Ogre Blue Hills

The Zilie kalni, the blue hills, are a wooded ridge of glacial sand rising above Ogre on the Daugava, covered in pine and taking their name from the colour the forest shows from a distance. A network of marked trails, boardwalks over the wetter ground and forest roads crosses the ridge, with a lookout tower giving a view over the town, the Daugava valley and the forest, and a nature trail explaining the geology and the bog areas. In winter the tracks are used for cross-country skiing and a small downhill area operates. Ogre is thirty-five minutes from Riga by train, which makes the hills the easiest forest walking from the capital.

What you actually see

• The pine ridge - the forested glacial hills above the town.
• The lookout tower - the platform with views over the Daugava valley.
• Boardwalk sections - the raised paths over the wet ground.
• Winter tracks - the cross-country skiing routes in the forest.

When to go

April to October for walking and cycling; January to March for skiing when snow allows. Autumn colours the birch among the pine. The trails are muddy in spring thaw.

Honest expectations

The hills are low and the walking gentle rather than dramatic. Trails are busy at weekends with Riga and Ogre residents. Signage is mainly in Latvian. Facilities are limited to the trailheads.

Nearby

Ogre town lies below; Riga is west along the Daugava.