Wild Oslo: Moose, Beavers and the Marka Forest

The natural side of Oslo, from the moose, beavers, foxes, deer and eagles of the Marka, the forest that surrounds the city, to the Akerselva river and the fjord, with a directory of the parks in our guide.

Few capitals live as close to the wild as Oslo. The city is ringed by the Marka, a great belt of forest, lakes and hills protected by its own law, and the metro and buses run right to its edge. Moose, beavers and foxes live in these woods, a short ride from the Opera.

This is a short, honest guide to Oslo's wild side: the forest, the river that flows from it through the city, and the fjord. Bring good boots, water and a map, and set out early; in winter the same trails become ski tracks.

In Oslo, the forest begins where the metro ends.

The Marka forest

North of the city, Nordmarka begins at Holmenkollen and Frognerseteren and runs for miles of spruce and pine forest, bogs and still lakes. VisitOSLO names the animals that walkers may glimpse here: fox, beaver, moose, deer, eagle and hare, among many others. Moose are most often seen at dawn and dusk at the edges of bogs and clearings; beavers leave their gnawed trunks and dams along the streams and lakes.

In winter, the Ski Association, Skiforeningen, maintains the tracks through Nordmarka, and the forest becomes the city's playground on skis.

The Akerselva and the fjord

The Akerselva runs eight kilometres through Oslo, from the forest lake of Maridalsvannet to the fjord, past waterfalls, swimming spots and stretches of woodland between the old mills and new apartments; it is a green corridor from the Marka into the heart of the city. At its mouth lies the Oslofjord, with its islands a short ferry ride from the centre.

Feature: a forest protected by law

Oslo's forest is protected by its own act of parliament. The Marka Act, in force since 1 September 2009, fixes the boundary of the Oslomarka in Oslo and the neighbouring municipalities, and its purpose is to preserve nature and cultural heritage there and to provide for outdoor life, nature experiences and sport. Building inside the line is tightly limited, which is why the city stops so abruptly at the trees.

Did you know? The boundary of Oslo's forest, the markagrense, was first drawn by the Ministry of the Environment in 1986, more than twenty years before the Marka Act gave it the force of law.

Our advice

Our advice: take the metro to Frognerseteren or Sognsvann and walk into Nordmarka early in the morning; follow the Akerselva downstream from Maridalsvannet for a day's walk to the fjord. Keep well back from moose, especially cows with calves, keep dogs on a lead in the breeding season, and take your rubbish home.