Gislavedsleden

Via the Gislavedsleden trail, which is 10 miles long, you can experience the Småland landscape up close. A hike on the Gislavedsleden trail means fantastic nature experiences with deep soothing forests, enchanting beautiful lakes, breathtaking views, its rich wildlife with, among other things, moose and deer, lingonberries and red cottages with white knots and cow pastures. The trail stretches from Isaberg in the north to Fegen and Kinnared in the south and passes through two nature reserves and several fascinating cultural environments.

Gislavedsleden is part of the larger Smålandsleden, which is a system of hiking trails for those who want to hike really far. In the south, the trail connects to Hallandsleden and in the north to Höglandsleden via Järnbärarleden. Gislavedsleden is thus part of a chain of hiking trails along the so-called Europaled 6 from Alexandroupolis in Greece to Kilpisjärvi in Finland.

Length: 10 miles

Marking: Orange

Surface: forest trail, dirt road, paved road.

Difficulty: Easy/medium

Hike and live the wilderness life

If you want to live a wilderness life and sleep out in the open, there are seven campsites with shelters and fireplaces along the Gislavedsleden trail. You can choose to hike the entire trail, which is about 10 miles and takes between 4 - 6 days or only part of the trail. In the stage division below you can see the distance between the different campsites.

ISABERG - HÄGNALIAN 14 KM

The stage starts at Isaberg, which is a rocky hill rising 150 meters above the surroundings. The northern part of the route is dominated by magical coniferous forest and the southern part by Småland village landscape. You walk mainly on forest paths and gravel roads. The stage ends at the campsite Hägnalian, which is in a protected location by a forest road. There is a shelter, barbecue area, woodshed and dry toilet.

**HÄGNALIAN - MJÖSUNDET 17 KM

You walk mainly on forest paths and gravel roads. This stage passes several small lakes and Högåsen, which rises 280 meters above sea level and offers beautiful views. Just before Gislavedsleden passes highway 27 is Näs. Here you can get drinking water from a tap on the side of a house barely 100 meters from the trail. The campsite at Mjösundet is beautifully situated on a headland overlooking Lake Majsjön and offers a shelter, barbecue area and dry toilet. On this stage there is a connection to Gislaved for those who want to start or end their hike there.

**MAJSJUNDET - LEABO SAND 12 KM

This stage runs in a coniferous forest-dominated area along the beautiful Majsjön lake on mainly forest paths and gravel roads. Drinking water is available at the first farm you come to in the small village of Arnåsholm, which is located between the two lakes Harasjön and Sävsjön. There is a bus stop here for those who want to start or end their hike here. The Leabo Sand campsite provides windbreaks, barbecue pits and dry toilets, and a stone's throw from the campsite is a nice swimming area with sandy beaches.

LEABO SAND - BOBERG 14 KM

During this stage you hike into the Fegen nature reserve. Water is available at the Förshult farm just before the station community of Hällabäck. In Hällabäck there is a nice resting place at Västerån. In Knavrabo, the Gislaved Trail connects to the Knavrabo Trail - a 3-km-long nature trail with a viewpoint, a rest area and the remains of an old mill. The Boberg campsite is located 100 m from Fegen's beach and provides shelter, barbecue area, wood storage and dry toilet.

**BOBERG - GRÄVLINGABACKARNA 15 KM

During this stage, you walk for the most part in the Fegens nature reserve, which includes both the lake and its surrounding forests, which consist mainly of coniferous forest but with elements of deciduous and beech forest. You walk mainly on gravel forest roads and paths. In Sandvik you can connect to the GG trail to get to Burseryd which has a bus stop. In Sandvik there is drinking water on the northern gable of the parish house. The Grävlingabackarna campsite provides shelter, barbecue area, wood storage and dry toilet and is secluded down by the lake edge.

**GRÄVLINGABACKARNA - FEGEN (**KOLLABO 25 KM)

During this stage you continue your hike through the fantastic nature reserve of Fegen. You walk through several villages with beautiful views of Lake Fegen. In Barslida the trail splits. You can choose to continue your hike to the community of Fegen, located on the southern shore of Fegen. There is a bus stop here for those who want to end or start their hike here. You can also continue walking towards Kinnared and Kollabo where the Gislaved Trail connects to the Halland Trail. Kinnared has a bus and train station. However, the last few kilometers of the trail that crosses the landscape border between Halland and Småland are very sparsely marked and to follow it requires a map or GPS. Kollabo campsite provides a shelter, barbecue area, wood store and dry toilet.