Herrestadsfjället – Dozens of Lakes and a True Wilderness Feeling

According to the founder of the Danish Happiness Museum in Copenhagen – at least that’s how I remember it – the secret to a perfectly successful day is the combination of the following elements:

You do something meaningful (3) together with others (1) in nature (2).

And you can do all of that wonderfully in Herrestadsfjället!

The forest area is located directly north of Uddevalla and is perfectly connected for West Coast visitors. If you want to experience deep, diverse forest during your vacation here – this is the right place (as is Kynnefjäll).

For me, the nature here is how I love Sweden – and it certainly reminds me of Dalsland: hilly, sparse forest, crisscrossed by numerous smaller and larger lakes and swampy areas.

There is a very extensive network of well-marked hiking trails running through the area. In addition, there are trails and paths appreciated by mountain bikers and an extensive network of cross-country ski trails in winter. And there are several cabins and wind shelters that offer hikers dry and cozy accommodation.

The cabins vary greatly in size – from four beds to school class size – are affordably bookable for everyone (the larger ones cost 600 SEK per night) and offer a rustic alternative to a tent. Personally, I haven’t seen all of them yet, and most will certainly have a rustic touch – but those who appreciate cabin stays in the Alps or in the Swedish or Norwegian fells will certainly enjoy it here.

And these cabins also bring us back to the starting point of this article – the search for a successful day. In Herrestadsfjället, you can combine everything, so here’s a quick recipe for a successful day:

Arrive in the morning at one of the hiking parking lots. Optionally, bring collection containers for blueberries or mushrooms – if you like to fish, bring a light spinning rod. Also, a packed lunch with a thermos for the midday break. Of course, you can also bring stick bread dough – then at lunchtime, you make a small fire at one of the fire pits and bake your bread on it. In the evening, stay overnight in a cabin and use the collected and caught bounty. Done!

A few final words on fishing: Many of the lakes are easily accessible via hiking trails, while others are directly on the forest road that runs from north to south through the area, where various parking lots are also located. Some of the lakes are regularly stocked with “noble fish” – i.e., trout species – while others have a wild population primarily of pike and perch. In both cases, fishing can be quite straightforward: The nature of the shore often allows for good bank fishing, meaning there are hardly any reeds or other aquatic plant areas that would make bank fishing difficult. If you don’t have much experience, you can certainly catch a fish or two with small spinners (size 2 – 4) (please observe water-specific restrictions; some lakes are fly-only!). Passionate anglers know what to do – choose the lures that work best depending on the structure of the spot. And then simply stalk systematically along the shore and make a few casts at every accessible spot – a truly great nature experience!