Tiveden National Park: Trails, Trollkyrkan and the Rules

Tiveden packs boulder fields, rift valleys, old pine forest and a sandy lake beach into a small park in the middle of Sweden. Here is which loop to walk, where you may sleep, and the two rules that catch most visitors out.

When you need this

You want to see Trollkyrkan or the boulders at Stenkälla and need to know which trail fits your afternoon. Or you plan a night in a tent or a motorhome, want to cook lunch on a gas stove, or are bringing a dog, a pushchair or no car at all. This page covers the park itself; for how all of Sweden’s parks work, see Sweden’s national parks.

The park at a glance

Tivedens nationalpark lies between Vänern and Vättern, on the border of the provinces Västergötland and Närke, in Laxå and Karlsborg municipalities. It was formed on 29 April 1983, extended on 15 March 2017, and covers 2,030 hectares, about 1,800 of them land. The state agency Naturvårdsverket owns it, and the county board, Länsstyrelsen Örebro, manages it. The nearest towns are Laxå, Karlsborg and Askersund.

The landscape is the point. About a thousand million years ago the bedrock cracked into a grid of sprickdalar (rift valleys), in the same movements that formed Vättern’s deep trough. The last ice age, which ended about 10,000 years ago, ground the hilltops into smooth slabs and left boulders up to ten metres high. Steep terrain and early protection kept modern forestry out, so one of southern Sweden’s few large remnants of old, fire-shaped pine forest survives here.

The forests burned at least 86 times between 1371 and 1853, and a pine on the trails still carries the scar of the great fire of 1835. More than 770 beetle species have been found. People left marks too: iron was made at Vitsand about 2,000 years ago, and hundreds of old charcoal-kiln bases and several tar pits remain from the mining era.

Which loop?

The park has more than 34 km of marked trails, and every one is a loop. The county board calls the walking exciting but often demanding, and the park’s trail pages warn of steep drops and passages. Plan by time, not distance: 4.6 km takes about three hours here. Each loop has its own colour and number of dots on the markers.

Stenkällerundan is the classic first walk. Stenkälla, a “rock temple” of boulders, was already a popular outing in the late 1800s and is probably the park’s most visited sight. A connecting path of about 1.5 km runs to the beach at Vitsand.

Trollkyrkerundan is for the famous hills. Stora and Lilla Trollkyrkan are the park’s best-known sights and serve as landmarks for boats on Vättern. About a quarter of the way round, a shortcut makes the loop less than half as long.

Stigmansrundan passes Stigmanspasset, a narrow rift valley where the road squeezes between steep rock walls, and then Stenkälla. Oxögabergsrundan goes deeper into old forest and past Friluftskyrkan, a rock slab where people held prayer meetings during the 1726–1870 ban on worship outside the church’s control.

From Vitsand, Junker Jägares sten, one of the park’s largest glacial erratics, is an easy 600 m on the white loop. With small children or limited time, Mellannäsrundan from Ösjönäs is the park’s easiest path. The flattest stretch of the long Trehörningsrundan is between Vitsand and Ösjönäs, and it crosses private land in places.

The long-distance trail Bergslagsleden crosses the park’s eastern part, with connecting paths to Trollkyrkerundan and Oxögabergsrundan.

The rules

Tiveden’s rules are a binding regulation, NFS 2017:3, in force since May 2017. They override allemansrätten, the right of public access, and breaking them is punishable by fines under the Environmental Code.

Your stove stays in the pack on the trail. The regulation bans fires and grills outside designated places. The park and the county board read that as covering every stove or heater with an open flame, so you cannot brew coffee on a rock slab with a gas burner. Cook at the fire places instead: they are at all three entrances and at the Metesjön and Käringaudden rest areas, with an axe and saw. Wood is refilled regularly, but bring your own to be sure. This is stricter than the general advice in our guide to camping stoves during fire bans.

A county fire ban overrides the fire places. For drones outside the boundary, see drone rules in Sweden; for dogs outside it, Sweden’s leash law.

Sleeping in and around the park

Camping is no longer banned. Until 2017 tents and caravans were not allowed at all, and many older guides still say so. Today you may pitch a tent, tarp or hammock at three designated sites, each marked off with rope: Käringaudden, the rest area at Metesjön and the tip of Mellannäsudden. You get one night, from 18:00 to 10:00, and no tent may stand during the day.

Sleeping under the open sky, with no tent or shelter, is allowed anywhere in the park as long as you do not damage the ground. Outside the boundary, ordinary wild camping rules apply.

Motorhomes may not stay the night. The regulation bans parking a motorhome or caravan between midnight and 06:00, and the park says overnight stays in cars, motorhomes and caravans are not allowed. There is no motorhome site in the park. Park during the day, then see wild camping with a motorhome for where to sleep instead.

Getting there and parking

The park is easiest by car. From the south, leave route 49 between Karlsborg (about 27 km) and Askersund (about 33 km) where it is signposted, and follow a smaller road north through the park past the main entrance. Signs also lead in from Askersund and from the E20 at Finnerödja and Laxå. Parking is free at all entrances, but only in the marked spaces.

Avoid the noon crush. From about mid-June to mid-September, and on fine weekends, the main car park is often full between 11:00 and 14:00. Come earlier or later, start from Vitsand, or walk in along Bergslagsleden.

Without a car it is hard. The county board says so plainly. The park points to närtrafik, on-demand rural buses in Örebro and Västra Götaland counties that you book by phone in advance; Västtrafik asks for at least an hour’s notice. You can also cycle: the wider Tiveden area has about 150 km of marked cycle routes, some entering the park. For the train legs, see traveling Sweden without a car.

Accessibility

Accessibility is high at all three entrances and at the rest area by Metesjön. At Vitsand, a 100-metre ramp leads out to a point in the lake Stora Trehörningen. At the main entrance, a 60-metre ramp leads to a viewpoint over the bay Östgötaviken.

At Metesjön, a firm gravel path of about 100 m runs from parking for disabled visitors by the road to the rest area. Hard-surfaced rest areas around the park have accessible tables and grills. The regulation allows people with reduced mobility to use an electric wheelchair or similar aid anywhere in the park. The trails themselves are rough, rocky and steep.

Season by season

The controlled burn is part of the park’s management: without fire, spruce slowly crowds out the old pine. The burn planned for 2026 did not happen and has been moved to May–June 2027, around Vitalintjärnarna, including an area hit by a wildfire in 2017. Dates depend on the weather and are announced a few days ahead on the county board’s page.

Practical information

FAQ

Can you camp in Tiveden National Park?

Yes, but only for one night and only at designated, roped-off sites: Käringaudden, the rest area at Metesjön and the tip of Mellannäsudden. Tents, tarps and hammocks may stand from 18:00 to 10:00 and not during the day. Sleeping under the open sky without a shelter is allowed anywhere in the park, as long as you do not damage the ground.

Can I use a camping stove in Tiveden?

Only at a designated fire place. The county board and the park say that every stove or heater with an open flame, whether gas, spirit, charcoal or wood, may be used only right next to a designated fire place. There are fire places at all three entrances and at the Metesjön and Käringaudden rest areas. A county fire ban overrides them.

What is the best hike in Tiveden?

For a first visit, Stenkällerundan: 2.2 km, about 1.5 hours, the park’s most popular loop to the Stenkälla boulders. For the famous hills, Trollkyrkerundan is 4.6 km and takes about three hours over demanding terrain, with a view to Vättern. The longest, Trehörningsrundan, circles the lake in 9.5 km. All start from the main entrance or connect to it.

Can you swim at Vitsand in Tiveden?

Yes. Vitsand, at the northwest entrance, is a long sandy beach on the lake Stora Trehörningen, and the park recommends it for a swim in summer. The sand was left by meltwater at the end of the ice age. The entrance has parking, dry toilets, fire places and a 100-metre accessible ramp out to a point in the lake.

Can I bring my dog to Tiveden National Park?

Yes, on a lead at all times; the park regulation bans dogs and other pets that are not leashed. Keep in mind that the terrain has steep drops and boulder passages, which can be hard on dogs, and that the only drinking water is an untested well at the main entrance. Bring water for the dog.

How do you get to Tiveden without a car?

With difficulty. The county board says the park is hard to reach without a car. The park points to on-demand närtrafik buses in Örebro and Västra Götaland counties, which you book by phone in advance; in Västra Götaland at least an hour before. You can also walk in along Bergslagsleden or cycle on the area’s marked routes.

Can I sleep in my campervan at Tiveden?

No. The park regulation bans parking a motorhome, caravan or similar between 00:00 and 06:00, and the park says overnight stays in cars, motorhomes and caravans are not allowed. There is no motorhome site in the park. You may park a motorhome during the day, but only in designated car parks.

Related guides

• Sweden’s national parks — how all 31 parks’ rules override allemansrätten
• Wild camping in Sweden — tent rules once you step outside the boundary
• Wild camping with a motorhome — where to sleep when the park car park closes to you at midnight
• Fire bans explained — check before you light the park’s fire places
• Örebro — the main city of the county that manages the park

Facts verified 2026-10-15. Sources: Naturvårdsverket (park regulation NFS 2017:3, management plan, Sveriges nationalparker), Sveriges riksdag (nationalparksförordningen, Environmental Code), Länsstyrelsen Örebro, Västtrafik — full register in this topic’s source file. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.