Gröntjärn, Naturreservat

Gröntjärn is a very popular excursion destination and is one of the most visited reserves in the county. There are marked trails, windbreaks, accessible picnic facilities and barbecue, a logging hut and accessible toilet and parking. Gröntjärn Nature Reserve is visited mainly for its geological values and its peculiar hydrological conditions. The level of the turquoise-green water in the tarn naturally varies by more than 13 meters.

The reserve is located in a narrow valley, surrounded by high mountains, about 5 kilometers west of the village of Västerstråsjö, 25 kilometers northwest of Delsbo.

Dangerous to stay in burnt areas!

On June 2, 2021, a conservation burn was carried out in part of the reserve. We advise visitors to stay there for the first few weeks after the burn as the fire-damaged trees can fall heavily and silently.

On windy days, you should avoid the burned area throughout the year until next spring (2022).

Price for accessibility

In Gröntjärn, the County Administrative Board has invested in making the area more accessible to everyone. The parking lot consists of a hardened smooth surface as well as the path to the accessible rest area with tables and benches. Adjacent to the parking lot is a dry toilet with a ramp. There is an accessible barbecue area and access to firewood at the rest area.

Formed during the melting of the ice

The area is part of a peculiar ice river deposit formed when the ice sheet melted about 8,500 years ago. In many places there are so-called dead ice pits, which are traces of individual ice blocks that were embedded in the gravel and sand masses.

When the blocks melted, the ground collapsed and formed larger or smaller pits with steep edges. Several of the pits are now water-filled ponds or lakes. The most remarkable of these is Gröntjärn.

Spectacular water level variations

No streams supply the tarn with water. This is largely because rainwater can immediately find its way down to the groundwater through the permeable soil. The groundwater is then the water that fills several of the area's lakes and ponds.

The beautiful turquoise-green color of Gröntjärn is an effect of this, as groundwater, unlike water in flowing streams, is free of particles.

Gröntjärn is interesting because of its large variations in water level. The difference between the highest and lowest water level amounts to more than 13 meters. This is due to a complex interaction between surface water, groundwater and groundwater discharge.

Mosippa and goat's beard

The vegetation is adapted to the area's dry soil conditions, and pine forests with various berry species and lichens cover large parts of the reserve. Marshmallow is unusually abundant at dead ice pits on the moors in the area.

The shores of Gröntjärn have a poor but interesting flora, including the ice-age relict mountain clove, as well as goat's beard and meadow willow.