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24 May 2020 / 33 Comments

Tyresta National Park - tips on entrances and trails

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Tyresta National Park is a large natural area just south of Stockholm. Here you can experience wild primeval forest, hike along marked trails, enjoy beautiful lakes and also take part in various organised activities at the main entrance at Tyresta village.

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Tyresta National Park

Tyresta is a large national park established in 1993, as national park number 23 in the series of Swedish national parks. There are currently 30 national parks in Sweden, two of which are in Stockholm County. The other national park in Stockholm is Ängsö, located in the municipality of Norrtälje.

Röda stugor i Tyresta nationalpark

Tyresta National Park is located in the municipalities of Haninge and Tyresö in Stockholm County, about 20 kilometres southeast of central Stockholm. Adjacent to the national park is the Tyresta nature reserve. You can get here easily by car, and there are also buses to two of the entrances.

Three visits to Tyresta National Park

We have made three visits to Tyresta National Park this spring. Already the first time, we realised that this place is so bigso we wanted to make a few more visits before putting together a short report. Here are our top tips from three visits, with three different starting points.

Helena i Tyresta nationalpark

Day 1: Main entrance - Tyresta village

The first time we visited Tyresta National Park, we decided to go to the main entrance at Tyresta village. This is the most popular and perhaps most "popular" entrance with a café, Naturum and lots of activities for families with children, although some activities are cancelled now during the corona pandemic.

Here you can visit, among other things Naturum National Parks House, which is a visitor centre where you can buy maps and souvenirs. The centre also serves as a starting point for guided walks and other activities.

Nuturum i Tyresta nationalpark

Tyresta village dates back to the 18th century and serves as a living museum of a bygone era, with red farmhouses, cows, chickens and fences. Here you will find a café and a farm shop. It is also home to Tyresta Farm, which is a small traditional farm with different farm breeds. On weekends they (usually) show the farm and organise pony rides.

However, the site itself has yet older history - Iron Age graves show that the area has been inhabited for a very long time. So, what can you do in Tyresta village?

  • Coffee in the café
  • Buy sausages at the farm shop and grill them.
  • Birdwatching from the bird tower
  • Visit the Nature Centre
  • See landraces at Tyresta farm
  • Try pony riding
  • Participate in various guided tours according to the programme
Tyresta nationalpark
Tyresta nationalpark
Tyresta nationalpark

Several hiking trails of different lengths start at Tyresta village. We chose to go Byllo loop which is 6 kilometres long, marked with green/white markings and passes Bylsjön. Other trails that can be found here are:

  • Allemansråttans trail, 650 metres - Path for very young children (not suitable for prams).
  • Tjäderstigen, 1 km - Path for children with entertaining tasks (not suitable for prams).
  • Urskogsstigen, 2.5 km - Red markings. Undulating path with information signs.
  • Pushchair loop, 5 km - Easy walking trail without roots and stones, which takes you around Bylsjön. A steep section and wear and tear mean that the trail is not fully adapted for wheelchairs.
  • Hällmarksslingan, 5 km - Yellow marking. Path through pine forest, lined with stone cairns.
  • Sörmlandsleden stage 3, Tyresta village-Nyfors, 13 km - Orange markings. The stage passes Bylsjön.
  • Around the lakes, 14 km - This popular hike is a combination of several trails starting in Tyresta village.
Tyresta nationalpark
Tyresta nationalpark
Tyresta nationalpark

The trail we walked was really, really nice. In the beginning it was hilly and varied terrain. In some places there were wooden footbridges and when we arrived at Bylsjön, many sat and had coffee. A popular place and a nice hike!

Tyresta nationalpark
Tyresta nationalpark
Tyresta nationalpark

Day 2: Entrance Brakmaren

The next time we went to Tyresta National Park, we went to the Brakmaren entrance, on the north-east side of the park. Here we walked The Great Forest Loop, which is 8 kilometres long and passes by two lakes. From here you can also find Coastal trails which is 13 kilometres long and runs down and along the coast.

At and around Brakmaren there are several different car parks. We chose the first one, but it would have been better to drive on to the second one. We had to walk a very long and boring gravel road, before the nice trails in the forest finally started.

Tyresta nationalpark
Tyresta nationalpark
Tyresta nationalpark

If we were a little dissatisfied at the beginning of the day, it changed completely after a while. The forest path became more and more cosy, and after a while we arrived at the nice Lake Stena. Absolutely fantastic to eat your packed lunch here, overlooking the beautiful lake. Apparently you can also see osprey here. We were not so lucky, but we did see swans, mallards and a swimming snake.

Fika
Stensjön
Stensjön

You also pass through The ancient castle at Stensjön. Large quantities of stone have been quarried and laid in walls on a hillside. No one knows exactly when the castle was built, but it is thought to date from sometime between the late Bronze Age and the Migration Period (around 500 BC - 500 AD). Perhaps it was used as a defence against enemies, or as a sacred place for religious rites?

Fornlämning i Tyresta nationalpark

As we approached the next lake, Long LakeFor a while, the hike was really tough with steep slopes and fallen trees. Really fun with a slightly more challenging tour!

Skog
Vandring
Långsjön

After a while we also arrived at the beaver "kingdom". Wow, how many beavers there are in Sweden. We see traces of them everywhere!

Bäverspår i Tyresta nationalpark

Day 3: Vissvass, on the coast

On our third trip to Tyresta National Park, we took the same road as last time, towards Brakmaren, but continued even further towards the coast. We drove past Vissvass and stopped at the car park where the road ends. We then walked back 100 metres along the road and followed the signs towards Åvaviken and various hiking trails.

Smörblommor
Tyresta nationalpark

We first walked a bit along Coastal trailsand turned off towards Åvaviken. Here we saw meadows, flowers, beaches, cliffs and holiday boats. Nice to walk near the coast!

Kustleden
Kustleden
Strand

At Åvaviken there were signs for several different hiking trails. We chose to follow Åvaträsk loopwhich is five kilometres long. "Loops" are always good, because you know you're coming back to the same place.

Tyresta nationalpark
Tyresta nationalpark
Tyresta nationalpark

It was a super nice hike through beautiful nature, with alternating dense forest and alternating bare rocks. Even though it was a holiday and the sun was shining, we only met one person in the forest. Lovely to be so alone in nature and just hear the sounds of the forest. In total, we walked around 1.2 kilometres throughout the day.

Tyresta nationalpark
Tyresta nationalpark
Tyresta nationalpark

More entrances in Tyresta National Park

In addition to the entrances we mentioned, there are entrance Nyfors at the Tyresta nature reserve, just north of the national park itself and entered Stensjödal in the eastern part of the park. There are also smaller roads entering the national park from different directions.

Nyfors entrance

In Nyfors, water from Tyresö-Flaten flows into Lake Albysjön, and there are nice bathing rocks here. From here you can find your way to Sörmland Trail Stage 3 (Nyfors-Tyresta village, 13 km) and Pilgrimage routes (11.5 km). The pilgrimage trail is partly in the Tyresta nature reserve, but outside the national park itself.

Stensjödal entrance

There is a large car park at the Stensjödal entrance, and from here you can reach the lake. Lanan. You can also connect to Fornborgsslingan, which is 6 kilometres long and passes the ancient castle at Stensjön.

Tyresta nationalpark

What did we think of Tyresta National Park?

It's hard not to love Tyresta National Park, at least if you appreciate nature. The area is large and offers varied nature with forests, lakes and coastline. If you want a café and activities, you can go to the main entrance. If you prefer quiet nature experiences, you can choose one of the other entrances.

Peter och Helena, FREEDOMtravel
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Have you been to Tyresta National Park? Tell us about it!

Facts about Tyresta National Park

  • Address: Access to the main entrance from Svartbäckens by 361, Vendelsö.
  • Size: 1962 hectares
  • Formation: 1993
  • Municipality: Haninge municipality and Tyresö municipality
  • Trustee: The Tyrestaskogen Foundation, which was established when the park was founded by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, the County Administrative Board of Stockholm County, Stockholm Municipality, Haninge Municipality and Tyresö Municipality.
  • Lakes and rivers: Bylsjön, Bylsjöbäcken, Lanan, Långsjön, Mörtsjön, Mörsjöbäcken, Nedre dammen, Stensjön, Trehörningen, Årsjön and Åvaån.
  • Symbol: Tjäder
  • Historical events: Between 1 and 7 August 1999, a major forest fire occurred. About 450 hectares of forest were destroyed, representing around 10 per cent of the park's area.
  • More info: You can read more at national park website

Nature in Tyresta National Park

  • Landscape: Fractured valley landscape. Tyresta National Park lies on a plateau of bedrock formed 1800 million years ago. 
  • Nature: Upland pine and spruce forests with trees of different ages and species and a large supply of dead wood, which is important for fungi, mosses and insects.
  • Trees: Mainly spruce and pine, but also deciduous trees such as aspen and alder.
  • Plants: The coniferous forest is rich in fungi, ticks, mosses and lichens. Other species include orchids, maidenhair butterflies, knotweed, spider flowers and flat lobelia.
  • Mammals: Moose, deer, squirrel, hare, marten, beaver, wild boar and lynx.
  • Birds: Capercaillie, house sparrow, robin, willow warbler, chaffinch, lesser spotted woodpecker, three-toed woodpecker, nuthatch, barn owl, barn owl, sparrow owl, Eurasian curlew and others.
  • Fish: Perch, pike and roach. There are also vendace in Stensjön and sea trout in Åvaån.
  • Other animals: Vipers, snakes, frogs, toads, salamanders, and various insects, such as the beetle, the ragwort.

Services at Tyresta National Park

Please note that some services may be closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. See the current information on the national park's website.

  • Food service: At Tyresta village there is a café with simple lunch dishes and pastries. There is also a farm shop where you can buy sausages to grill yourself.
  • Rest houses: There are two rest houses in Tyresta village, where you can eat your own packed lunch. Dogs are welcome in one of them.
  • Shop: There is a farm shop in Tyresta village with arts and crafts, meat and organic food products such as jam and honey. The Naturum has a small shop where you can buy maps and souvenirs.
  • Water: Drinking water is available in Tyresta village. There are also pumps at Stensjödal and Styvnäset, and a spring after the Höjden entrance along the Sörmland Trail.
  • Accommodation: Mjölnarbostaden at Stensjödal entrance (30 beds) and Janssonsgårdens B&B at Tyresta village (3 guest rooms).
  • Overnight stay: You can camp at the campfire sites. In Tyresta village you can also camp at the tent meadow at the end of the village road. There are also wind shelters. Larger groups can book a place to stay overnight at Stensjödal.
  • Places for the elderly: Camping and bonfires are only allowed at the campfire sites, which are marked on a map. Firewood is available. Keep track of the fire ban.
  • Wind protection: Available at Årsjön, Långsjön and Lanan.
  • Toilets: There are toilets in Tyresta village. There are toilets at the Årsjön and Stensjödal campfire sites.

Accessibility at Tyresta National Park

  • Enter: The main entrance at Tyresta village is largely accessible. If you arrive at the main entrance by shuttle service, please state the address "Tyresta by 1, Naturum Nationalparkernas hus".
  • Service: Naturum, Tyresta farm, the café in Tyresta village and the fireplaces next door are wheelchair accessible and all buildings have wheelchair toilets and parking.
  • Leader: The 5 km pram loop is good for walking with a pram. Wear and tear has meant that it is currently difficult to get around with a wheelchair or permobile on the southern half of the trail. A steeper section of the trail near Tyresta village means that the trail is not fully adapted. In the northern part of the nature reserve there are several forest roads that are easy to walk on, and in some cases may be suitable for wheelchairs.
  • Places for the elderly: The fire pit most suitable for wheelchairs is located at Lycksjövägen.

Activities at Tyresta National Park

Please note that some activities may be cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. See the current information on the national park's website.

  • Hiking/walking: Plenty of hiking trails of various lengths.
  • Cycling: You can cycle on the forest roads to Långsjön and Stensjön (otherwise cycling is not allowed in the national park).
  • Naturum: Naturum National Park House is a visitor centre with exhibitions and activities.
  • Tyresta Farm: Traditional small-scale farming and pony riding.
  • Activities for children: Many different activities for children, such as story time.
  • Programmes and guided tours: Guided walks, yoga in the forest and more according to the programme.

Rules in Tyresta National Park

In addition to the general regulations and prohibitions in laws and regulations, it is forbidden in Tyresta National Park:

  • Picking flowers, mosses, lichens or wood fungi
  • Breaking branches, damaging or felling trees (applies to both living and dead trees)
  • Harm or disturb wildlife
  • Fishing
  • Being loud enough to disturb other visitors
  • Camping outside campfire sites
  • organising sports competitions or events 
  • Carrying out organised events (e.g. organised training) with more than 10 participants without consulting the administration
  • Setting up trails or signs
  • Riding or driving a horse and cart
  • Driving a motorised vehicle
  • Operating drones at an altitude lower than 300 metres above the ground
  • Cycling on paths or in the forest
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24 May 2020 6:00
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23 Comments

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  1. Ruth i Virginia says:

    What a U N D E R B A R place!
    You have really surprised me with your explorations.
    around Stockholm. Nature is so incredibly varied and
    interesting, Like the wooden walkways, where it probably can
    get muddy sometimes.
    The so-called path at Lake Långsjön looked rather shaky.
    easy to sprain your ankle in such terrain, but I'm sure the
    that you have sturdy turning boots.

    (have you set up the wool spigots in the blue sky ?
    at Bylsjön?) 🙂 🙂

    Have a nice Sunday. Thanks for the tours!

    24 May 2020 - 6:21

    Reply

    • Comment by post author

      Helena says:

      Tyresta National Park is really beautiful! We are surprised by all the beautiful nature in and around Stockholm. Didn't really know about it before. Fun to discover! 🙂 Have fun Ruth!

      24 May 2020 - 18:14

      Reply

  2. Anonymous says:

    The fissure valley landscape was formed by deep weathering and erosion (most recently glacial erosion) of fissures in the Subcambrian peneplane (the flat surface that forms the top of the entire Stockholm area and Uppland). The Subcambrian peneplane was formed almost 600 million years ago. The bedrock was formed 1800 million years ago....
    Mum Karna
    Retired Professor of Physical Geography

    24 May 2020 - 7:50

    Reply

    • Comment by post author

      Helena says:

      Thanks mum for some developed information about the geography! 🙂

      24 May 2020 - 18:15

      Reply

      • Ruth i Virginia says:

        So it was your Mum, who was a professor! 🙂
        As a geologist's wife, I have acquired a lot of geological knowledge.

        (the best part is that the older you get, the more interesting you become).
        man to a geologist. 🙂

        24 May 2020 - 20:22

        Reply

  3. Ditte says:

    It is certainly nice out here in Tyresta. Thanks for the walks and nice pictures. We have been here a lot during the time we had a boat and also in many other contexts. Know that we were here last spring. But maybe it's time for a new trip.
    There is much to see and experience and it never gets crowded. Good and varied hiking trails too. And it's also nice that you can get here by public transport.

    24 May 2020 - 9:10

    Reply

    • Comment by post author

      Helena says:

      Yes, very nice here! At the main entrance, it has actually been a bit crowded in the car parks, at least on weekends. But the forest is big, so there is room for everyone without problems 🙂

      24 May 2020 - 18:16

      Reply

  4. Anja says:

    Fun! Here you are walking in our footsteps again in your home village ? How many ticks did you get? My record is 16....

    24 May 2020 - 11:47

    Reply

  5. bmlarsreseblogg says:

    We got a brochure about Tyresta when we were at Haninge GK playing camper golf last autumn. Now I realise that it was a shame that we did not spend a day there. On our only day off, we took the bikes on the archipelago boat to Utö. It was not bad either.
    (We intend to visit all our national parks. Have managed to visit 7 so far)

    24 May 2020 - 13:10

    Reply

  6. BP says:

    I understand that you had to make three trips to the park. It's as big as they come. Had a good laugh at your mum's comment. For me it was Chinese, but for a geologist and Ruth it was valuable info:-)

    24 May 2020 - 20:31

    Reply

  7. Susjos says:

    So much useful information about Tyresta National Park, I've heard the name but never been there, maybe this summer?

    24 May 2020 - 22:26

    Reply

  8. Lena - gott för själen says:

    I have heard a lot about Tyresta in my hiking forums on FB, but I have not realised that it was so big. It looks perfect. There seems to be something for everyone.

    Hug Lena

    26 May 2020 - 6:07

    Reply

  9. Linda Vismer, Resa medvetet says:

    Massive post! Clear and valuable for those who want to know everything and more 🙂 .

    10 August 2020 - 19:09

    Reply

  10. Marias Memoarer says:

    Oh now I can't wait until the snow disappears up here and the ground dries up a bit so you can start walking hiking trails without snow up to your knees or the risk of slipping 🙂.

    08 March 2021 - 17:29

    Reply

  11. Marias Memoarer says:

    Ps I'm aware that there are still problems getting into my home page, but it should work if you just type "mariasmemoarer.com" in the address bar, without the http://www....

    08 March 2021 - 17:30

    Reply

    • Comment by post author

      Helena says:

      Hmm, now I don't remember that I'm the one who said there's a problem? But I tested, and it is true as you say. Without www it works fine. However, you should be able to check with the web host so that even those who write www are sent to your page. Too bad they can't find it!

      08 March 2021 - 19:28

      Reply

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