Nittälven, Naturreservat

The Nittälven nature reserve connects several other nature reserves to form a large, continuous wilderness area along the entire Nittälven. Here you will encounter an unregulated watercourse with rapids, falls and calm waters, as well as species-rich old-growth forests and exciting geological landforms.

Nature reserves in Nittälvsdalen

A large, continuous wilderness area with many nature reserves stretches along the Nittälven river.

Large and varied

The Nittälven is one of Örebro County's finest water systems. The river flows from Lake Nitten in Dalarna County and flows a few miles south into Lake Ljusnaren. The reserve also includes two of Nittälven's tributaries: Nordtjärnsälven and Kaggabäcken. In addition to the watercourse itself, Nittälvsdalen contains a wide variety of environments, from mountain heights, slopes and precipices to moors, sandy barrens, fire fields and marshes.

Mighty meander

Perhaps the most spectacular part of the river is the calmly flowing and strongly meandering (winding) lower stretch. Here, in the river delta, an area of marshland spreads out. The flowing water is constantly carving out new paths in the lightly worked sandy soil. Sometimes several channels and oxbow lakes are formed, i.e. cut-off sections of former river channels.

Species-rich riparian forests and dry pine heaths

Along the Nittälven there are many natural forest-like environments with a high species richness, not least areas of mixed coniferous forest with a humid, stable microclimate closest to the river. Here you can find rare species such as the starry thistle, cream thistle, old spruce cabbage and Norwegian beak lichen. Dry pine heaths spread out on higher parts of the former glacial river sand deposits. They contain a number of fungal species typical of sandy coniferous forests, including blue spruce fungus, orange spruce fungus and pine gray tick.

Unregulated with traces of logging

The unregulated Nittälven is almost unique in the heavily hydroelectrically exploited Bergslagen. All the more numerous are the remains of log driving, when timber was transported from the forests in the north down to Lake Ljusnaren and the sawmill at Skäret. Log driving took place from the 1890s until the early 1950s. However, hay was also rafted in the 18th century. At the outlet of Lilla Nitten there used to be a floating dam, which has now been demolished. In order to make it easier for the timber to flow, almost all stretches were cleared of stones. Large rocks and boulders were blasted away and guide arms were built to direct the logs. These measures made it more difficult for many plants and animals to live in the river. Following permission from the Land and Environment Court, many of the rapids in the Nittälven have therefore been restored by the County Administrative Board.

Fire as nature conservation management

In the past, forest fires were a common occurrence in our forests, here and there in the reserve you will find traces of old pines after older forest fires. Fire is a necessity for a large number of plants and animals, which over the millennia have adapted to the habitat provided by fire. In order to benefit and preserve the area's fire-favoring species, the County Administrative Board carries out controlled conservation burns in the nature reserve.

More information about conservation burning

Conservation burns carried out

In 2023, a small area northeast of Långtjärnen in the Nittälven nature reserve was burned:

Burn plan Långtjärnen, Nittälven 2023 with map Pdf, 2.4 MB.

In 2022, an area called Nittälvsheden was burned, just south of Dansarbacken.

Burn plan Nittälvsheden 2022 with map Pdf, 1.7 MB.

Life2Taiga

During the years 2022-2028, parts of the area are included in a project with conservation burning in focus, Life2Taiga.

Accessibility

The nature reserve consists of several sub-areas. Work is currently underway to mark paths and establish rest areas. We hope that you as a visitor will forgive that it can be a bit messy in the meantime.

Entrance Kolbron

At the Kolbron entrance there are rest areas, shelters, fireplaces and toilets with high accessibility. A marked trail runs along the Nittälven river both north towards Kaljoxadalen (7 km) and south to Römyren. From Kolbron, a shorter loop (1.5 km) extends around Gravtjärnen. At Römyren there is a shelter and fireplace.

Is there firewood?

Firewood is available at the fireplaces. Remember to burn in moderation, so that the wood is enough for future guests. Firewood is replenished regularly but we cannot guarantee availability at all times. If you want to be sure to be able to make a fire - bring your own firewood. It is not allowed to burn sticks and branches from the forest in the reserve.

Paddling in the Nittälven

The best time of year to paddle in the Nittälven River is often during April-May, when the spring flood creates a naturally high water flow in the river. Or at other times during with a water flow above or around the average flow of 3 cubic meters/second. See the fact sheet below with a map of which stretches are suitable for paddling.

Information on current water flow (smhi.se/hydronue) Link to other website

Nittälvsdalen in winter

In Nittälvsdalen there are several nice bogs to ski on when there is snow. Entré Kolbron is the easiest to reach and is usually plowed.