SkogstrolletThe free map for exploring Sweden’s outdoors.

Near Gävle

Nature reserves near Gävle

Gävle Municipality includes parts of 54 nature reserves. A river delta, a varied urban forest and woodland with two-hundred-year-old pines create three distinct settings close to the city.

A delta at the edge of Gävle

Testeboåns delta occupies the meeting point between the river and Gävlebukten. Sand transported downstream built a delta that was once more extensive than the area remaining today. Wet ground near the shore and damp deciduous woodland support a varied bird community, making this a more open and water-led landscape than the two forest reserves inland.

The reserve makes the connection between city, river and sea unusually clear. Shallow water, wetland and leafy woodland alternate across a compact area. Moving away from the mouth, Sätraskogen and Testeboskogen show how water continues to shape forests with very different histories.

Restored wetland and old pine

Sätraskogen contains mature conifer stands, drier pine woodland, small swamp forests and spring-fed ground. Part of a former hay meadow has been returned to wetland, restoring shallow water and damp habitats within the woodland. This mixture gives the reserve more ecological range than its urban setting might suggest.

Testeboskogen extends across a larger area of old pines, fens, mires and lakes that have gradually filled with vegetation. Some pines left standing during earlier forestry are around two centuries old. Taken together, the three reserves lead from a river mouth and shoreline wetland through restored wet ground to mature inland forest, all within the landscape surrounding Gävle.

Three reserves near Gävle

Map of nature reserves near Gävle