Where Pristine Waters Meet the Magic of the Boglands – Kauhaneva–Pohjankangas National Park

Article by Jonna Saari

Torronsuo is a famous, ruggedly beautiful bog in southern Finland, where many go to seek the atmosphere of the northern wilderness bogs. Whenever I visit Torro, I always miss one thing: bodies of water. I want to see a landscape where lakes and ponds glimmer in blue, swirl mysteriously in the dark embrace of the bog, and make the air easy to breathe. As I stepped onto the boardwalks of Kauhaneva-Pohjankangas National Park, I realized that there would be no turning back – from now on, I’d always, always want to come here.

- Starting point on the map

- Kauhalampi Trail 3.5–5 km (2.2–3.1 mi)

- Fire pit: yes

- Accessible: partially

- Arriving by car: Salomaa parking area, Kyrönkankaantie 357, Karvia

- Arriving by public transport: not possible

A Saturday morning in late September dawned sunny and chilly, just a few degrees above freezing. We were driving south from the city of Seinäjoki in South Ostrobothnia and decided to make a small detour to Kauhaneva-Pohjankangas National Park, which could be included on our route with a little maneuvering. A narrow, pothole-ridden dirt road led us to the Salomaa parking area, where we saw a few campers (caravanners were allowed to stay one night according to a sign) and a few cars. We decided to put on rubber boots just to be safe, as we were heading out into an autumn bog. In the end, the trail was so dry that regular sneakers would have sufficed. The very first stretch from the parking area to the shelter led through a pine forest. The landscape reminded me a lot of the nearby Lauhanvuori National Park, which I had visited earlier that summer. Read also: Top-3 Experiences in Lauhanvuori National Park

*The route to the shelter and slightly beyond is accessible.*

The shelter was a nice place to take a break. There was a dry toilet back at the parking area. The shelter was located at the edge of the pine forest and bog.

From the shelter, we followed yellow trail markers along the edge of the bog and forest. At one point, water happily gurgled across the trail from the bog to the forest, and this was where our boots came in handy. The rest of the way had dry gravel or boardwalks underfoot. Information boards introduced the area’s history, including the long past of Kyrönkangas Road.

After this, the landscape changed abruptly. An open bog with autumn colors, dwarf birch, and stunted pines surrounded us as we walked along the wide, wheelchair-accessible path toward the scenic viewpoint at Kauhalampi pond.

After this, the journey continued along traditional boardwalks, so the accessible section ended here. The length of the accessible trail from the parking area via the shelter to the lake shore shown above and back directly to the parking area is 2.6 km (1.6 mi).

The water in Kauhalampi pond was dark. There was a swimming pier, but people were sitting there, and I didn’t have my swimsuit, so I skipped swimming this time. I definitely felt like going in, though.

On the boggy part of the trail, which constitutes almost the entire loop, there was no shortage of water views. Besides the large Kauhalampi pond, there were small ponds here and there, sometimes quite close on both sides of the boardwalk. So unbelievably beautiful!

There were a few other groups around, pairs of adults and even a family with a young child, just slightly taller than knee-high. You can also start this Kauhalampi circuit trail from the northern Nummikangas parking area (address: Kauhanevantie 529, Kauhajoki). In this case, the trail is 5 kilometers (3,1 mi) in total, 1.5 km (0,9 mi) longer than starting from Salomaa. However, starting from Nummikangas includes a viewing tower, which we missed entirely this time.

Our heads spun like owls as we admired the scenery in every direction. As beautiful as the bog is in its own right, the bodies of water make it a hundred times more stunning.

I picked a few cranberries to taste, but they weren’t quite ripe yet. Very sour, actually. I should come back later in the fall, maybe even in early winter. Finding cranberries at just the right ripeness is often a race against the first snow – if the snow arrives first, the low-growing cranberries are the first to disappear from sight.

Through the scenes pictured below, our route returned to the shelter and from there back to the parking area. It had taken a little over an hour. The trail was easy, flat, and therefore fast to walk, but the stunning scenery slowed us down considerably. Highly recommended!