Liesjärvi National Park

Only about 95 km from Helsinki, you can find one of Finland´s  most beautiful National Parks, Liesjärvi. It is a large area, located in municipalities of Tammela, Somero and Karkkila. There are many tracks to choose from, depending on how long hike you want to do. You can find the routes in this map. 

This National Park has almost 30 km of trails, which are a part of Ilvesreitti network. It has the most stunning lake views, large lingonberry heaths and diverse forests, so there is a lot to see and enjoy. Visitors can camp in the park, at the camping areas and the lean-to-shelter and hut. Campfires are allowed only in the marked campsites. Everyman´s rights include fishing with a rod and a line, and ice fishing in the winter, although the lakes and other water areas are not a part of the National Park. You can also pick berries and mushrooms, but do not harm the plants.  

One of the most popular places in Liesjärvi is the Korteniemi heritage Farm, where you can travel back in time and do farm work as they did in the 1910´s. Groups can also book the smoke sauna or guided tours from the farm. This time we did not visit the farm, but it will most certainly be in the agenda next time we go to Liesjärvi. 



We started our hike from Pirttilahti, because we wanted to see the ridge of Kyynäränharju and hike near the water as much as possible. It is a very narrow ridge that connects Pirttilahti to Kopinlahti. Then we walked to Savilahti and had a coffee break enjoying the scenary. We walked about 10km that day and it was quiet and peaceful in the forest. 


Wooden bridge at the ridge of Kyynäränharju


It was early November, when we traveled to Liesjärvi, so the autumn foliage was almost over, but there were still some signs of it. It was still beautiful and the sun kept us warm all day. The trails do not have maintenance during the winter, but the most popular trails are usually open due to a lot of hikers making the paths as they go. The lavatories and the campfire spots are maintained also during the winter, but you should bring your own drinking water as the wells may freeze. 




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Repovesi National Park

Image
If you want to experience the real Finnish nature, you should visit our national parks. We have 41 national parks, which are located all over Finland. Most of them are nature reserves, but they are also open for public. All of them have marked hiking routes and campfire spots, you can also camp there under the stars. National parks most important task is to preserve biodiversity and give people a place to relax.  I will start with the one closest to my hometown, Repovesi National Park. It is a wide area that is surrounded by many beautiful lakes. You can arrive there by car, boat or public transportation. There are many marked trails for hiking, about 45 km of trails along the lakeside, trough the forest and up the rugged cliffs, so you can pick which one you want to take on.  Repovesi is located in western Kouvola, about 50 km from the city center and 175 km from Helsinki. There are 3 starting points for the trails, Lapinsalmi, Tervajärvi and Saarijärvi. I have hiked mostly f...
Read more