Store Mosse is a sea of peat moss in the middle of Småland: boardwalks across open raised bog, a bird lake with a 12-meter tower, and old farms where cattle still graze. The park’s binding rules replace parts of the right of public access, and its own website gets one of them wrong.
When you need this
You’re driving the E4 through Småland and want a stop that beats a rest area. Maybe you’re coming by train and wondering whether a bus reaches the park, or you’re a birder planning a spring visit to Kävsjön. Perhaps you want to know whether the tent, the dog, the canoe or the motorhome can come. This page covers the park itself: how to get there, what the regulation actually says, which trail to walk and where you may sleep.
The park at a glance
Store Mosse was established on 6 May 1982 and covers 7,682 hectares in Gnosjö, Vaggeryd and Värnamo municipalities, Jönköping County. Naturvårdsverket, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, owns the land, and the county board, Länsstyrelsen Jönköping, manages it. The park calls it the largest mostly untouched raised-bog area in Sweden south of Lapland.
Most of it is högmosse (raised bog) whose peat has grown for at least 8,000 years, mainly from sphagnum moss. Forested sand dunes called rocknar run through the open bog as islands and ridges. Peat pits recall peat cutting in the early 1900s, and some cut areas have been restored to bog. The county board says there are just over 50 km of trails, and it finished a wetland restoration of the lakes Kävsjön and Häradsösjön in 2025.
| Place | Why go |
|---|---|
| Kävsjön and the big bird tower | A bird lake ringed by floating fen (gungfly), seen from a 12 m tower 150 m from the main car park |
| naturum Store Mosse | Free visitor center at the main entrance, with an exhibition built around sphagnum moss (opened 2023) |
| The open raised bog | Boardwalks (spänger) out to pools such as Svartgölen |
| Svänö and Lövö | Old farms with grazing cattle, year-round rest cabins and tent sites |
| Björnekullakärret | A rich fen of about 5 ha with orchids, crossed by a boardwalk |
| The eagle hide | Golden and white-tailed eagles are fed from November to March |
Getting there
Naturum and the main entrance are on road 151 between Värnamo and Gnosjö, 17 km from Värnamo, with brown-and-white signs from the E4 and road 26.
| Mode | How it works |
|---|---|
| Car from the E4 | Exit 85 if you come from the south, exit 87 from the north |
| Car from road 26 | Turn off towards Gnosjö and Värnamo at Hestra |
| Train + bus | The Kust till kust railway runs straight through the park, but the park says to get off at Värnamo or Gnosjö and take the bus. From the north–south main line, change at Alvesta |
| Bus 242 | Runs between Värnamo and Gnosjö and stops at the main entrance; the stop is called Store Mosse nationalpark |
| Bike | The signed Store Mosseleden route runs from Värnamo via Maramö to naturum on asphalt and gravel; a cycle path runs from Hillerstorp via Kävsjö |
We could not read line 242’s timetable, because the county transport operator’s site would not load for our research tools, so check the days and times in the regional journey planner before you rely on it.
Parking is free at every car park, but a parking company monitors them, and the free parking holds only if you park correctly. Use the bay for your vehicle type. If your car has a sleeping place, the park says to use a motorhome bay even if it is a campervan or a converted car. The main entrance has disabled parking, as does Östra Rockne (18 spaces). Kittlakull (135 spaces) takes caravans, while Lövö (8) and Svänö (5) take vehicles up to 3 tonnes. If one car park is full, drive to the next.
The rules
The park has its own regulation: Naturvårdsverkets föreskrifter för Store Mosse nationalpark (NFS 2015:8), in force since 1 December 2015, with no amendments listed. It limits allemansrätten, the right of public access. We read the regulation itself.
| Activity | What the regulation says |
|---|---|
| Tent or windbreak | Only at designated sites, at most three nights in a row |
| Fire and grill | Only at designated places |
| Firewood | No breaking twigs or damaging living or dead trees |
| Dog or other pet | Always on a leash |
| Fishing | Not allowed |
| Boat, canoe, jet ski | Not allowed |
| Drones and other aircraft | No take-off or landing; the park names drones explicitly |
| Cycling | Only on roads, car parks and marked trails |
| Horse riding | Only on roads and car parks |
| Caravan, motorhome, trailer | Not parked between 00:00 and 06:00 except at designated places, and the park has none |
| Kävsjön bird area | No entry 1 March–15 August |
| Plants, mosses, lichens, wood fungi | Not to be picked without a county board permit |
| Berries and edible mushrooms | Allowed for your own use, except in the Kävsjön closure area |
The fire rule, correctly. The park’s own rules page lists “elda inklusive att använda grill, inklusive på anvisad plats” as banned — fires and grills, including at designated places. That is a misprint. The regulation says förutom på anvisad plats, “except at designated places”, and the county board’s page reproduces it that way. The park’s other pages list seven grill places, at the main car park, Skogstrollens stig, Wibecksplatsen, Östra Rockne, Lilla Lövö, Svänö and Lövö. There are woodsheds at Skogstrollens stig, Svänö and Lövö; bring your own wood to the rest, because burning twigs from the forest is forbidden. A fire ban overrides the grill places: under an ordinary ban only permanent fixed grill places stay open, and a stringent ban closes those too, but a camping stove stays legal. See campfire rules and fire bans.
Kävsjön in spring. From 1 March to 15 August nobody may enter the bird area in and around Kävsjön, which is marked with yellow signs. The Kävsjön runt trail stays open all year and often runs right beside the closed zone. Our birdwatching guide puts Kävsjön alongside Sweden’s other bird lakes.
Dogs. The leash rule applies all year, not just during the 1 March–20 August period you’ll read about for the rest of Sweden. Our leash law guide explains the national rule.
What surprises people. You can’t fish at all, even with a licence, and you can’t take a canoe out. Winter fishing in Kävsjön is allowed only under an agreement with the fishing-rights holders, not for visitors. Picking berries and edible mushrooms is allowed, so see our berry-picking and mushroom-picking guides. For drones outside the park, see drone rules.
Trails and what to see
Lengths and times are the park’s own.
| Trail | Start | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skogstrollens stig | naturum | 500 m, ~30 min | Fairy-tale trail; leaflets in English and German; pushchair-friendly |
| Wibecksleden | naturum | 1.6 km return, ~30 min | Hard-packed gravel for wheelchairs; platform over the fen with two grills |
| Gungflyleden | Wibecksleden | 1.5 km | Three-plank boardwalk across the big floating fen |
| Svartgölsleden | Östra Rockne | 3.6 km return | Wide gravel then boardwalk to the bog pool Svartgölen |
| Östra Rockne runt | Östra Rockne | 3.3 km, 1–1.5 h | Forest and bog; roots |
| Lövö runt | Lövö | 3.6 km, 1–1.5 h | Pine forest on the sand ridges |
| Strandstigen | Hagen, Häradsö | 3 km, ~1.5 h | Old shoreline to a viewing platform |
| Blådöpet runt | Lövö | 5.2 km, ~1.5 h | Quieter south, stronger wilderness feel |
| Lilla Lövö runt | Kittlakull | 6.2 km, 2–2.5 h | Mostly planks across untouched bog |
| Kävsjön runt | naturum, Kävsjö, Svänö or Östra Rockne | 12 km, 3–4 h | Open all year; side paths to bird towers |
Naturum–Andersberg is the park’s longest trail, running from the north to the southern tip; the park gives no length on its trail list. Boardwalks get slippery in the wet, so wear shoes that grip.
You can swim in Svartgölen; the park says a dip is fine, but it is 4.5 m deep straight from the edge. For birds, the park points to the big floating fen on Kävsjön’s south side, where cranes nest, and to Blådöpet and the lowered lakes Horssjön and Häradsösjön; a tower at Kvarnö, 200 m from its car park, looks over Horssjön. The eagle hide is on the gravel road between Kittlakull and Östra Rockne. It is 400 m from the feeding place, so bring binoculars or borrow a pair or a spotting scope at naturum.
The county board carried out controlled burns at Sörö and Stockholmsmaden in 2023 and 2024. Trees with burned roots can fall quickly and silently, so take care where you see fire damage.
Where to sleep and eat
Wild camping isn’t allowed anywhere in the park. These are the designated tent sites, where you may stay at most three nights in a row:
- Svänö: at the farm, near parking, toilets, a grill and a rest cabin, plus a second site in the forest south of the farm
- Lövö: a few hundred meters from the farm, which has parking, toilets, a grill and a rest cabin
- Lilla Lövö: on a firm-ground island out on the bog, with a grill place
- Kittlakull: a larger site near parking, toilets and a grill
- Skantö and Timmerö: remote sites reached across the bog; the park says snowshoes (snöskor) are useful there
The old farmhouses at Svänö and Lövö are run as hostels, and the rest cabins at both farms are open all year with a stove, tables and chairs. You may leave an ordinary car parked overnight while you sleep in a tent. Sleeping in a motorhome, caravan, class 2 car or a car with a roof tent isn’t allowed anywhere in the park. See motorhome overnight stops for the rules outside, and wild camping for the right of public access beyond the boundary.
There is no café or food service in the park or at naturum. Bring a packed lunch; you may eat it inside naturum. The park’s service page lists toilets but no drinking-water point, so bring water. Toilets are at the main car park, Östra Rockne and Kittlakull, with large dry toilets with ramps at Svänö and Lövö.
Accessible visits
| Place | What works |
|---|---|
| naturum | Fully wheelchair accessible, accessible toilet with changing table, guide dogs welcome |
| Big bird tower | First floor wheelchair accessible, lift to the second floor; higher floors by stairs |
| Wibecksleden | 1.6 km return on hard-packed gravel, wide enough for wheelchairs and pushchairs |
| Skogstrollens stig | Gravel, pushchair-friendly; the grill area at its start isn’t adapted |
| Svartgölsleden | Wide gravel and a 1.2 m boardwalk; slopes may need a helper |
| Östra Rockne | Dry toilet with room for a wheelchair, disabled parking |
The regulation also lets people with reduced mobility use an electric wheelchair or mobility scooter in the park, except inside the Kävsjön closure area. Our accessible Sweden guide covers travel more broadly.
Season by season
Spring brings whooper swans as the ice leaves Kävsjön, trumpeting cranes and flowering bog-rosemary; the Kävsjön closure starts on 1 March. Early summer is when the meadows at Svänö and Lövö are at their best, and summer brings the most visitors and naturum activities. Autumn is the quiet season, with colorful sphagnum and mushrooms to pick. In winter, eagles are fed from November to March. With enough snow, ski tracks are made on the fen by naturum and towards Lövö, and moonlight skiing is arranged at full moon.
Naturum’s hours vary through the year; the current ones are in the table below.
Practical information
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Size and founding | 7,682 ha, established 6 May 1982; managed by Länsstyrelsen Jönköping |
| Entry and naturum | Free; no entry fee mentioned (checked 2026-10-15) |
| naturum hours | Mon and Tue 9–13, Sun 10–16; daily 10–16 in week 44 (26 October–1 November 2026); closed from 2 November 2026; Christmas hours not yet published (checked 2026-10-15) |
| Parking | Free at all car parks when parked correctly; monitored by a parking company |
| Bus | Line 242 Värnamo–Gnosjö, stop Store Mosse nationalpark; check times in the regional journey planner |
| Tent sites | Svänö, Lövö, Lilla Lövö, Kittlakull, Skantö, Timmerö; no fee mentioned; three nights max |
| Food and water | No food service; no drinking-water point listed |
| Closure | Kävsjön bird area, 1 March–15 August |
FAQ
Can you camp in Store Mosse National Park?
Yes, but only at designated tent sites, and for at most three nights in a row at the same place. The park lists sites at Svänö, Lövö, Lilla Lövö, Kittlakull, Skantö and Timmerö. Wild camping elsewhere in the park breaks its regulations, and you may not sleep in a motorhome, caravan or vehicle with a roof tent anywhere in the park.
How do you get to Store Mosse without a car?
Take the train on the Kust till kust line to Värnamo or Gnosjö, then regional bus 242, which runs between the two towns and stops at the main entrance, stop name Store Mosse nationalpark. The entrance and naturum are on road 151, 17 km from Värnamo. A signed cycle route, Store Mosseleden, also runs from Värnamo to naturum.
Can I bring my dog to Store Mosse?
Yes, but the dog must be on a leash at all times, all year. The park’s regulations forbid bringing an unleashed dog or other pet, so the seasonal practice that applies elsewhere in Sweden does not matter here. Guide dogs are welcome inside naturum. Keep dogs out of the Kävsjön bird area, which is closed to everyone from 1 March to 15 August.
Can you have a fire or a barbecue in Store Mosse?
Yes, at the designated grill places only. The regulation bans fires, including grills, except at designated places, although the park’s own rules page misprints this as a total ban. There is free firewood at Skogstrollens stig, Svänö and Lövö; bring your own to other grill places and never break twigs. A county fire ban overrides all of this.
When is Kävsjön closed to visitors?
From 1 March to 15 August, the bird-protection area in and around Kävsjön is closed: nobody may enter or stay there. It is marked with yellow signs. The 12 km Kävsjön runt trail stays open all year, often running right beside the closed area, and side paths lead to bird towers. Picking berries and mushrooms is also not allowed inside the closed area.
Can I stay overnight in a motorhome at Store Mosse?
No. The regulation bans caravans, motorhomes and trailers parked between midnight and 06:00 except at designated places, and the park says there is no such site in the park. Sleeping in a motorhome, caravan, class 2 car or a vehicle with a roof tent is not allowed anywhere in the park. An ordinary car may stay parked overnight, for example while you sleep in a tent.
Is Store Mosse wheelchair accessible?
Partly. The area around the main entrance works for wheelchairs and pushchairs: naturum is fully accessible with an accessible toilet, the big bird tower has an accessible first floor and a lift to the second, and Wibecksleden is a 1.6 km hard-packed gravel trail. Svartgölsleden from Östra Rockne is wide gravel and boardwalk, but its slopes may need a helper.
Related guides
- Småland: the region around the park, from Jönköping to Kalmar and the glass country.
- Swedish national parks: how Store Mosse fits the national system, and which parks you can reach without a car.
- Birdwatching in Sweden: Kävsjön alongside Hornborgasjön, Tåkern and the other bird lakes, with their spring closures.
- Söderåsen National Park: another southern park reachable by regional bus, with its own strict rules.
- Wild camping in Sweden: the rules once you step outside the park boundary.
Facts verified 2026-10-15. Sources: Naturvårdsverket (park regulations NFS 2015:8, Sveriges nationalparker), Länsstyrelsen Jönköping, Storstockholms brandförsvar — full register in this topic’s source file. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.