Sipoonkorpi National Park

Sipoonkorpi was made a national park in 2011 to protect a block of forest, ravines, streams and old farmland on the north-eastern edge of the Helsinki metropolitan area, and its value is partly that it is there at all: an area of old spruce and broadleaf woodland with dead wood left standing, within reach of a million people by bus. Trails run from several entrances through the ravines, past old crofts and meadows kept open by grazing, with fire pits and huts along the way in the Finnish manner. Flying squirrels live in the older stands, and the bird list is good for a park of this size and position.

What you actually see

• Old spruce forest with standing dead wood - habitat left uncleared.
• Stream ravines - the cut valleys through the woodland.
• Old crofts and grazed meadows - the farmed history inside the park.
• Trailside fire pits and huts - the standard Finnish walking infrastructure.

When to go

May to October for walking, though the park is used year round including for skiing. A day. Weekends bring Helsinki families to the nearest entrances. Ticks are present in summer.

Honest expectations

It is a small park close to a city, not wilderness, and roads and housing are audible at the edges. Trails can be muddy. Popular entrances are busy at weekends. Facilities are limited to huts and pits.

Nearby

Helsinki is south-west; Porvoo lies east.