grössjön nature reserve

Grossjon Nature Reserve is a 2 square kilometer large area southeast of Umeå. With a good map in hand you can reach it from Carlshojd at the terminus of bus lines No 6 and 9. With a car, it is easiest reached from the road leading to Holmsund.Grossjon is a shallow lake in a wetland that is home to several species of water loving birds. On the western shore, a small tower has been raised to facilitate bird watching. The area is also good for hiking and trail running. You will find a 4.7 km (3 miles) long trail surrouning the lake. The trail is clearly marked in blue. Trails leading to the area are marked in red and they go from five different points around the lake. There are plenty of duck-boards where the trails pass over wetland. If the weather allows, you can make your own fire where fire-places have been built, but nowhere else as this is a nature reserve. Usually you will find dry wood at the fire-places. Just make sure to extinguish your fire when you leave. The lake is not good for either fishing or swimming because of the lake's bottom conditions.Surprisingly few people find their way to this area. On week-ends you may see other persons here, on weekdays it's more rare to meet someone. A word of caution, be sure to use shoes that can sustain the wet conditions that often is the norm here. For running, I use normal running shoes, but they may need drying afterwards.