The most beautiful places in Småland
Sweden's 30th national park, opened in 2018 – more than a thousand islands, ancient beech forest and a silence you can really hear.
Arriving
There are places you enter. And there are places that make you quieter.
Åsnen is one of them. A good half hour's drive south of Växjö, at some point the road stops being important. Pines, then beeches, then a parking lot made of wood and stone – and behind it lies a lake that isn't really a lake but a freshwater archipelago: more than a thousand islands, around 700 kilometers of shoreline, and many of the little islets have never been set foot on, so that the birds can have their peace there.
Åsnen National Park was inaugurated on May 25, 2018, by Crown Princess Victoria, making it Sweden's 30th national park. It protects a good 19 square kilometers – and three quarters of that is water. What remains are narrow boardwalks over boggy ground, moss-covered boulder fields, old beeches with lichens that have long since disappeared elsewhere, and wooden decks that reach so far into the lake that you forget the shore behind you.
I don't come here to tick something off. I come here to arrive again.
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Sweden's 30th national park, inaugurated by Crown Princess Victoria.
Around 1,873 hectares, about 75 percent of it water. More than a thousand islands and around 700 km of shoreline.
Alvesta and Tingsryd municipalities, on the border with Växjö. From Växjö it's about 30 to 40 minutes by car.
Sunnabron in the north (main entrance) and Trollberget in the west. Both with parking, restrooms, a fire pit and a rest area.
Sunnabron main entrance · parking for about 40 cars
What you should see
The northeastern entrance lies on the strait leading to the largest island, Sirkön. Understated wooden architecture: wind shelters, fire pits, information boards and a jetty that leads far out over the water. If you only have an hour, walk the yellow-marked Östra Torpaslingan along the shore.
One of the most valuable broadleaf forests in Sweden – and the reason this national park exists at all. Old beeches spread a shimmering canopy, beneath which rare lichens, mosses and fungi live. The Bokslingan (1.7 km) is fully accessible, while the Strandslingan (2.6 km) is rockier and closer to the water.
The western entrance is known as “Åsnen in miniature”: broadleaf forest, pines, spruces, shoreline and bog in the smallest of spaces. Legend has it that the troll celebrated Christmas in the rock crevice – children search here for the entrance to the treasure chamber. The Trollsvansen (0.3 km) is stroller-friendly, and the Skogsslingan (2.2 km) leads over boardwalks through the peat bog.
The bog at the southernmost tip of the park feels like a little piece of Norrland that has wandered into Småland. Pine forest, cotton grass, the scent of marsh Labrador tea, with long boardwalks in between. Several loops can be combined into a longer hike.
Moose, white-tailed eagle, crane, osprey and black-throated loon – that's what they call their big five here. More than a hundred species that are endangered or especially worthy of protection in Sweden have found a refuge at Åsnen. The melancholy call of the black-throated loon over the water stays with you for a long time.
Right next to the Trollberget entrance there's a simple wooden deck, right on the shore. No viewpoint, no sign, nothing you'd have to photograph. You sit down, and at some point the thinking stops. For me, that's the real reason I keep coming back.
My little ritual
Åsnen isn't a place for ticking boxes. It only works if you slow down more than usual. These days I do it in three steps – and they work every time.
First of all, nothing at all. Sit on one of the benches at the entrance, set down your backpack, wait until your pulse settles after the drive. The park isn't going anywhere.
Then a short loop, deliberately too slow. The Bokslingan through the old beech forest is completely enough. Don't look at the clock, don't look at the map.
Finally, go down to the water, onto a jetty or a wooden deck, and stay. Longer than feels right at first. “Doing nothing” turns into vastness.
All this is possible because Allemansrätten applies in Sweden – the right of public access. It allows a lot and asks for exactly one thing: consideration. Stay on the paths, keep dogs on a leash, keep your distance from the islands during the breeding season, make fires only in the designated places. Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints.
Good to know
Getting there: From Växjö, take Väg 23 toward Huseby, then continue via Torne and Vrankunge to the Sunnabron entrance. From Blekinge or Skåne, routes 27, 29 and 120 lead via Tingsryd and Urshult.
Best time: In May the traditional orchard meadows are in bloom, the beech forest is at its greenest in June and at its most golden in October. In winter the park is almost deserted – and even quieter.
On the water: Åsnen is one of the most popular canoeing areas in southern Sweden. The “Åsnen runt” cycling route passes the Trollberget entrance on a disused railway line.
Nearby: Huseby Bruk with its old ironworks is just a few kilometers away. And if you'd like to travel on, head to Glasriket afterward – from the still water into the fire of the glassworks.
Current trail conditions and fire bans are posted on visitasnen.se.
Why this place
Three quarters of this national park is water. So you can never fully enter it – most of it stays out of reach, and that's exactly what makes it so healing. For a long time I believed I had to reach, understand and hold on to everything. Åsnen kindly disagrees. It says: Sit down. Look at what you cannot enter. It's still yours.
♥ ♥ ♥
The journey continues
Discover the other stops on my journey through the land I long for – place by place, with heart.
