Padasjoki: Forest Trails, Päijänne and Culture

Forest trails, observation towers and Lake Päijänne offer very different ways to explore Padasjoki. You can combine a trip with walks through pine forests and rocky terrain, visits to exhibitions or time by the water. There is also a specific activity for families: at the traffic park, children can learn road safety rules on their own bicycles or in pedal cars borrowed from the municipality.

Trails and views around Kullasvuori

The Kullasvuori nature trail is an approximately one-kilometre circular route near the harbour of Padasjoki. It leads through rocky terrain and pine forest; information boards along the way provide guidance on the trail’s themes. Observation towers stand at the end of the route. If you are looking for a marked trail to the Tuomastornit towers, you can take the Tornipolku: it leads to the observation towers on Kullasvuori and is also accessible on foot during the ski season.

Kullasvuori is also home to the Padasjoki DiscGolfPark, a full-size 18-hole forest course. This means the area offers both nature trails and a round of disc golf. The Kullasvuori recreational area near the centre also offers trails and elevation changes for mountain bikers. If you would like to include some activity in your holiday, you will find several different options here, rather than one continuous circular route.

Another trail option is the Kirkkolammi nature trail, also called Kirkkolammen-Reitti. The loop around Kirkkolammi is approximately seven kilometres long. You can walk it in either direction and start at any point. The flexibility to choose your starting point sets this loop apart from a set tour with just one starting point; its approximate length is worth taking into account when planning your day.

Water, summer and winter

Kaunismäki Beach lies on the shore of Lake Päijänne beside the harbour of Padasjoki, also known as Laivaranta, and is open to all visitors. In summer, you can reach Päijänne National Park from the harbour by the scheduled boat Jenni-Maria III, by canoe or by water taxi. These are several different ways to travel by water on an excursion to the national park.

During the colder months, the harbour at Laivaranta also offers an opportunity for winter swimming. There is a heated changing room on site. If you would rather stay on land, you can walk the Tornipolku during the ski season. These different activities can help you decide whether you would like your holiday days to focus more on water activities, walks or a mix of both.

The Tarus recreational area is also located within the municipality. The forest area covers 1,000 hectares and has several small lakes and eleven kilometres of shoreline. Facilities listed there include a beach, campfire sites, a lean-to shelter and the Evon Ilvesvaellusreitti hiking trail. Tarus offers another way to include forest and shoreline in your trip; it is a separate area within the municipality of Padasjoki.

Exhibitions and history

Galleria Pikantti in the centre of Padasjoki is run by Padasjoen Taideyhdistys ry. Exhibitions change monthly, and admission is free to the public. Padasjoen Kotiseututalo has several rooms for temporary exhibitions; in summer, one or two more temporary exhibitions are held in the large hall. The museum exhibitions there feature objects, photographs and stories about the history of Padasjoki. The building was originally a wooden school built in 1874.

The Padasjoki local history museum also focuses on local history. It is located in the church village of Padasjoki, in a former granary on Kuusikuja. Another notable building is the present-day church: a masonry long church with a tower. Construction began in 1926; it was completed and inaugurated in 1928.

The Mainiemi sawmill, founded in 1880 at Mainiemi on the lakeshore, is part of the history of Lake Päijänne. Sahan valot is held at the old Mainiemi sawmill near Lake Päijänne as a traditional end-of-summer celebration on the last Saturday in August. If you would like to include culture and local history in your holiday, the temporary exhibitions, local history museum and this annual event offer different ways to do so.

What to consider when choosing a holiday destination

The experiences described here are at different named locations; choose Padasjoki as your destination based on which of them are of particular interest to you.

Discover more places

Other places in the wider selection: Auttoinen, Lahti, Heinola, Nyystölä, Sysmä, Vierumäki, Asikkala and Hollola.

Back to the wider travel overview: Päijät-Häme.