Stopån, Naturreservat

The Stopån is a tributary of the Unnån in the northwestern part of Orsa Municipality. The valley offers visitors magnificent natural scenery, including an old and stately spruce forest. The Stopån forms a pair of beautiful waterfalls that enhance the sense of untamed nature.
Photo: Dalarna County Administrative Board

Visitor Information

Directions and Parking

From Orsa: The nature reserve is located about 45 km northwest of the town of Orsa. Take Highway E45 north and turn off toward Untorp. Just before you reach the village of Untorp, turn right; there is a sign for “Naturreservat” (Nature Reserve). Follow the road to its end. There is a turning area where you can park your car, as well as a signpost with information about the nature reserve.

Hiking Suggestions – Trails and Rest Areas

From the turnaround area, the trail leads to the two waterfalls (about 1 km one way) and a 4-km loop. Where the loop turns southwest, on the other side of the municipal boundary—that is, inside the Anjosvarden Nature Reserve—there is a nice rest area with a wind shelter. Enjoy your hike!

Logging has taken place, but it was a long time ago

The bedrock in the area is dominated by porphyry and porphyritic rock, though there are also streaks of diabase. The forest in the area has been unaffected by modern forestry practices. Around the turn of the century, selective logging was carried out in the area.

Wildlife remains undisturbed, and the staghorn fern thrives

The wildlife is typical of northern Dalarna, benefiting here from the old-growth forest and undisturbed conditions. The area around Stopån, together with the Gravvasseln stream ravine, is particularly interesting from a flora perspective. Among the vascular plants, the spleenwort is worth mentioning. It is a characteristic species of moist heath forests. It has two distinctly different types of leaves, with the narrow leaves in the center of the tuft bearing spores.

Species that thrive in moisture and shade

Here one also finds rare buttonhole lichens that thrive in moist and shady environments with old trees and stumps. Other lichen finds include the violet-gray bristle lichen and the shadow-blue lichen. Abundant finds of endangered fungi that require similar conditions for their survival have also been made, including the patchy tinder fungus, the wrinkled skin fungus, the rose tinder fungus, and the fragrant skin fungus.

Vast Wilderness

The Stopån Nature Reserve is part of a large, contiguous cluster of nature reserves in northern Mora Municipality. The adjacent reserves are Anjosvarden, Våmhuskölen, and Norra Mora Vildmark. Together, these nature reserves form a vast, roadless area offering ample opportunities for rich nature experiences for outdoor enthusiasts.