Sälenhe mountains are surrounded by several nature reserves and national parks, making the area one of the country's most accessible mountain areas with protected nature. Here, outdoor recreation, tranquillity and conservation meet in perfect balance. The closest reserves - Hundfjället Nature Reserve and The Northern Transtrand Mountains - is just minutes from the lifts but feels like a wilderness. Together with Sälen's other protected environments they form a continuous landscape of mountain heathland, marshland and mountain forest that preserves both the views and the ecology. If you’d like to experience these natural areas at their most beautiful, you can read more about Sälen Summer Time.
Northern Transtrand Mountains – 15 km north-west of Sälen
The large nature reserve: 8,931 hectares of mountain and mountain forest north of Hundfjället and Tandådalen, established in 2009, comprising Stor- and Lill-Närfjället, Skärfjället, Lägerdalsfjället, Västra and Östra Granfjället, rising to 949 metres, and Synddalskläppen. The southern Kungsleden and the Sälen loop meet at Närfjällsstugan; the snowmobile trail Stöten–Tandådalen runs through the area, and there are rest huts at Saldalskojan and Närfjällsstugan. Tent camping and making fires with your own wood are permitted; snowmobiles are only allowed on the marked trail; off-road cycling is prohibited. Trails leading here: Stor-Närfjällsleden, 15 km from Myrflodammen, and Granfjällssätern, 15.5 km.
Hundfjället Nature Reserve – 5 km south of Tandådalen
An unspoilt old spruce forest with hanging lichen on the southern slope of Hundfjället, 560–580 hectares, established in 1995, featuring a ravine landscape and traces of fire where tree stumps indicate six fires; three-toed woodpecker, Siberian jay, black woodpecker and capercaillie. In summer, the reserve can be reached via road 1047 Hammarsby–Rörbäcksnäs and a forest track; in winter, via Sälenringen from Hundfjället or Högfjällshotellet. Fires may only be lit in designated areas; off-road cycling is not permitted.
The Skarsås Mountains, including Näsfjället – 30 km north-west
Four low mountains – Skarsåsfjället, Faxfjället, Mellanfjället and Näsfjället – covering 2,300 hectares near the Norwegian border, between Sälenfjällen and Fulufjället. Lilldalsstugan, situated at the tree line, has a wood-burning stove; the trail from the Näsfjället ski resort to the hut is 2.5 kilometres long, and from the Skarsåsen mountain pasture it is 5.5 kilometres. The Southern Kungsleden trail passes by, with a wind shelter and dry toilet at the boundary of the nature reserve. Fires are permitted only in designated areas; snowmobiles are permitted only on the Kungsleden and the trail to Näsfjället.
Tandövala – Sweden’s southernmost mountain range
3,498 hectares west of Limedsforsen, established in 1982, with mountain plants such as creeping heather, mountain bilberry and mountain avens at the summit; access from Limedsforsen or Östra Tandö via a gravel track, with parking at the eastern entrance. The Gräsbricksleden trail runs 2.5 kilometres from either side to the mountain pastures; Norra Vardsätern is an open hut offering free overnight accommodation all year round, with a wind shelter at Bockskärstjärnen. Tent camping is permitted; dogs should ideally be kept on a lead during the mountain pasture season from Midsummer to the end of August; no motor vehicles.
Bredvalla – one mil south-west of Sälen
A new nature reserve established in 2021, covering 142 hectares, where the Bredvalla stream flows through a narrow canyon featuring several waterfalls on the northern slope of Bredvallsfjället; an old mountain spruce forest with 250–300-year-old spruce trees and red-listed lichens. There are no marked trails, and signposts and car parks may be lacking.
Fulufjället National Park and Njupeskär
A national park since 2002, covering 38,500 hectares, two-thirds of which is bare mountain, with the main entrance 25 kilometres west of Särna. Njupeskär is 93 metres high with a 70-metre free fall, one of Sweden’s highest waterfalls, 2 kilometres one way from the nature centre; the Lavskrikeleden trail is accessible. Dogs must be kept on a lead; camping is permitted except in Zone 4; open fires are permitted except in Zone 4, where designated fire pits must be used. Neither the park nor the County Administrative Board specify the distance from Sälen – allow for the journey by car via Särna. Töfsingdalen National Park is further north. More about the trail to the waterfall: day trip to Fulufjället and Njupeskär.
Rules in the nature reserves
The right of public access applies, but each nature reserve has its own regulations: in Norra Transtrandsfjällen and Tandövala, you may camp and light fires provided you do so with due consideration; in Hundfjället and Skarsåsfjällen, fires may only be lit in designated areas; in Fulufjället, dogs must be kept on a lead. Snowmobiles may be ridden on marked trails in Norra Transtrandsfjällen, Skarsåsfjällen and Fulufjället, but not at all in Tandövala; off-road cycling and motorised vehicles are prohibited everywhere. Natura 2000 applies to Stor-Närfjället, Tandövala, Hundfjället, Skarsåsfjällen and Bredvalla. The whole of Sälenfjällens nature and highlands: Sälenfjällen – Nature and the Landscape. The altitude of the village and the mountains: How tall is Sälen?. With a guide: guided tours in Sälen.
Storfjället – mountain heathlands without protected area status
Storfjället, which is not a nature reserve, stretches out to the north-west of Tandådalen and offers open, easy-to-walk moors with wide views of the mountain ridges. Here you can follow trails that wind over gentle ridges, where mountain vegetation consists of dwarf birch, lichen and currant. During winter, the area provides excellent conditions for tour skiing and quiet snowshoeing in protected nature, while summer beckons with flowering heaths and birdsong on the moorland edges.
Östfjället – forests and ponds near Högfjället
Östfjället, which is not a nature reserve, is situated between Högfjället and Tandådalen and is a contrast to the open moors. Here you will find quiet mountain forests, lichen-covered spruces, small lakes and moorland paths that give a feeling of untouchedness despite the proximity to the ski areas. The area is perfect for short day trips at a leisurely pace, and in winter cross-country tracks pass by on the outskirts, making it easy to combine the nature reserve with active outdoor life.
National parks near Sälen
For those who want to experience real mountain wilderness, the Fulufjället National Park only about two hours away by car. Here you will find Njupeskär waterfall – one of Sweden’s highest – and features marked trails ranging from short family walks to longer hikes across the barren plateau. The national park forms part of a UNESCO biosphere reserve and protects unique habitats such as ancient woodland, mountain heathland and mountain streams. Even further north lies Töfsingdalen National Park - smaller in size, but with a dramatic valley and boulder-strewn terrain that rewards those seeking peace and solitude.
Accessibility and rules
A great advantage of the nature in Sälen is its accessibility. In summer, marked trails lead directly from accommodation in Sälen, mountain hotels and car parks into the reserves. In winter, the snow and groomed trails carry you gently over the ground. Protection is reflected in the rules: dogs must be kept under special control, fires may only be lit in designated areas, and off-road driving with vehicles or scooters is prohibited outside trails. Flying drones may require a licence - always check local regulations before setting out.
Plan your trip
Choose starting points with information boards, download maps in advance (coverage may vary), and stick to paths over wet areas. Avoid shortcuts through brushwood and moorland - it saves nature and makes the walk safer. The reward is the tranquillity of the mountain heath, cloudberry bogs in late summer, northern lights on clear autumn evenings and the sparkling expanses of spring winter. From Sälen's village you can reach protected nature in just a few minutes, and every excursion is a reminder of why the mountains deserve their protection.
A mountain to cherish
The nature reserves and national parks around Sälen show how conservation and experience can coexist. By following trails, choosing sustainable operators and respecting nature, every visitor contributes to keeping the mountains alive. Here, freedom is great - but protection makes it sustainable. This is precisely why nature in the Sälen mountains feels as untouched today as it did generations ago.