Visitors’ Trail: the largest Dala horse in the world and endangered European bison.
This trail takes you to the sites most worth seeing in Avesta. You start and finish in the town centre at Avesta Library and pedal through central parts of the town. Visit such places as Avesta Bison Park in the west, bike on past the largest Dala horse in the world, through the neighbouring community of Krylbo to the Karlfeldt home and visit the Erik Lars farm to the east. On your way back you pass Koppardalen with the Dead Falls, the old mill Verket/ Avesta Art and Gamla Byn, the old town. There are several cosy cafés, restaurants, pleasant shops and good accommodation along the Visitors’ Trail.
Information
The Visitors’ Trail
Distance: 25 km (39 km round trip including the attractions the Bison Park, the Brunnbäck Stone and the Erik Lars farm).
Difficulty: Easy biking in flat country (level Green).
Time: 2–4 hours
Starting point: Avesta Library
Finishing point: Avesta Library
Parking: Large parking area at the adjacent shopping centre (Avesta Galleria).
Avesta Library, central Avesta
Starting point in central Avesta. Here you can find WC. Bus connections.
Accommodation: Hotel and youth hostel.
Food: Cafés, restaurants and food shops alore in central Avesta. Avesta Galleria shopping centre offers a range of other shops.
Avesta Bison Park
Visit: The European bison in Avesta Bison Park stroll around their large natural enclosure surrounding a small farmyard from the late 19th century. The park is one of Europe’s important centres for rescuing and breeding the European bison. Guided tours, children’s playground and swings.
Food: Café serving refreshments and light lunches, souvenir shop.
Verket and Avesta Art
Visit: In Koppardalen by the Dalälven river is Avesta old ironworks from 1874, now Verket -with the annual exhibition Avesta Art. Spread over 7 storeys is a mixture of history, art and technology. Contemporary Swedish and international works of art, events, family days.
Food: Café and souvenir shop.
Dead Falls
Visit: About 7 000 years ago, the Dalälven river carved out a new channel and the famous Hell’s Falls (Great, Small and South Hell) dried up. A wheelchair friendly trail has been constructed for you to be enchanted by this wonder of nature. Informative signposts.
Avesta-Krylbo station
Train connections for joining the cycle track.
Visit: The station building was designed in 1910 by SJ head architect Folke Zettervall and was suited to the size and importance of the station at the time. Made in the national romantic style of the period, it still serves as the railway station in Avesta.
Food: Café in the station building, as well as several cafés and a restaurant nearby.
Karlfeldt homestead
Visit: Tolvmansgården, the childhood home of Nobel laureate and bard Erik Axel Karlfeldt, is a grand mine-owner’s mansion dating back several centuries.
Food: Café and restaurant.
Additional: Crafts for sale, cultural and musical events.
Brunnbäcksstenen
Visit: The Brunnbäck Stone marks the site of the historical battle in April 1521 between Gustav Eriksson’s army, composed mainly of men from Dalarna, and the professional soldiers of the Danish king Kristian. Once King Kristian’s men had been beaten by the army from Dalarna and left Sweden, Gustav Eriksson Vasa could be elected regent and later crowned king. Sweden as we know it today was established during this eventful period of important battles, the victory at Brunnbäck being an significant link in the chain of events. The 500th anniversary of the battle of Brunnbäck will be celebrated in 2021.
Erik Lars farm
Visit: Old heritage farm from approx. 1815, in Brovallen on old route 70 south of Avesta. Unique Dala mural paintings.
Food: Home baked cakes, pies and well-filled sandwiches.
The world’s biggest Dala horse
Visit: The world’s biggest Dala horse can be seen at the recreation area beside route 70/68 in Avesta. It is 13 metres high, weighs 67 tons and was inaugurated in 1989.
Stay: Please note that there is no accommodation on site.
Food: On the site of the Dala horse there is a restaurant, café, and two fast food outlets. Additional: Shopping centre with several large stores and a cycle shop.
Gamla Byn (the Old Village)
Visit: The oldest part of Avesta, Gamla Byn, is a vibrant, well-preserved factory environment by Dalälven river, with buildings dating from the 1630s onwards when the copper mill (Avesta Kopparbruk) was established here. Avesta Coin Museum exhibits the numismatic history of Sweden from Viking times until the present day. It also houses the world’s largest coin, the 10 daler piece.
Food: Café at the old mill (Verket) during the summer.
Additional: Swimming in Gamla Byn at the river.
Faciliteter och service
- Summer
Vägbeskrivning
1. Start at Avesta Library, Kungsgatan 32.
2. To the Bison Park: Bike west along Kungsgatan and its extension Jämtbovägen.
3. Follow the cycle track across the stream Salomonsån, over the main road Älvnäsleden at the crossing to Djäknehyttevägen.
4. Take the second turning to the right, Gammelängsvägen.
5. Take the second left and follow the signposts to the Bison Park - Visentparken.
6. From the Bison Park cycle back towards the town centre. Follow the gravel road down to Gammelängsvägen and turn right.
7. At the crossroads in Djäknehyttan, keep left and follow Djäknehyttevägen to Älvnäsleden.
8. Cross the road and follow the cycle track back up to Jämtbovägen, then on Kungsgatan towards the town centre.
Choose between three alternatives here:1/ turn off towards Gamla Byn and bike through Koppardalen to visit Verket/Avesta Art and the Dead Falls, 2/ cycle across Kungsbron bridge to Skogsbo and Åsbo for the world’s largest Dala horse, or 3/ continue straight ahead towards Krylbo. All three alternatives meet up at the roundabout where Kungsgatan crosses route 68 by Outokumpu steel mill. Our description continues here with the route straight through the centre of Avesta to Krylbo.
9. Pass the Tourist information centre and bike on past the Avesta Galleria shopping centre, via Stadshusparken, continuing along the cycle track on Kungsgatan on the far side of the shopping centre.
10. Follow Kungsgatan and its extension Dalavägen past the roundabout and on to Krylbo, passing Avesta-Krylbo railway station.
11. Continue along Stationsgatan which turns into Folkaregatan towards Karlbo.
12. Follow the cycle track which crosses Folkaregatan just after the OK/Q8 filling station, biking on to the Karlfeldt homestead on the left of the cycle track. You can do a detour here to the Brunnbäck Stone.
13. From the Karlfeldt home to Erik Lars farm: Cycle back along the cycle track and cross Folkaregatan, following it left towards Brovallen
14. Folkaregatan joins route 70, but take a right turn towards Brovallen before the crossroads and follow this to Igeltjärna.
15. Erik Lars farm is well sign-posted to the right from this road.
16. From Erik Lars farm to the Dead Falls: Take the same route back to Brovallen.
17. Turn left on Folkaregatan towards Karlbo before the crossroads with route 70 and bike on the cycle track to Krylbo.
18. Continue along Stationsgatan past the station and back along Dalavägen towards Avesta.
19. Cycle under the big roundabout by Outokumpu, and keep right towards the Dala horse in Åsbo, following the cycle track along route 68.
20. Up on Krylbovägen, turn left, right and left again on to Koppardalsvägen for the Dead Falls nature area.
21. From the Dead Falls to the Dala horse: Continue on the cycle track over Åsbobron bridge and the Dalälven river, turning left on Get Johannas väg before the roundabout in Åsbo. Here you can see the world’s largest Dala horse.
22. From the Dala horse to Gamla Byn: Coninue along the cycle track beside Get Johannas väg under route 70.
23. Just before the residential area in Skogsbo, turn left on the cycle track which leads under route 70 and out to the road Månsbobacken.
24. Follow the cycle track to the left down the hill, across the bridge Kyrkbrobron and Dalälven.
25. On Kyrkogatan by Avesta church, cross the road and turn into Gamla Byn on Hamngatan.
26. Continue along Bruksgatan, crossing Kyrkogatan into Koppardalen on Koppardalsvägen. On the left is the old Avesta ironworks Verket with Avesta Art.
28. From Verket to the finishing point Avesta Library: follow Bruksgatan back to Kyrkogatan.
29. Turn left to follow Kyrkogatan towards the town centre.
30. Turn left on Kungsgatan and follow it to Avesta Library.