Family-friendly hikes

It’s not always easy to find hikes that are suitable for families, children, and strollers, but on this page, we’ve gathered some of the more family-friendly trails. So, bring the family along and experience nature together!

Vallaskogen

Vallaskogen, with its impressive pine trees, is one of the city’s most popular natural areas, featuring an extensive network of pathways and trails that guide visitors through the area. Many of these paths are also stroller-friendly.

Here you’ll also find the Forest Trail, where children can enjoy fun and exciting information about animals and nature through all their senses. The trail is 1.1 kilometers long, starting and ending at Kapellplan on the edge of the Gamla Linköping city district. Along the trail, there are nine stations with information about the forest’s history, plants, and animals.

More information can be found here.

Kärna Mosse

The trail around Kärna Mosse is a 1.6-kilometer loop that takes you around the area, perfect for families with younger children as the trail is not too long. The northern parts of the trail are also accessible, making it easy to bring a stroller. This section features a wide boardwalk leading out onto the open mire, with several meeting points and benches. The easiest way to reach the accessible parts is through the northern entrance, where there is also a restroom.

Kärna Mosse is home to a variety of rare plants, including orchids that thrive in the calcareous groundwater-fed mire. Surrounding Kärna Mosse, there’s also wild and exciting forest to explore for both young and old.

More information about Kärna Mosse can be found here.

Ullaberg and Mossen Wetlands

At Ullaberg and Mossen, you’ll find Linköping’s newest bird lakes. Various loops surround the wetlands, with the longest loop being just over four kilometers. However, you can easily choose shorter segments based on what suits your family best. Along the trail, there are several rest areas and viewpoints. At the entrance to the area, there is also a toilet, an accessible birdwatching platform, and a rest area with a fire pit.

If you start your hike from the entrance and keep to the right, you’ll follow paths that are also suitable for strollers. The other side of the lake is more rugged but fun to hike for older children or families who enjoy exploring more varied forest trails.

Find more information here.

Motala Ström Ravine

Just outside Ljungsbro, you’ll find a hike through nature that feels like stepping into a jungle—a fascinating area to explore for both young and old. The ravine was formed as the Motala Ström river carved through the landscape, creating a deep valley. Although the water flow at the bottom of the ravine is now quite small, it’s still worth a visit.

The hike takes you from the entrance of the reserve to Jakobslund’s mirror pond (pictured below), 1.5 kilometers away, making a total of 3 kilometers if you walk there and back. Several rest areas with beautiful views of the ravine can be found along the trail, and the first 750 meters of the hike are accessible, making it suitable for strollers. However, the rest of the hike is better suited for slightly older children, as there are some steeper sections and narrower paths.

More information about the hike can be found here.

Tinnerö Oak Landscape

For families with strollers, Tinnerö Oak Landscape, which is also Linköping’s largest nature reserve, is perfect, as it has many wide and accessible gravel paths that traverse the entire area. You can also choose different routes within the area depending on how long and far you want to hike. Smedstad Ponds, Frökärret, and Rosenkällasjön are particularly visitor-friendly areas in the nature reserve, offering good parking options, information boards, rest areas, toilets, and other facilities for visitors.

More information about Tinnerö can be found here.