Nuuskio National Park is easily accessible from Helsinki, Finland – about a 30 minute non stop bus ride or slightly longer with bus combined with train (stop in Espoo). The modern and state of the art Haltia “green” Visitor’s center is the self proclaimed “gateway to Finland’s National treasures) and is located about 2km outside of the park. A stop here is worthwhile for the interactive exhibits that explore Finland’s natural heritage, a cafe serving surprisingly good buffet style cuisine as well as rotating exhibits. Through tour company partnerships, guided tours can also be arranged from within the center. Bicycles can be rented on site – trails are very close to the visitor center.
There are nearly 188,00 lakes in the entire country – fortunately some of these are in Nuuksio. A worthwhile fairly easy hike is the 2.4 km Punarinnankierros Trail which passes by three such lakes (about 4km from the Haltia Visitor’s Center). Despite this park being so close to Helsinki it is fairly easy to escape from people here. Plenty of natural forest dominates.
Finland promotes “Everyman’s Rights” a system setup to allow locals and visitors the freedom to pick wild berries, mushrooms or go hiking or fishing on public lands including in National Parks. Berry season usually runs from June through September. Visit: www.haltia.com for more information.
Nesting bird along one of the many lakes here
Haltia Visitor’s Center
Hiking path in Nuuksio National Park
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