Location: Espoo, Kirkkonummi and Vihti Regions Map
Area: 45 km2 (17 mi2)
Tel. +358 205 644 790
Official site
Nuuksio National Park is located in Espoo, Kirkkonummi and Vihti Regions of Finland. It is situated just west of Finnish capital of Helsinki. To get to Nuuksio National Park you can take a train to Espoo and then get a #85 or #85A bus to the entrance of the nature reserve. Nuuksio National Park reserve covers an area of 45 km2 (17 mi2) of beautiful landscape of pine forests, boulders and numerous lakes and rivers carved by the glaciers during last Ice Age. A web of trails stretch for a total length of 30 km. Some of the most common animals you can see here are elks, Siberian flying squirrels (Pteromys volans) that are usually active and night and many birds that come to this pristine wilderness to nest. Ducks that are commonly seen in the Nuuksio National Park are not very shy. So if you want to feed them bring some bread. Most of them will not refuse a free snack.
Area
Nuuksio National Park is the westernmost
part of the so-called Nuuksio Lake Plateau. Its surface forms are
dominated by the valleys and gorges shaped by the last ice age, as
well as the rugged, rocky hills covered with lichens and sparse
pines. The area also has primeval forests, bogs and traditional
biotopes, especially meadows. At its highest, the area reaches 110
meters above sea level.
Most of the area of Nuuksio
National Park was obtained by combining the forest area of
Tervalammi Manor, which had previously been a state hiking area,
and the Nuuksionpää outdoor area acquired by the City of Helsinki in
the 1960s and the southern part of the Salmi outdoor area. The
remaining parts of the Salmi outdoor area to the north of the
national park are still owned by the City of Helsinki.
There
are thirty lakes in the main area of the national park. On the
southeastern edge, the national park is bordered by Lake Pitkäjärvi
in Nuuksio and on the west by Tervalampi. The northernmost point
is located on the southern shores of Pikku-Parikka.
The area
of the national park is not uniform, but in addition to the main
area described above, it includes a few smaller parts, such as the
areas around Saarijärvi and Suolikka and the small strip between
Velskola Pitkäjärvi and Kattilajärvi.
Services
In Nuuksio
National Park, in addition to campfire and camping sites, there are
barbecue shelters with the possibility of making a fire, although
not during a forest fire warning. As a paid service, the park has
bookable campfire and camping sites, two rental rooms, a Kattila
hut, a smoke sauna and conference facilities.
The National
Park Information Center is in Haukkalammi. From there, there are
four signposted nature trails of different lengths (2–7.5 km), the
most difficult places of which have been made of elongated trees or
a staircase to help with walking and to protect nature from wear and
tear. Recycling points are in Kattila and Haukkalammi. There is also
a Water Point on the wall of the Haukkalampi guide.
There are
also twelve free camping areas in Nuuksio National Park. The nine
camping areas are equipped with a campfire, a wooden shed and an ax,
as well as a dry toilet. There are free camping areas in Mustalammi,
Haukanholm, Holma-Saarijärvi, Isoholm and Saarilammi, for example.
Communications
Nuuksio can be reached by public transport
from the Helsinki metropolitan area. The Espoo bus 245 (A) departs
from Espoo railway station to the eastern and northern part of the
national park. In summer, the bus takes you to the Vihti side to
Kattila, but in winter, due to the poor condition of the road, the
bus stays in Nuuksiopää. The bus stops are in zone C of the HSL
area.
Bus 238 from Leppävaara railway station runs to
Siikaranta or Siikaniemi in the southern part of the national park.
The northern and south-eastern part of the national park is flanked
by regional road 120, ie the old Porintie.
Pohjolan
Liikenne's regular service from Kamppi runs to the west of the
national park. The name of the stop in the municipality of Vihti is
"Tervalampi Manor". It is about a kilometer walk from Tervalammi to
the park. Matkahuolto tickets are valid on the bus.