Park life in Finland

For summer 2010, Visit Finland is launching a new initiative to showcase some of their many National Parks.

Each month, one National Park will be selected and featured on VisitFinland.com, highlighting key treks, special events and a range of tips, ideal for nature lovers, adventure seekers and wildlife enthusiasts.

Finland is home to 35 national parks comprising vast woodland, rivers, fells, lakes and meadows. With hundreds of thousands of lakes to be enjoyed and wildlife ranging from elk, bears, wolverines and thousands of bird species, as well as some of Europe’s most remote wildernesses, it is the ideal holiday spot for those looking for an undisturbed ‘back to nature’ experience.

All superbly run, with comprehensive visitor information and clearly labelled short and long distance paths and tracks, Finland’s National Parks are the ideal haven for outdoor summer enthusiasts. For summer 2010, Visit Finland has decided it’s about time to show them off and each month from June 2010, VisitFinland.com will showcase one selected park to highlight key features and a range of unique treks and trails.

This July it’s all about Syöte National Park, with its 70km of brilliant biking trails, ranging from a leisurely 17km ride to a challenging 36km trek, making it the perfect place to visit for those looking to experience Finland’s wildest region at its most beautiful.

“We have an incredibly diverse terrain," says Metsähallitus's Veikko Virkkunen, the cycle route designer, "there are fell tops, rivers, lakes, and large pristine old-growth forests of spruce and pine." In addition one can also see broad aapa mires and esker ridges, remnants of the last ice age, all on the same ride.”

For those that prefer summer hiking or even cross country skiing in the winter months then Syöte National Park also offers a range of suitable routes. Visitors can listen for the cries of eagles circling overhead as they explore the hills of Syöte along inviting trails that lead through wild spruce forests and bogs. There are camping sites aplenty located all around the park, or for those that prefer their home comforts, there are several picturesque private cabins for rent in the area.

For further information on Finland, check out: visitfinland.com/uk