Nationalparkernas Hus

Some of the best hiking and wilderness scenery can be found in the 4900-hectare Tyresta National Park, only 20km southeast of Stockholm. Established in 1993, the park is noted for its two-billion-year-old rocks and virgin forest, which includes 300-year-old pine trees. It’s a beautiful area, with rocky outcrops, small lakes, marshes and a wide variety of birdlife. At the southwestern edge of the park is Nationalparkernas Hus. Here you can discover all of Sweden’s national parks (28 at the time of research) through exhibitions and slide shows, but be sure to check out the centre itself – it’s built in the shape of Sweden, complete with all 41 corners! There are even ‘lakes’ on the floor, indicated by different stones. Ask for the national park leaflet in English and the Tyresta Nationalpark och Naturreservat leaflet in Swedish, which includes an excellent topographical map at 1:25,000 scale. From the visitors centre there are various trails into the park. Sörmlandsleden track cuts across 6km of the park on its way to central Stockholm.