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Dalarna County

National parks and nature reserves in Dalarna County

Dalarna County has 422 nature reserves and 3 national parks. Mountain uplands in the north-west give way to forests, lakes, river valleys and more cultivated ground farther south.

Mountains, forests and connected waters

Dalarna covers a long transition from open mountain heath and high-elevation woodland to extensive forest, lake country and settled valleys. The last ice sheet left much of the county covered by moraine and peat, while meltwater sorted sand and gravel along valleys and waterways. These deposits help explain why dry pine ground, wet forest and richer lowland soils can occur within the same broad landscape.

Water provides the strongest connection across the county. The Österdalälven and Västerdalälven drain mountains, mires, forests and lakes before joining as the Dalälven. Downstream, flowing channels broaden into lakes and bays, and low ground is repeatedly flooded. Färnebofjärden lies within this changing river system, where water continues to shape floodplain woodland, wetlands, islands and shore habitats.

Geology changes the living landscape

Much of Dalarna rests on ancient granite and gneiss, but the county also contains large sandstone areas in the north-west and younger sedimentary rocks around Siljan. Local bands of more easily weathered rock release different minerals into the soil. The result is not one uniform forest region, but a patchwork ranging from nutrient-poor heath and pine woodland to lusher slopes and lime-influenced plant communities.

Forest remains the dominant thread. Pine is well suited to dry, lean ground, whereas spruce becomes more prominent in sheltered and damp places. Mires, tarns and streams open the tree cover and move water through the terrain. Where woodland has escaped intensive use, old trees and decaying timber preserve habitats that take many generations to develop.

Four protected areas tell the story

Fulufjället rises as a broad sandstone plateau where forest and mire pass into open heath and bare uplands. Streams cut through its steep margins, including the ravine below Njupeskär. The plateau is also home to Old Tjikko, regarded as the world’s oldest tree. Although its present trunk is far younger, this spruce clone has survived through the same root system for 9,550 years. Töfsingdalen presents a rougher landscape of immense boulder fields, ancient pine forest, richer spruce stands, rushing water and small tarns.

Farther south, Färnebofjärden follows the Lower Dalälven through rapids, broad waters, islands and seasonally flooded forest. Its wetlands mark a meeting point between northern and southern species. Styggforsen reveals another layer of Dalarna’s history. Rocks disturbed by the ancient Siljan meteorite impact were later exposed by glacial meltwater, leaving the deep ravine, steep cliffs and lime-influenced vegetation surrounding the waterfall.

National park in the county

Fulufjället National Park protects a southern mountain landscape where forest and mires give way to open heath and bare uplands. Its broad plateau is edged by steep slopes, streams and the deep ravine carved by Njupeskär. The park is also home to Old Tjikko, regarded as the world’s oldest tree: a spruce clone with a root system dating back 9,550 years.

Älvdalen
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Selected areas in Dalarna County

Färnebofjärden, Töfsingdalen and Styggforsen represent the county’s river landscapes, boulder terrain and geologically formed ravines.

Färnebofjärden National Park

Avesta, Heby, Sala and Sandviken

River channels, rapids, floodplains, wetlands and woodland
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Map of selected areas in Dalarna County