Korpipolku – a wilderness-like boardwalk trail in Helsinki

The duckboards of Korpipolku wind through the heart of Helsinki Central Park, in a forest so wild it is hard to believe you are in a capital city. I finally walked a route that had been on my list for a long time, and not even the greyness of November could disappoint me. It felt incredible that Helsinki has such deep forest, and many will be delighted to know there is a direct bus connection here from Rautatientori, the very centre of Helsinki.

Tips for Korpipolku

• Map:
  • Starting from Paloheinä (Pakilantie 124, Helsinki)
  • Starting from the Pitkäkoski outdoor lodge (Kuninkaantammentie 19, Helsinki)
• Distance walked: Our walk came to about 4 km in total, from Paloheinä via the fitness trail, Siimespolku and the connecting path to Korpipolku and back.
• By bus: Bus 66 runs from Helsinki Railway Square directly to Paloheinä.
• By car: From the Pitkäkoski car park you can reach Korpipolku almost directly, and you will see the rapids of the Vantaanjoki River along the way.
• Footwear: The gravel and boardwalk route is fine in ordinary outdoor shoes.

A long-held dream comes true

This trail had been on my mind for years. I had seen the first photos of the Korpipolku boardwalks long ago and could hardly believe they showed one of the faces of Helsinki. The landscape looked so wild. I wondered whether there was only a short stretch of beautiful forest, with an industrial or built-up area lurking right next to it, waiting to disappoint a walker dreaming of perfect peace and quiet.

Now we were on a one-night mini-break in the Helsinki region, and I thought: this time we are going. We had stayed the night in Espoo, and after the hotel breakfast there was plenty of time before heading home to make our way to Helsinki Central Park. I was hoping to find, in the Haltiala area, exactly the boardwalk trail whose photos had stayed with me.

The weather was grey but dry. It was a few degrees above zero, and there was hardly any wind.

So where are those boardwalks?

I had tried searching online and on maps for exactly where the boardwalks run, but the information felt scattered and confusing. In the end we drove to the Paloheinä car park. There, too, I saw no signs naming the nature trails, and even the map looked like a jumble to me, although I am usually quite good with maps.

Right at the start of the fitness trail, I asked a fellow walker for directions. This lovely person told us to continue a little way ahead and turn onto Siimespolku at the top of the hill – at the junction there would be signposts and a clearer map. From there, a connecting path of about a hundred metres would lead to Korpipolku, where the boardwalks I had been longing for were. We followed the instructions, found the clearer map and took a photo of it on my phone. We set off first along Siimespolku, then, encouraged by a Korpipolku signpost, onto the connecting path, and popped out on Korpipolku. And there they were.

My spontaneous, ex tempore style of hiking backfired a little. Had I looked in good time and at my leisure, I would have found good directions in Mika Markkanen’s introduction to Korpipolku on the Retkipaikka website (in Finnish). Markkanen recommends leaving your car at the Pitkäkoski instead, as it offers an almost direct connection to Korpipolku. So you can get there from Paloheinä too, as we discovered, but from the Pitkäkoski outdoor lodge (Kuninkaantammentie 19, Helsinki) the route would have been much more direct and straightforward. Perhaps you can make use of this tip!

On the boardwalks in the heart of Central Park

Korpipolku runs through the middle of Helsinki Central Park. It is not a loop; you walk it there and back.

The forest was incredibly rich and calming. Surely few capital cities in the world have anything like it. The moss was a vivid green, and water stood on the forest floor as it should in a wetland, presumably thanks to restoration work. Brooks babbled, and blackbirds, blue tits and great tits accompanied the murmur of the forest with their chirping.

We walked long stretches without seeing anyone, although now and then someone came the other way. The forest rose tall and majestic, just as fine as I had imagined from the photos. Deep in the forest, no residential or industrial areas flickered between the trees. It truly felt as if we were deep in the woods. Only once did the distant sound of an emergency vehicle’s siren carry to us, revealing that the city was in fact going about its life around this magnificent forest – though not too close.

The paths are gravel and boardwalk. I had forgotten my hiking boots at home, so the firm-surfaced route suited me well this time, even though I usually prefer wilder, narrow, almost invisible paths. Still, I would not come here in white canvas trainers or anything finer, because this is the middle of nature: there may be mud, water and slippery patches.

The forest did us good

Korpipolku is about 1.2 km long in total. We walked almost the whole route there and back and simply enjoyed ourselves. The previous evening had run late and the night had been restless, so being out in the forest did us more than good. It felt wonderful to fill our lungs with fresh forest air and let our ears and eyes rest while our bodies got some gentle exercise.

We did not always know exactly where we were, but it did not worry us. People and signposts appeared just when needed, and with their help we navigated back to the fitness trail and from there to the car. At no point did it feel as if it would be hard to find your way out of the forest, first to the pale, gleaming network of fitness trails and along them back among people.

Next time I will drive straight to the car park at the Pitkäkoski outdoor lodge. From there you get to Korpipolku more directly, and as a bonus you can enjoy the riverside nature of the Vantaanjoki River and the roar of the rapids.

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