AT A GLANCE
Why go?
Långtjärnen is a small, quiet forest tarn sitting in the woodland of inland Västerbotten, just outside the village of Burträsk in Skellefteå municipality. Its name reads simply as "the long little lake," and it lives up to it: a narrow stretch of still, dark water barely eight hundred metres of shoreline, tucked among the boreal forests that dominate this part of northern Sweden.↗↗
There is no resort, no marked trail network and no signage to draw crowds here. What Långtjärnen offers instead is the plain, unhurried charm of a typical Norrland forest pond — clean water, birdsong and the smell of pine — and, for travellers already exploring the Burträsk countryside, an easy moment of solitude close to the road.↗
A tiny tarn in the Burträsk woodland
Långtjärnen covers only about three hectares and rests roughly 166 metres above sea level, fed and drained by the surrounding forest rather than by any large river. Its water leaves via a small streamlet, the Kvarnrisbäcken, and from there makes its long, quiet journey down through the Bureälven river basin, reaching the Gulf of Bothnia some fifty-eight kilometres to the east. The whole catchment around it is overwhelmingly woodland — close to nine in ten parts forest — which is exactly why the lake feels so secluded.↗
Lakes of this kind are scattered through the Burträsk district, which lies within a landscape famously shaped by an ancient meteorite impact and ringed by elongated forest lakes. Långtjärnen itself is not a monument to that story, but it shares the setting: low, smooth water threads through coniferous hills and marshy shores, the kind of terrain that gives northern Sweden's interior its calm, expansive feel.↗
What to notice
This is a place for slow looking rather than for a checklist. The tarn's narrow shape means you can often see water at both ends at once, with reeds and overhanging spruce closing off the horizon. In summer the surface mirrors the pale northern sky, and the shallows warm enough that local swimmers have long used forest ponds like this one for a quick dip; in early autumn the birches and rowans along the shore turn gold against the dark evergreens.
The surrounding forest is the real attraction. Berry and mushroom ground — blueberries, lingonberries and chanterelles — typically carpet the pine understory through late summer, and red- and black-throated divers, warblers and wood grouse belong to these woodland lakes. Walk softly and Långtjärnen rewards you with the hush that only a deep-forest tarn can keep.
Getting there and around
Långtjärnen lies in the countryside around Burträsk, a small village in Skellefteå municipality well inland from the coastal town of Skellefteå. Reaching it is most practical by car, using the local forest and village roads and following the map coordinates rather than any official visitor entrance; there is no advertised parking lot or information board at the tarn.↗↗
Because the area has few marked facilities, treat any walk here as self-guided woodland travel: bring your own map or GPS, respect private land and the Swedish right of public access (allemansrätten) by keeping to open ground and leaving no trace, and let a forest pond like this be a calm detour on a wider day spent in the Burträsk landscape.
What makes it special
A compact forest tarn with barely 0.8 km of shoreline, lying about 166 m above sea level among pine country near Burträsk.↗
Part of the Bureälven river basin, its water draining east to the Gulf of Bothnia via the Kvarnrisbäcken stream.↗
A quiet, uncommercialised spot best enjoyed as a peaceful stop during a drive through the Burträsk woodland.
A little planning goes a long way
- Visit by car and navigate to the coordinates rather than expecting signage or a marked entrance — this is an ordinary forest lake, not a managed attraction.
- Late summer and early autumn are the best windows for swimming, berry-picking and golden birch colour along the shore.
- Carry water, insect protection and a map; mobile signal can be patchy in this inland woodland and there are no facilities at the tarn.
- Observe allemansrätten: do not camp or light fires on private ground, and pack out everything you bring.
About this guide
Compiled with AI assistance from the sources below; this is not a first-hand visit. Place details collected October 5, 2026. Hours, access and ratings can change; confirm with the venue before visiting.
