Discover Soini: Hiking Trails, Nature and Culture

Soini offers a variety of ways to include activity and discovery in your trip: from short hiking trails and longer routes to frisbee golf and horse riding. Special details, such as the caricatures along the Alasen hiking trail and a statue in front of the church bell tower, also give each outing its own distinctive touch. Which of these experiences you choose to focus on can shape your holiday plans.

Hiking Trails of Various Lengths

The nature trail in Kaihiharju was completed in 2021 and comprises two routes. The fully accessible route is about 200 metres long. There is also a challenging accessible route of about 700 metres, which may require assistance. The two routes therefore differ both in length and difficulty. When planning your hikes, you can take these details into account and choose the route that suits your preferences.

Hermanninpolku is an easy 2.5-kilometre hiking trail in Parviaisenkylä. A longer route option is Kuninkaanpolku, at 8.3 kilometres. Its southern starting point is just over a kilometre from the centre of Soini, in the direction of Karstula.

The Arpainen outdoor and hiking route stretches even farther: it is just over 50 kilometres long and runs from Soini to Ähtäri. Along the route, species-rich coniferous forests, bogs and steep-sided sandy ridges alternate. This is a different scale of route from the shorter hiking trails. Those interested in this route will find varied scenery along the way, combining forest, bog and striking sandy ridges.

The Alasen hiking trail also combines exercise with an artistic discovery: it features caricatures and humorous anecdotes by artist Reijo Kivijärvi. When planning your outings, you can decide whether you are most interested in a hike for its length, scenery or cultural details like these.

Active Experiences and Local Culture

The Lintuharju frisbee golf course has 18 holes or baskets. The holes are 1,815 metres long in total. This specific distance makes it easy to include the course in your day’s plans. If you want to compare different ways to be active, you can weigh frisbee golf against hiking or cross-country skiing: Soini has an extensive network of cross-country ski trails.

Vauhti-Matin Ratsutila offers horse rides of various lengths. The horses include nine Icelandic horses and one horse of the “puolilänkkäri” type. Those with no previous riding experience can also take part in the rides. The different lengths provide another way to take your interests into account when planning your trip.

In the town centre stands the cross-shaped Soini Church, built in the Ostrobothnian style. In front of its bell tower is an old statue of a poor woman, considered the only one of its kind in Finland and probably in the world. The church and statue add two distinctive local cultural features to the active outings.

When looking for an apartment or holiday home in Soini, you can start by asking yourself which of these trip ideas matter most to you: shorter or longer hiking routes, scenery, cross-country skiing, horse riding, frisbee golf or local culture.

Discover More Places

More local pages: Seinäjoki, Kurikka, Alajärvi, Alavus, Myllykangas, Peräseinäjoki, Härmä, Ojutkangas.

For the broader travel overview: South Ostrobothnia.