Farnebofjarden National Park

The Dalalven slows here into a chain of broad shallow basins among islands, and each spring the meltwater raises it a couple of metres and floods the surrounding forest, killing trees standing where they grow - so the park is full of dead standing timber, which is why the beetle and bird lists are as long as they are. It sits on the limes norrlandicus, the ecological boundary where northern and southern species overlap, so oak and spruce grow within sight of each other. Around a hundred bird species breed here, including several woodpeckers and owls. Gysinge, an old ironworks village, holds the naturum and the canoe hire.

Background

After the ice sheet retreated, an esker pushed the Dalälven onto a plain ribbed with more eskers, where it formed a chain of rapids and wide bays, the fjärdar. Covering 10,100 ha, 4,110 ha of it water, the park lies on the boundary of Dalarna and Gävleborg, about 140 km north of Stockholm, with 200 islands and skerries, the largest including Mattön, Torrön and Ängsön. Some old forest survived because loggers could not reach it. Iron working shaped the region, and the forge at Gysinge dates from 1668. A campaign for protection began in 1975, when a large forest was threatened with clearing, and the park opened in 1998. It has been a Ramsar wetland since 14 November 2001.

Source: Wikipedia, "Färnebofjärden National Park"

What's there

• Forest flooded each spring - dead standing timber left behind.
• The northern and southern boundary - oak and spruce together.
• A long bird list - woodpeckers, owls and around a hundred breeders.
• Gysinge ironworks village - naturum and canoe hire.

When to go

May to September; the flood peaks in spring. A full day.

Good to know

Much of the park is reachable only by boat or canoe. Mosquitoes are severe in summer - this is one of the worst areas in the country for them. Flooding limits access in spring. Trails are wet.

Nearby

Gysinge is the gateway; Sandviken and Gavle are north.

Key facts