Nyvallens naturreservat

Good to know

• Nature preserve
• Good for kids
• Dogs allowed
• 3.5 / 52 reviews
• Sweden

A living mountain shieling

Nyvallen's value lies less in a single spectacle than in a whole working way of life kept alive. In summer the milk animals move out from the home farm up to the shieling, where they graze freely through the mountain-birch woodland, returning each evening to be milked. The milk is processed on the spot into traditional products—cheese, butter and whey cheeses—the kind of self-sufficient fäbod craft that has become almost unique in Sweden today.↗↗↗

The meadows are still tended the old way. Around the middle of summer the hay meadows are cut—partly with scythe and rake—to keep them rich in species, and that biodiversity is exactly what the reserve protects: flower-filled swards ringed by grazed forest, with wet mires, old spruce and open mountain fells climbing toward the Sonfjället massif. It is a landscape shaped by people and animals, and it only survives because they still work it.↗↗

Gateway to Sonfjället National Park

Sonfjället rises high and alone above the surrounding forest, and wherever you are in Härjedalen its cut-off, table-like silhouette is hard to miss. Nyvallen sits right at its foot and, together with Nysätern on the western side, forms one of the park's principal entrances. From the shieling you can start straight into the national park and its trails, making the reserve a natural first stop on a day of mountain hiking.↗↗↗

At the fäbod itself there is a permanent nature-information display, "Naturinformation Sånfjället," that introduces both the national park and the history of the shieling—worth a look before you set off so you understand the land you are about to walk through.↗

What to see and do

The heart of a visit is simply to soak in the setting: grazing mountain cattle and goats loose in the birch forest, wildflowers in the old meadows, and the brooding wall of Sonfjället overhead. You can join a guided tour to hear about life at a fäbod in the 2000s, or go further and book a stay as a guest at the shieling—spending a day or more, taking part in the daily round of chores or striking out on your own hikes in the surrounding fells.↗↗

In August the reserve stages an annual mowing day, a chance to learn how the meadows are traditionally cut with scythe and rake. Hikers and backpackers can use Nyvallen as a trailhead into Sonfjället, while berry- and mushroom-picking is welcome under Sweden's right of public access. Fishing is allowed in the lake Styggtjärn with a valid permit from the Hedeviken fishing area.↗↗

Getting there and when to visit

Nyvallen lies about 20 km (12 mi) south of Hede in Härjedalen, at roughly 837 metres above sea level. Come from road 84 at Hedeviken and follow the signs toward Sonfjället National Park; there is free parking within the area, and the reserve is managed by the County Administrative Board of Jämtland. Note that parts of the ground here are flagged as accessible by wheelchair and pushchair near the car park and facilities.↗↗↗↗

Plan around the seasons. The access road to Nyvallen is not ploughed in winter, so the shieling and this entrance to the park are very much a summer-and-autumn affair. If you want to reach Sonfjället National Park in the colder months, the authorities direct visitors to Nysätern, on the western side of the fell instead.↗↗

Respect the reserve

As in all Swedish nature reserves, public access is yours to roam freely so long as you do not disturb or destroy. Within Nyvallen you may not damage or break trees, shrubs or brushwood (though loose dry fuel on the ground may be gathered for a fire), pick or dig up plants, or disturb wildlife. Cars and motorbikes stay on marked roads and car parks, motor homes and caravans may not be parked out, drones must stay above 300 m, horse riding is not allowed, and dogs must be kept on a leash.↗↗