länsstyrelsen, Tyresta National Park
2) Färnebofjärden National Park - the river delta
In less than a two-hour drive from Stockholm you’ll find Färnebofjärden National Park. Its’ great biological and aesthetic values make this part of the Lower Dalälven river worth protecting. The waterway is a unique composite of different environments. Enjoy riverside meadows, flood plains and old-growth forests. Take some time and embrace the beauty of the 200 islands and skerries in the area. There’s a lot of moose, roe deer and hares. Pine marten and lynx occur regularly. And if you’re an insect-fan then this may be the National Parks for you. The multitude of forest biotopes, particularly those containing older leafy stands and dead and dying trees, constitute environments for a number of rare and threatened insect species.
Photo: Alf Linderheim /IBL
3) Hamra National Park - old growth forest
Hamra National Park is situated in the hilly landscape of Gävleborg County. Hamra National Park is most known for its’ authentic forests. Hiking among these ancient pine trees will take you on a journey back in time when the forest was still untouched by humans. The oldest part of the national park contains one of a few still untouched forests in central Sweden. This 1,383-hectare national park consists of forests, swamps and streams. Many of the ancient forest’s animals and plants live in the old trees and deadwood. Many species of beetles, woodpeckers, owls and other hole-dwelling birds do well here. Migratory birds, such as whooper swans and cranes, stop over in the wetlands during spring. You can see lekking capercaillie as well as black grouse here and observe swamp-dwelling birds such as the common snipe, greenshank, wood sandpiper and common sandpiper. A paradise for bird-enthusiasts! But there are also several large predators, including wolves, lynx, wolverines, golden eagles and a big population of brown bears. Less frightening animals like Moose and beaver flourish around the wetlands as well. If you’re quiet and patient you’ll have a good chance of seeing some wildlife in this area.
Photo: Tore Hagman /IBL
4) Fulufjället National Park - Sweden's tallest waterfall
Fulufjället National Park is a virtually untouched nature area in the county of Dalarna, right by the norwegian border. Mountains rise in the landscape forming a plateau with steep sides. The Njupeskär waterfall is the highest in Sweden, cascading a total of 93 metres with a free fall of 70 metres. For thousands of years the water has carved out a deep canyon which many visitors come to see. From the top of the falls, you have a fantastic view of the canyon and the landscape. No reindeer graze here, so the mountain heath is covered with a thick carpet of lichen. Here you can also visit Old Tjikko, the oldest tree in the World. Although the tree is small scientists have provided that the tree is 9500 years old. If you visit, don't touch the tree. The national park was established in 2002 and it measures 38,500 hectares (385 square kilometres), two-thirds of which is bare mountain heights and heath.
>> With its’ abundance of activities and unusual sights, Fulufjället is a true must-see for nature lovers. Join a guided excursion on snowshoes into this original and genuine winterland.
Photo: Tore Franklin /Myra bildbyrå
5) Sonfjället National Park - home of Brown Bears
Sonfjället National Park is bear country for real. Today the area is believed to harbour one of the highest concentrations of bears in Sweden, with a permanent bear population that roams over large parts of the park. But even so, it’s very unusual for visitors to actually get to see this grand, beautiful and shy animal. But keep an eye out for droppings, scent markings, torn up anthills and claw marks on trees. If you’re looking to spot a bear, keep in mind that they hibernate during Winter so the snow free season is a better bet.
The national park is an area with unusually distinct and well-preserved geological formations, created by meltwater from the last inland ice sheet. On the mountain slopes there is an extensive system of glacial drainage channels formed by water flowing along the edge of the melting ice. A small part of the Sonfjäll massif was set aside as early as 1909 as one of the first national parks in Europe.
Photo: Anders Good /IBL
6) Töfsingdalen National Park - the least visited park
Töfsingdalen National Park is what every nature lover dream about. Deserted open spaces with primary forests, rushing waters and small, glittering lakes. Töfsingdalen is the archetype of wilderness, with its inaccessible, barren, desolate and rugged boulder fields. Bears, wolverines and golden eagles thrive here. Since the terrain here can be virtually impassable in many places, it really isn’t strange that the nature here is still quite untouched. The nearest road is far away and outside the trails it can be difficult to make your way through the fields of boulders.
Töfsingdalen is surrounded by Långfjället nature reserve and next to the Rogen and Femundsmarka wilderness areas. Together they form Gränslandet, right by the Norwegian border. This area has high biological values. Because of the park’s inaccessibility, it is one of the least visited national parks in Sweden, which makes it even more interesting for all kinds of wildlife enthusiasts.
Photo: Roland Johansson /IBL
7) Skuleskogen National Park - "the high coast"
Skuleskogen National Park is a monumental area. High mountains, old-growth forest and the seacoast come together in a landscape that is without equal in Sweden. Since the park’s formation in 1984 beavers, grey seals and bears have all established populations in the area. Beavers and grey seals are frequently seen here, while bears in general are shyer. Other mammals that live in this park are moose, roe deer, hares, red squirrel, red fox, badger, pine martin, ermine and mink. The national park is also home to both great spotted and lesser-spotted woodpeckers as well as black and grey-headed woodpeckers. The grey-headed woodpecker is the landscape bird of the historical province of Ångermanland, and it is commonly seen in the national park. In Skuleskogen there is something for all visitors. The national park’s three entrances are gateways to exceptional experiences and attractions.
Photo: Michael Engman /Engmanbild
8) Björnlandet National Park - primary forests
Björnlandet National Park is a magnificent nature reserve that contains one of the most valuable primary forests in Sweden. It was formed in 1991 and consists of 1,100 hectares of forest that has been protected as a legacy for posterity. Björnlandet is situated in the beautiful Åsele Sámi country.The forests resemble the nature as Carl Linnaeus described it based on his trip to Lapland about 300 years ago. You can see signs of logging and timber rafting, but no signs of human settlement can be found in this region. The park has long been used for reindeer husbandry. Because of the tough inland climate, relatively few flora species exist here. If you’re lucky though, you can catch a glimpse of Lapland buttercups, which grows in a few untouched marshy spruce forests in the park. During the break up of ice and in early summer, the bird life is especially vibrant on Angsjön Lake. But if you want to experience the larger mammals, Winter is probably the best season to visit.
Photo: Kristoffer Sahlén /Naturfotograferna /IBL
9) Pieljejaise National Park - rocks and reindeer
Pieljekaise National Park lies off the beaten track in the Arjeplog mountains between Jäckvik and Adolfström. The national park is in a low mountain area with many small lakes and birch forests. It also contains heaths and meadows with abundant flora. On the road from Arjeplog to Jäckvik or Adolfström, the first half of your trip is over primitive rock that is nearly two billion years old. After that, you come to the mountain range’s youngest bedrock – a rock that is “only” 400 million years old. During the millions of years that have passed since the bedrock was formed, it has been worn down to the mountain range we see today.
The park was established in 1909 and the intention was to keep an area with mountain and birch forests in its natural condition. The park is named after the highest mountain in this area, called Pieljekaise, 1,138 metres above the sea. In Sámi the mountain is called Bieljijgájse, which in English means ”ear mountain”. Seen in profile, the two peaks of the mountain look like an ear.
Pieljekaise National Park is in the Semisjaur-Njarg village, an economic and administrative unit created with the intention of tending reindeer. The best time to see reindeer on the mountain is between late spring and snowfall. If you encounter reindeer, keep in mind that you’re in their home and therefore make sure to not disturb them. If you should meet a herd of reindeer while you’re hiking, just sit down and relax and let them pass in their own time, a truly magical experience!
Photo: Peter Rosén /Rosénmedia
10) Abisko National Park - midnight sun and Northern lights
Abisko National Park measures 7,700 hectares and is situated south of Torneträsk Lake in Kiruna municipality. This park is popular for hikers as a starting point for the King's trail. You can actually take the night train from Stockholm and get off in Abisko and begin hiking at the King's trail directly from the train.
Here you will find Abisko Valley, an area covered with mountain birch trees and which contains the beautiful and easily accessible Mount Njullá, known for its profusion of flowers. The Abiskojåkka river flows through the long valley, and close to the tourist station and Naturum visitor center, it rushes forward through a beautiful canyon. Not just The King’s Trail but several other trails and nature paths traverse the park.
Since the snow cover isn’t that deep in this area, reindeers and other mammals like moose can be seen almost all year round. Carnivores such as brown bear, wolverine and lynx are present in the park. During Summer they’re really hard to spot but in Winter you at least have a good chance to see tracks from their presence. There are also see golden eagles, white-tailed eagles, rough-legged buzzards and gyr falcons hunting in the sky.
You’ll also find redpolls, willow warblers, blue throats and bramblings in the birch forest and golden plovers and dotterels in the alpine heaths. Wading birds thrive in the marshlands and red-throated divers in the small tarns. The delta where Abiskojåkka flows into Torneträsk lake is a bird sanctuary during parts of the year.
Majestic mountains surround the beautiful Abisko Valley with its’ flowering mountain meadows and cascading waters. In this area you’ll also find the biggest tarn in Scandinavia. In summertime you’ll be able to see the almost surreal beauty of the midnight sun and in the winter this is the best place in the world to see the spectacular Aurora Borealis (northern lights). Like at the entrence to Sarek, Abisko also has a mountain station where you can eat and sleep. They also have a small store where you can buy most necessities.
Photo: Peter Lilja /IBL
11) Muddus National Park - the most silent place in Sweden
Muddus National Park, or Muttos in Sámi language, is a part of the World Heritage Laponia. Muddus is one of the most silent places in Sweden. Results from scientists that have measure the sound volume in this area tells us that ancient forests like this are more quite than all other nature.
Since the park area includes both open spaces and forest the reindeers can live here and have food all year. During the summers the Gällivare forest Sami villages graze their reindeers here. A Sami village is not a village in the usual sense, it’s rather an economic and administrative unit engaged in reindeer husbandry. During late autumn the other Sami villages move here with their reindeer herds from the Sarek Mountains in the west.
The old forests and marshland in Muddus have always been an important area for hunting, fishing and reindeer husbandry. And where there are reindeers, there are predators. In this case brown bear, lynx and wolverine. But as usual they are shy for humans and you are really lucky if you get the chance to see one. You are more likely to encounter reindeer, moose or some of the forests- and marshes birds. Black grouse, capercaillie and hazel hen live in the forest year-round, and Siberian jay and Siberian tit also are present. Early summer is best for bird watching.
Photo: Jan Schützer /IBL
12) Sarek National Park - the wildest place in Europe
Sarek National Park is the most spectacular national park in Sweden and is a part of the World Heritage Laponia.
In Sarek you’ll find mountains higher than 2000 meters and almost 100 glaciers. The long, deep, narrow valleys and the wild, turbulent waters create a fantastic delta landscape in Rapadalen valley.
Sarek is a high alpine area where the indigenous people, the Sámis, have lived from time immemorial. The valleys and the mountain slopes are reindeer grazing land for three Sámi families: the Sirges, Jåhkågaska Tjiellde and Tuorpon.
Sarek is also known for its’ wildlife, including the unusually large moose, the thousands of reindeers, different mountain birds, red- and arctic fox, lemming and of course also predators like brown bear, wolverine and lynx.
Since this is without doubt the wildest area in Sweden there’s also a complete lack of accommodations. If it’s your first time in Sarek, we recommend that you make sure to be well informed and equipped before you head out on a hike. If you’re going in the winter though, we recommend that you join an arranged tour with a professional guide since the weather conditions can be quite rough and sometimes even extremely dangerous.
If you’re a beginner a good alternative is to stay at Saltoluokta mountain station or Kvikkjokk mountain station and make shorter trips from there. In that way you’ll get help from experienced staff and the opportunity to rent equipment.
>> If you are lucky you can join an guided expedition into Sarek national park to watch for wildlife!
Photo: Peter Rosén /Rosénmedia
13) Padjelanta National Park - the highland
Padjelanta National Park,or Badjelánnda in Sámi language, is Sweden’s largest national park and it’s a part of the World Heritage of Laponia. It’s situated with Sarek in the East and Sulidälbmá in the West, along with the Norwegian border mountains.
The park is an alpine landscape of high plains and large lakes. Its not a coincidence that Padjelanta means ”highland” in English. The terrain is open, with soft contours, in contrast to the adjoining Sarek National Park. Padjelanta is summer grazing land for reindeer, but in the winter the snow layer is too thick here for reindeer to graze. Animals that don’t leave the mountain in winter are for example moose, wolverines and arctic fox. The soft contour of the landscape makes this area’s biggest trail, the Padjelanta Trail, an excellent alternative for beginners.
This area is a paradise for alpine flowers in the Swedish fauna. Around the large lakes, the unique flora attracted botanists as early as the 17th century. The lime-rich bedrock combined with the grazing reindeers have created optimum growing conditions for many unusual species. The few people who live here also used many of the plants as food and herb medicine.
Padjelanta has one of the highest concentrations of ancient remains in the alpine world. Everywhere in the countryside there are concealed and discreet traces. If you’re coming here, make sure to look for old reindeer grazing land, settlements or rocks indicating hearths. They’ll tell you the history of Padjelanta.
Photo: Tor Lundberg /IBL
14) Stora Sjöfallet National Park - 200km North of the Arctic circle
Stora Sjöfallet National Park, is called Stuor Muorkke in Sámi language. It is located 200 kilometers north of the arctic circle and it is the last piece of the great Laponia puzzle. It is a mixture of imposing mountain ridges, deep sculpted valleys, high boulder fields and beautiful pine primeval forests.
As in the rest of Laponia, this is an area where you can watch reindeer and moose and with some luck even predators like lynx, wolverine and brown bear.
The mountain massif Áhkká, is the most characteristic mountain also known as the Queen of Lapland. Some 100 years ago five majestic waterfalls cascaded over the brink and roared down into Lake Láŋas. Back then they called this painfully beautiful location the Niagara of the north. Stuor Muorkke means the great waterfall and the name was given to the park when it was formed back in 1909. This was about the same time as Sweden started to investigate ways to provide electricity for the expanding iron ore mines.
The national park was formed to protect the waterfall and its’ source lakes. However in 1919 the Swedish Parliament approved construction of a large dam by Suorvvá inside the national park. The part that was to be exploited was extracted from the park and the boundaries for the national park were redrawn. Today, after four successive raisings of the dam level, old settlements, ancient remains and grazing land lie under water. A part of the old national park became an industrial zone, which has had a pronounced effect on the area’s local population.
The waterfall known as Stuormuorkkegårttje in the Sami language remains is in no way as majestic as it once was. Because of this somewhat tragic history, this national park has become an important example in the debate on sustainable development in our mountains.
Photo: Tor Lundberg /IBL
Facts about Lapoinia
Laponia, located in the county of Norrbotten in Lapland,is the biggest connected natural landscape in Europe. It contains nature that to a large extent is still untouched by humans.
The four national parks that form Laponia is Sarek, Padjelanta, Stora Sjöfallet and Muddus. These four together represents 80 percent of the total national park area in Sweden. There are also several large and small nature reserves in Laponia. In 1996, UNESCO designated Laponia a World Heritage Site for both its culture and its nature. Laponia World Heritage is a Sámi cultural landscape with traces of human activity dating back thousands of years. It is an area so unique that it is important for all of mankind to protect and preserve it for future generations.
The Sámi’s are the only indigenous people in Europe and the World Heritage designation helps them to continue carrying their culture. If you travel this north in the summer you’ll be able to experience the midnight sun. Imagine hiking in the mountains at midnight under a shining sun like in daytime. And if you are going in Winter you can see the stunning northern lights!
Photo: Peter Rosén /Rosénmedia