Sipoonkorpi National Park in Finland is a green oasis in Eastern Uusimaa. It lies within easy reach of Helsinki. Sipoonkorpi may be the most forested forest in Finland, and the area consists of wilderness and traditional rural landscapes. Sipoonkorpi National Park is the last wilderness area of the capital region of Helsinki.
The nature of Sipoonkorpi has plenty of different forest types, mires, ponds, streams and cliffs. There is a lot of variation in elevation on the Sipoonkorpi trails. The forests are mostly spruce forests, and there are also old forests that remain in their natural states.
If there's snow in southern Finland, you don't have to travel to Lapland in order to enjoy winter sports. Sipoonkorpi winter trails are great for both snowshoeing and cross-country skiing!
Sipoonkorpi parking areas and arrival at the national park
Sipoonkorpi is located twenty kilometers from the center of Helsinki. The national park is easily accessible by public transport, either by bus or by train and bus. There are also bus stops along Knutersintie road.
Sipoonkorpi National Park has several parking lots when arriving by car. The closest parking areas of the Knuters Trail are Knuters, Bakunkärr and Korvenportti. During peak times, the smaller Bakunkärr and Korvenportti may fill up quickly. Likewise, if the snow has suddenly piled up more than in general, you should head for larger parking areas. They are usually plowed quickly, just like the roads in Sipoonkorpi.
On my snowshoe trip, the Bakunkärr parking lot had already been plowed in the morning, even though it had snowed late in the evening. On a normal weekday, there were three cars in the parking area. Information about the plowing situation can sometimes be found on Sipoonkorpi National Park's Facebook pages.
Knuters Trail (3.8 km) in winter
The Knuters Trail is a ring route with a length of 3.8 kilometers. When arriving from the parking areas, the route will be longer. The distance from the Bakunkärr parking lot is around one kilometer in each direction, so the total length of the winter trip will be about six kilometers.
The route is marked with orange diamonds on tree trunks. The signs stand out well even in winter, and even if there is a lot of snow. Getting lost is not likely.
Bakunkärr's new cooking shelter is located on a cliff at the northern end of the Knuters Trail route, near Lake Bakunkärrträsket. The shelter has a fireplace and seats. There are more tables and benches next to the shelter on top of the cliff. There is also a firewood shed and a dry toilet in the area. There is paper in the dry toilet.
If you prefer to take a break in the middle of the hike, set off from the Knuters parking lot. If you want to sit down and enjoy the fire at the end of your sports, like me, the Bakunkärr parking area is a better starting point for the trip.
You can also pitch a tent at the Bakunkärr campsite. The boundaries of the camping area are marked with signs on the trees.
Route description of the Knuters Trail
The route mainly runs on cliffs and in dense forest. Duckboards and bridges have been built over bogs and streams. In winter, some of the streams and wetlands may be unfrozen. When walking on snowshoes, you should be careful on the duckboards, so that you don't accidentally fall into the ditch.
From the Bakunkärr campsite, you first descend a short leg to the intersection of the paths. If you hike the trail counter-clockwise, the first half runs a longer distance on the Brännberget cliff. Sometimes you descend gently into the forest until you return to the treetop level again. Although the route does not elevate very high, the winter landscape with snow-covered trees is breathtaking.
In the middle of the route, you hike in a dense forest. At the intersection there are signs to the Knuters parking area and to the return trip to Bakunkärr. In the second half, on the way back, you hike more in the middle of the forest until you reach the cliffs. In a few places, there are a bit higher points on the trail, and you have to scramble with snowshoes a little. At the highest point of the cliff there is a rest area with a table and benches.
Before the final climb back to Bakunkärr's campsite, the path descends for a longer distance. You may see a big bird suddenly taking flight from its snow hole along the path. Perhaps the best thing about the Knuters tour is that you can enjoy the wilderness atmosphere along the entire route, as if you were hiking far from civilization.
If you go on snowshoes and there is a lot of snow on the route and you have to break trail, the round takes well over an hour even at a fast pace without breaks. The approximate hiking time in summer is about two hours.
Even if the Knuters Trail does not offer great sights or even a physical challenge in the summer, in the winter the route is a great day trip and nature sports destination. Snowshoeing in deep snow is a great exercise. The snow-covered fir trees and the pale blue sky above the cliffs reveal the local nature at its most beautiful.
Hiking in Sipoonkorpi National Park
In Sipoonkorpi, moving is allowed with everyone's rights. Camping is only allowed in places marked for camping. Fires are only allowed in maintained fireplaces. Don't build your own campfire sites on cliffs or forests.
Sipoonkorpi National Park has no waste management system. Bio-waste can be left in the dry toilets, but other rubbish must be taken out of the forest. In winter, ice fishing is allowed, except on the Rivers Byabäcken, Ritobäcken and Hälsangsbäcken, and on the Lake Storträsk.
Mobile phone coverage is good in Sipoonkorpi. If you are in an emergency, call 112.
Sipoonkorpi winter trails for snowshoeing
If, after snowshoeing the Knuters Trail, you still have power in your legs and there’s still some daylight left, combine another trail with your route. You can also access these Sipoonkorpi trails from the Bakunkärr parking lot:
- Kalkinpolttajanpolku Trail 4.8 km
- Bakunkärr Trail 2.0 km
- Fiskträsk Trail 2.8 km
Links
Nationalparks.fi – Sipoonkorpi National Park
Nationalparks.fi – Sipoonkorpi directions
Read also:
Snowshoeing in Koli National Park
Pyhä Winter Trails: The top of Pyhä fell
Snowshoeing in Syöte National Park
Pyhä Karhunjuomalampi Trail by cross-country skiing
