Practical - Rold Skov

Car parks are marked on the hiking tour leaflets. Popular car parks are:

• Rebild near the entrance to the national park where there is easy access to a number of hiking routes in Rebild Bakker and the forest east of this with Ravnkilde
• Skørping school with Rold Skov Trailcenter (MTB, O routes, skiing, health tracks, etc.)
• Fruesko car park at Buderupholmvej, easy access to Bjergeskoven forest, the river valley
• Mosskovpavillionen, beginning of the popular tour around St. Økssø
• The trading post at Arden-Hesselholt Skov, off-leash dog park, playgrounds, camp-fire site, facilities for the disabled

In the state-owned part of Rold Skov forest, many of the forest tracks are in such good condition that they can are suitable for wheelchairs, though there is no guarantee. A path has been established around the St. Økssø lake for wheelchair users. There are also fishing sites here for wheelchair users

Many people use the countryside - and for vastly different things. Therefore, a set of rules for the countryside have been prepared. The rules have been drawn up to make a trip to the countryside enjoyable for as many people as possible. Remember that the rules apply primarily for the state-owned part of Rold Skov forest. If you want to go to the privately owned parts of the forest, other rules apply.

Rules of the countryside

The undulating terrain of Rold Skov forest is very popular for mountain biking. There are now three routes; “Den Store Blå” (the big blue), “24 timers ruten” (the 24 hour route) and Denmark’s largest downhill track. The 24-hour-route area it also possible good for orienteering by mountainbike. Denmark’s first mountain bike route especially for children has also been built near the Skørping Hallen sports centre.

Read the Mountain Bike Code of Conduct (in Danish)

Read about the MTB routes in Rold Skov forest (in Danish)

Horse-back riding is free all over the northern part of the state-owned Rold Skov, except for on grave mounds and other prehistoric monuments In the southern part of the forest, south of the line from the Mosskovgård manor house in the east to Mørkehus in the west (1.5 kilometres south of Rold Storkro), riding is only permitted on marked bridleways (marked with a yellow horseshoe).

Read more about horse-back riding in Rold Skov forest (in Danish)

In general dogs must be kept on a leash in the forest. If you let your dog run loose, the Police will be notified. You can let you dog run free in special off-leash dog parks - provided your dog has been trained to come when called.

Find the off-leash dog parks in Rold Skov forest at udinaturen.dk

Read also “Med hund i naturen” (in Danish)

Hiking routes are also good for running. For example, the path around the St. Økssø lake is popular. Furthermore, there is a total of five independent, sign-posted running routes of 2.1 kilometres, 5 kilometres, 7.1 kilometres, 10 kilometres as well as a half marathon route of 21.1 kilometres. Download the route maps here:

Half marathon route (in Danish)

5 and 10 kilometres, fitness trail (in Danish)

The Arden route (in Danish)

The fitness trail starting near the Skørping Hallen sports centre is a short route of 2.1 kilometres on which you can have your fitness rating measured. You can walk or run the route and by recording your time you can read off your fitness rating from the notice boards. Use the many natural elements of the forest as a “green” fitness room. On the fitness trail, close to the Skørping Hallen sports centre, there is a permanent natural fitness track.

See exercises here (in Danish)

See stretching exercises here (in Danish)

Both the St. Økssø lake and the Madum Sø lake are popular places for swimming. There is a bathing jetty at the St. Økssø lake, and in the winter half-year a fire cabin is turned into a wood-fired sauna where year-round swimmers in the lake come to recuperate. In the summer half-year, a 1570-meter-long swimming lane is marked off in the St. Økssø lake. Together with the 2.6-km-long lake path, this provides good opportunities for training, e.g. for triathlon.

Read more about winter swimming på www.soeensfolk.dk (in Danish)

See swimming map (in Danish)

When weather conditions so permit, and snow covers the forest, the Danish Nature Agency sets up a cross-country skiing track in the forest north and south of the Skørping school.

Read more about the current conditions, download map etc. (in Danish)

Rold Skov forest has an abundance of forest tracks, all of which are all good for hiking. The hiking tour leaflets for Rold Skov forest and Rebild Bakker highlight some of the most accessible and spectacular hiking tours with yellow. The yellow colour is also found on the tracks themselves, where yellow spots are painted on tree trunks or large rocks. About 60 kilometres of hiking route are marked. Follow the yellow route and keep the leaflet in your back pocket - then you will never get lost in the vast forest. All the yellow routes are linked to the many car parks, from where shorter or longer paths are marked and their length is indicated on the map. Nearly all attractions in the forest can be reached by following the yellow routes.

Normally, the forest tracks are only for motor vehicles working in the forest, however, in the state-owned part of Rold Skov forest, many of the forest tracks are in such good condition that they can be used by disabled persons with e.g. an electric scooter or similar motorised wheelchair, though there is no guarantee. Around the St. Økssø lake a path has been established for wheelchair users.

The state-owned forest only makes up one-quarter of Denmark’s largest original forest, and other rules apply in the private areas of the forest. Nevertheless, there are adventures awaiting any person who ventures into the great forest. The Nature and Culture Centre of Rold Skov forest has published maps covering all of Rold Skov.

Read about the rules of the countryside

See the map by the Nature and Culture Centre of Rold Skov forest (in Danish)

Close to the Skørping Hallen sports centre in the forest area, two beginner’s tracks have been established with permanent orienteering posts. By selecting different posts to find each time, or by changing the sequence, there are endless orienteering routes in the forest. The posts can also be used for GPS running, treasure hunts or MTB orienteering.

All-year-round, the Danish Nature Agency, the municipalities and various organisations arrange a number of public tours in Rold Skov forest. The tours are generally free unless otherwise stated in Rold Skov calendar, which is published once a year by the Nature and Culture Centre of Rold Skov forest.

See events at roldskov.org (in Danish)

There is free fishing in many state-owned fishing lakes, i.e. you do not need to pay for fishing but need only have a valid fishing licence. Some state-owned fishing lakes may, however, have fishing restrictions, for example out of concern for nature, so always check the fishing site on the Into Nature Map. In the Lindenborg Å stream, the Danish Nature Agency offers free fishing in two places. In Rold Skov forest there is free fishing in the St. Økssø lake and in the adjacent Mossø lake. At the St. Økssø lake there are fishing places for wheelchair users. The lakes have a large population of perch.

Purchase a fishing licence here (in Danish)

See fishing waters at udinaturen.dk (in Danish)

Geocaching is a type of orienteering at walking pace for the whole family. You find things hidden in nature or in an interesting spot. Geocaching is a chase where you can hunt for “treasure” in nature by means of a special GPS receiver or a mobile phone with GPS. This has become so popular that the Danish Nature Agency has had to make special rules for leaving “treasure” in the state-owned forests.

Read more about geocaching (in Danish)

Read more about the rules for geocaching (in Danish)

Now you can take a shortcut to experiences in Rold Forest with a new App containing maps with tour suggestions and lots of stories about exciting places, trees, springs, prehistoric monuments, interesting people and much more. Install the App from AppStore or GooglePlay. Type Rebildporten in the search field. The App has been created by the municipality of Rebild together with the Danish Nature Agency and the Nature and Culture Centre of Rold Skov forest. It is regularly updated and improved.

Rold Skov forest offers a number of possibilities for primitive overnight camping. There is a shelter behind the Mosskov pavilion as well as a number of primitive camp sites. Large groups are referred to the two camp sites, Klodholm and Jamborettepladsen, which can be booked online. All the sites are marked on the Into Nature Map. Overnight camping, bed and breakfast, youth hostels or hotels can be found through the tourist agency in RebildPorten.

Find camp sites, youth hostels and similar (in Danish)

See possibilities for primitive overnight camping at udinaturen.dk (in Danish)

Lighting a fire in the forest is nice, and so is making twistbread or roasting sausages, but open fires can only be lit at approved camp-fire sites or bonfire sites. All the sites are marked on the Into Nature Map. Please note that during dry spells, there may be a total ban on smoking and open fires in the entire forest.

The fire cabins also function as nature bases. There is a lockable storage facility here for field equipment used by schools, day-care centres etc.

Read more about the nature bases in Rold Skov forest (in Danish)

See camp-fire sites at udinaturen.dk (in Danish)

Near Rebild you will find the natural playground, Røverknolden, which is a paradise for active children and playful adults. The forest playgrounds have a slides, tables and benches, shelters etc. There are also different carved figures of robbers and play equipment. Outside the natural playground, there is a long path that stimulates the senses. The path connects the site with a musical area with instruments carved in wood.

Read more about the natural playground Røverknolden (in Danish)