SkogstrolletThe free map for exploring Sweden’s outdoors.

Near Umeå

Nature reserves near Umeå

Umeå Municipality includes parts of 41 nature reserves. Close to the city, water can be followed from an old-forest lake and restored mires to seasonal bird pools and the mouth of the River Tavelån.

A recovering wetland system

Grössjön combines a small lake with old woodland and mires close to Umeå. Abandoned stream channels reveal former water levels, and restoration has blocked old drainage ditches so wet ground can retain water again. Stora Blomstermyran, in the southern part of the reserve, is one of the coastal region’s few lime-rich fens.

Hydrology connects the habitats. Birds including Slavonian grebe and whooper swan use the lake, while capercaillie, Tengmalm’s owl and three-toed woodpecker belong to the mature forest. The reserve’s character comes from the interaction of water, decaying wood, broad old aspens and slowly recovering mire.

Spring floods and a coastal river mouth

At Södra Degernässlätten-Sundet, shallow seasonal pools recreate the spread of spring meltwater across farmland and wetland. Swans, geese, ducks and cranes gather to rest and feed; as summer approaches, falling water exposes grazed margins used by breeding waders and smaller birds.

Tavlefjärden protects the point where the River Tavelån enters a long, shallow inlet. The river once reached the coast through several parallel mouths, visible today as wetlands in different stages of infilling. Together the three reserves trace a local water journey: from a forest lake and rewetted mire through temporary floodwater to an estuary where freshwater meets the rising Bothnian coast.

Three reserves near Umeå

Södra Degernässlätten-Sundet

8.7 km in a straight line from the centre

An important habitat for resting migratory birds
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Map of nature reserves near Umeå