Brattfallet is a ten-metre-high waterfall; below it, the HalgĂĄn flows through a gorge. The one-kilometre circular trail near Brattfallet is easy to walk, leads to the old log-driving dam and passes an old charcoal-burning site. On this short loop, a waterside landscape and traces of earlier work sit side by side: the trail connects the waterfall with log driving and charcoal burning, without requiring you to plan a long walk.
Comparing Waterfalls and Trails
The Halgåleden offers a different route option: it is just under seven kilometres long, has an elevation gain of 122 metres and is challenging in places. As a quality-assured Värmlandsleder trail, it has well-maintained bridges, boardwalks and rest areas; signs are in Swedish, English and German. This makes the two trails easy to distinguish: an easy one-kilometre loop with two named traces of cultural heritage, and a longer trail with a stated elevation gain and challenging sections.
Forest, Marsh and Gorges
The Bollåsen Nature Reserve in Hagfors Municipality consists mainly of open pine forest with trees that are 150 to 200 years old. It lies on deposits left by meltwater, shaped by the Klarälven’s erosion over several millennia. Bollåsen is easy to walk through, and a road runs through the area. The age of the forest and its geological formation give the landscape two different time scales.
The Fräkensjömyrarna Nature Reserve protects a valuable complex of marshes, forest vegetation, the water balance, biological diversity and the area’s wilderness character. It is part of the Natura 2000 network. From Hagfors, it can be reached via Geiersholm, Gustavsfors and Laggåsen; signposts lead all the way to the car park. During the spring thaw, a barrier closes the access road. If you are planning a visit, take this seasonal restriction into account when arranging your route.
Other nature trails focus on different features: the 19-kilometre Svartåleden runs over ridges and through gorges in an unspoilt forest landscape. The 27-hectare Mana-Örbäcken Nature Reserve has numerous paths along the babbling Örbäcken and over the Mana ridge of boulders, which is covered with pine trees. The different trails thus highlight a variety of landscape features: ridges, gorges, a stream and a ridge of boulders.
Industrial History and Rail Trails
The Hagfors Railway Museum presents Hagfors’s industrial history from 1635 to 1990. On display are steam locomotives, electric locomotives, railway cars and work equipment, including the Ånghästen from 1862. The broad historical scope and the specific exhibits offer two ways to explore the museum: through the development spanning several centuries and through individual objects.
A rail-bike route runs from the Hagfors Railway Museum to Stjärnsfors kvarn. The return trip is about twelve kilometres, with places to stop along the way. The Klarälvsbanan offers a different scale: this 90-kilometre, paved, car-free route between Karlstad and Hagfors is suitable for cycling and inline skating and has several access points. In Hagfors, it connects to the 120-kilometre Klarälvsleden, which continues as far as Sysslebäck. The approximately twelve-kilometre rail-bike return trip and the 90-kilometre Klarälvsbanan therefore offer clearly different route lengths and types of outing.
More Traces and Discoveries
Svartåhyttan contains the remains of a dam, furnace ruins and other industrial relics from early iron smelting in the 17th to 19th centuries. The Kärnåsens Rovdjursexpo introduces visitors to the bear, wolf, lynx and wolverine, Scandinavia’s four large predators. It also features moose, golden eagles and capercaillies. Early iron smelting and wildlife thus add to the subjects found in the landscapes and at the railway museum.
Discover More Destinations
Discover more destinations: Ekshärad, Gustavsfors, Hagfors, Råda, Uddeholm, Sunnemo, Gustav Adolf, Lakene, Höje.
Return to the main travel overview: Värmland.
