Finnish Autumn at Its Best: A Photo Report from Patvinsuo National Park in North Karelia

Article by: Karoliina Kaski

We embarked on a three-night autumn hike to Patvinsuo National Park in September. This was my first visit to this park. Patvinsuo offered exactly what I had hoped for and what online sources had promised: sandy beaches, towering pine forests, expansive mires, and unbroken natural tranquility. Welcome to a photo journey through Patvinsuo National Park!

Suomu Nature Hut on the map
Arrival by car: Address: Suomuntie 54, Lieksa
Arrival by public transport: not possible

Sandy Beaches

In Patvinsuo National Park, you can especially admire sandy beaches around Lake Suomunjärvi. The shores of the lake are almost entirely soft white sand, and you can walk around the entire lake along the marked Suomunkierto trail (16 km). You can quickly reach the sandy beaches by parking your car at either the Suomu Nature Hut or the Surkanpuro or Kurkilahti parking areas. I can only imagine what an amazing summer destination for swimming and paddleboarding Lake Suomunjärvi must be!

*Our accommodation for the first night was on the northern shore of Lake Suomunjärvi, at Pokanniemi.*

*The Suomunkierto trail runs in places right along the sandy beach! It felt almost a bit surreal to hike practically on sand. A new experience!*

Duckboards

Someone has probably measured how many duckboards there are on Patvinsuo’s trails. For us, the duckboards functioned almost like spiritual highways, as the journey went so smoothly along these flat, obstacle-free paths. Duckboards are found especially along the Patvinkierto trail (25 km). You can hop onto the duckboards immediately after leaving your car at the Kurkilahti parking area and heading south towards the Teretinniemi bird-watching tower.

For us, Patvinsuo, with its swaying grasses, at times reminded us of the savannah!

*Near the duckboards and in the oases of the open bogs, there were clumps of shrubs, whose autumn colors were gradually taking on a beautiful red glow.*

Hiking Structures

In addition to duckboards, Patvinsuo also has a few other hiking structures that hikers can enjoy. Structures placed in necessary spots help travelers along their journey.

*A bridge has been built over the stream flowing from Karkunlampi to the northern part of Lake Suomunjärvi.*

The sound of the small stream felt quite strong when the surrounding forest had otherwise been completely silent. I wondered whether the flow stays unfrozen throughout the winter and whether one might spot a dipper here?

*The pull ferry on the southern side of the Patvinkierto trail helps hikers cross the Nälmänjoki River.*

*The water level in all the water bodies was remarkably low during our trip. We really had to push our backpacks up onto the pier from the pull ferry and climb up ourselves.*

Forests

Patvinsuo is naturally known for its mires, but there’s plenty to admire in the forests as well! The remarkably pine-dominated environment was astonishingly flat. In these landscapes, the kings of our forests fill their bellies with nature’s bounty before winter hibernation. We didn’t see any bears, but perhaps the bear saw or sensed us?

In places, the flat forest had wonderful lichen fields, adorned with lingonberries glowing like rubies!

Gazing towards the canopy on the second day of the hike, when energy levels were dropping and a break was really needed. While admiring this viewpoint, I munched on dried apricots and chocolate to muster up the strength for the final stretch before our overnight spot at Majaniemi on the shore of Lake Koitere.

*Both the Suomunkierto and Patvinkierto trails are relaxing and easy to follow. It’s almost impossible to get lost from the path.*

*We enjoyed the especially plump lingonberries of Patvinsuo.*

Rest Spots and Snack Breaks

In Patvinsuo National Park, overnight stays are only allowed in designated areas. During our hike, we enjoyed the services of several rest spots, and they seemed to be suitably scattered along our route. Of course, we had also planned our route to be within the network of rest spots.

On our first night at Pokanniemi (on the northern edge of the Suomunkierto trail), there was only one other tent besides ours. On the second night at Majaniemi (on the southern edge of the Patvinkierto trail, on the shore of Lake Koitere), we had the place entirely to ourselves. On the third night at the Nälmänjoki tent area, there were three or four other tent groups besides us. We wondered whether the distance from the parking area directly correlates with the number of overnight visitors?

*Pokanniemi tent area. A good example of the terrain on the Suomunkierto trail: flat, pine forest, sandy. The area has a wood shed, outhouse, fire ring, and table group. Bring your own shelter!*

*First evening’s fire at Pokanniemi, on the northern shore of Lake Suomunjärvi. Most of the campfire sites had windbreaks, which are very necessary.*

Virtaniemi tent area on the eastern edge of the Suomunkierto trail. The ravages of time and humans had worn down the rest table. The area also had an open fire ring and an outhouse a bit further away. An extremely beautiful and flat sandy camping ground, with amazing swimming opportunities!

Next to the Kurkilahti parking area is a magnificent rest spot and excellent hiking facilities. We made lunch with a great view while masons were finishing the fireplace in the nearby cooking shelter. So there’s a brand new fireplace there! NOTE: Overnight stays are not allowed at this location.

Majaniemi tent area on the shore of Lake Koitere, on the southern edge of the Patvinkierto trail. The tent area is located outside the national park boundaries. The stunted pines on the shore have bent and fallen, perhaps due to the strong winds blowing from Lake Koitere, and partly the erosion of the sandy bank causes the trees to fall.

*Evening or morning cocoa at Majaniemi’s campfire site. In addition to the fire ring, Majaniemi had an outhouse, a wood shed, and an information board telling about the history of Lake Koitere.*

*Patvinsuo’s Plumpest Lingonberries mixed into the morning porridge.*

This time, dried apricots especially delighted us as snacks! We also tried a new domestic seasoned broad bean snack, envisioned as a substitute for imported nuts. Quite handy. Nothing beats chocolate <3

Suomu’s Reservable Sauna

At the end of the hike, we managed to book the Suomu lakeside sauna! Oh, the joy and bliss of lighting up the sauna stove and deeply rinsing away the dirt and grime before heading home.

The super charming and goodness-knows-how-old sauna is on the shore of Lake Suomunjärvi and can be rented through the Suomu Nature Hut. Remember to bring cash all the way out here in the backwoods, as there’s no electricity, and thus payment by card is not possible! A couple of hours’ sauna session cost €30 in autumn 2024.