Koppången, Nature reserve in Dalarna, Sweden

Koppången is a 4,936-hectare nature reserve in Orsa, Dalarna, about 40 km north of Orsa. It stretches 15 km long and 4 km wide between old shieling grounds and Finnish settlements, at 450–650 m above sea level. More than half is open mire, with flark mires on the slopes, interspersed with old spruce forest; some spruces near Stora Tunturiberget are over 300 years old.

The wetlands formed through natural geological processes over thousands of years and were formally protected in 1999. The peatlands contain layers that record environmental changes spanning several millennia.

The name Koppången comes from the Norwegian kaupang, meaning trading place. South of Tunturiberget lies the old shieling Blomtäkt, where cows and goats were grazed in the forests and marsh hay was cut on the bogs as winter fodder for the livestock; one of its houses now serves as a rest cabin. The shielings of Flickeråsen lie just outside the reserve.

The reserve is open to visitors and offers basic shelter options where you take care of your own heat source. Plan for wet conditions underfoot and bring appropriate gear for spending time in a peatland environment.

Because the wet ground keeps forest fires very rare, the old spruce forest acts as a refuge for lichens and fungi that cannot survive fire, such as the long-bearded lichen and the rare tree lichen found near Stora Tunturiberget. Some spruces there are over 300 years old.