A Trek Through the Dark Forest – Experiencing the Safety of Finnish Nature

Navigating through Finnish nature is often quite safe even under the cover of darkness. We don’t have animals to fear – predators usually avoid us without our knowledge, and there’s no need to worry about lurking poisonous insects in the dark in Finland. I decided to experience the enchantment and peace of a familiar nature trail on a dark weekday evening. It was truly worth it!

• Destination: Vaisakko Grove in the city of Salo
• Circular trail: 4.5 km
• Fireplace: No
• Accessible: No
• Parking on the map (Palttatie, signposted from Lehtiniementie)
• Arrival by public transport: From the nearest bus stop (Lehtiniementie E/P), it’s a 1.7 km walk to the start of the trail

For the trek, I slipped on reflective harnesses and a fully charged light in my pocket. Although nobody can run over me in the forest, it’s better to be cautious in the dark; in case of an accident, like a sprained ankle, it’s easier to find me with a reflector than without it in black clothes. Of course, this time I had company, which is always an excellent safety measure when walking in nature – if I ever got lost, it would be much more pleasant with a friend than alone.

As we walked towards the Vaisakko nature reserve, we admired the twilight descending behind the tall trees of the coastal grove. Salo, a small seaside town in southwest Finland, had its manors and city lights twinkling on the horizon.

The journey in Vaisakko consists of three parts: a 1.5 km route to the nature reserve, a 1.5 km circular trail in the reserve, and then the same 1.5 km back to the parking lot.

It felt safe to head out on this familiar trail, and I recommend it to others who are intrigued by hiking in the dark: a familiar and clear path significantly lowers stress levels. You won’t be surprised by the terrain, and you might even memorize tricky spots like thickets, knowing where to turn on the light for a moment. In winter, trail markers can be covered with frost, so it’s good to know the path well. In Northern Finland, one should be prepared differently, as there, trail markers can be completely buried in snow, conditions are harsh, and getting help can be very difficult.

I chose a destination that I could recommend to others and that many could easily adapt to their local area in Finland or elsewhere: I selected a familiar trail, whose terrain I know well and that is wide and clear to walk. I chose a location far enough from urban light pollution to beautifully bring out the power of darkness, but not so far that a trip there on a weekday evening would be impossible. As the icing on the cake, I chose a place with something I believed would look exceptionally majestic in the dark when illuminated: giant oaks.

All these aspects came together in Vaisakko forest. The only downside to Vaisakko for a night hike are its narrow boardwalk sections, which, hidden under snow, were tricky enough that they had to be traversed with a light. Of course, in the thaw, the boardwalks here are a tremendous joy in wet areas.

The path was easy to walk. If I had been alone, I would have put on headphones and immersed myself in the wonderful bubble created by darkness and music, where they enhance each other and weave my mind and body into an enchanting pattern. Fortunately, in Finland, there’s plenty of darkness in winter for those moments too.

To my delight, our entire group mostly walked without lights. First, the evening twilight, then the moon, along with the snow on the ground, lit up the forest. We illuminated the oaks with lamps to see them properly, and they looked even more magnificent and larger than in daylight.

There were some clouds in the sky, but also stars and constellations, like Cygnus and Auriga. Cygnus pointed the direction of the Milky Way, although the Milky Way itself was hidden. I learned a whole bunch of constellations a few winters ago, and I’ve been surprised at how at home I feel in any strange place once I find familiar patterns in the sky.

From the edge of Vaisakko near the sea, there’s a cliff overlooking the bay where the city of Salo is located. When the moon rose directly behind Salo during our hike, the scenery became truly picturesque.

We spent a couple of hours on the just over four-kilometer loop. There was no hurry in the dark.