Sveriges Nationalparker

Ancient forests, wetlands and wild rapids

The national park preserves untouched forest, wetlands and naturally flowing water. Here you’ll find quiet swamp forests, open mires and nature experiences undisturbed by human impact.

Established

1909

County

Gävleborg

Hamra National Park

Walking among the ancient pines feels like travelling back in time, to the forest as it once was. With its old‑growth and natural forests, and the largely untouched Svartåmyran mire and the Svartån stream, Hamra is a unique part of the landscape in this region of Sweden. Here you’ll find pristine mires and lichen‑draped old forests with trees more than 400 years old.

Hamra National Park lies in an undulating bedrock landscape with gentle hills in the north‑western corner of Gävleborg County. You can experience Hamra’s nature all year round, either in hiking boots or from a sled in a dog team.

The national park is best known for its forest. Here you find old‑growth forest draped in lichens, with trees more than 400 years old. The oldest part of the national park is one of the few untouched forests in central Sweden. In old and dead trees, many species typical of primeval forest thrive.

Almost half of the national park is a large, continuous mire complex consisting of fens, streams, small tarns, quaking bogs and pine‑covered islets. The vast, undisturbed mire is appreciated by both birds and hikers. Svartån, which drains the mire, has never been used for log driving, and therefore the stones remain scattered, providing good conditions for fish and small aquatic animals.

About 90 percent of the trees in Hamra National Park are pines. Many of them are more than 300 years old.