Store Mosse National Park

Store Mosse covers about seventy-seven square kilometres of which the greater part is raised bog - peat that has built up over thousands of years into a dome fed only by rainfall, so it is nutrient-poor and acid, with sphagnum, cotton grass, cranberry and sundew and almost nothing else. Boardwalks cross it because walking on the surface is neither easy nor good for it. Kavsjon, a shallow lake at the northern end, holds crane, whooper swan and a long list of waders, with towers and hides. In spring cranes gather in numbers. There is a naturum at Kvarnholmen and marked trails of several lengths.

Background

Store Mosse, the Big Marsh, lies in Småland across the municipalities of Vaggeryd, Gnosjö and Värnamo, along national road 151. The whole mire covers some 100 square kilometres, of which about 77 form the national park, and it was listed as a Ramsar wetland on 5 December 1974. The park has more than 40 kilometres of trails, two of them suitable for wheelchairs and one adapted for blind visitors, as well as three cabins for overnight stays and a large bird tower. Entry is free, and guided tours run all summer.

Source: Wikipedia, "Store Mosse National Park"

Highlights

• A raised bog fed only by rain - sphagnum, cotton grass, sundew.
• Boardwalks across the surface - the only practical way over.
• Kavsjon lake - crane, whooper swan and waders.
• A naturum at Kvarnholmen - and trails from it.

When to go

April to September; spring for cranes. A full day.

Things to know

The bog is visually monotonous to some - flat, open, one habitat. There is no shelter from sun or rain. Mosquitoes are heavy in summer. Off the boardwalks the ground is impassable and should be left alone.

Nearby

Varnamo is east; Gnosjo is north.

Key facts