The Sorlampi Nature Trail is one of the finest loop trails in Nuuksio

As you drive along Nuuksiontie road towards the Finnish Nature Centre Haltia, there is a small turn-off on a hillside that leads to a parking area. An HSL bus stop is also about 600 metres away. It would be easy to cruise right past, but that would be a shame, because the parking area gives access to one of Nuuksio’s most charming loop trails.

Sorlammen luontopolku, the Sorlampi Nature Trail, is a varied loop of just over five kilometres that follows the boundary of a nature reserve and also makes a detour into the national park. Its highlights include lovely pond-side scenery and a fun little cave.

• Parking area on the map
• Loop trail 5.4 km
• Cooking shelter
• I recommend waterproof hiking shoes

When I arrived at the parking area, there was only one other car. No crowds here this time either, yay! It was a weekday in October, and I had already spent several days exploring Nuuksio, walking all of the national park’s official loop trails, among other things. The Sorlampi Nature Trail had been suggested to me by the customer service desk at Haltia, and I’m glad it was, because otherwise I would never have ended up on this wonderful route.

From the parking area, I followed a gravel path for a short distance towards the nature trail itself, which is a loop. A sign soon told me I was entering a nature reserve, and shortly after that I got to dive into a stream valley carpeted with autumn leaves, where a bridge led across the stream at the bottom. Hazel bushes arched over me like a vaulted ceiling, and the place was truly beautiful.

The starting point of the loop also has the first information board. There are several more along the trail, each covering a different topic.

After the hazel grove, the forest turned into mixed woodland, and the path was no longer hidden under an unbroken carpet of leaves. Needle-covered path alternated with duckboards as I walked past Pikku Sorlampi, Little Sorlampi pond, towards Sorlampi itself.

The shore of Pikku Sorlampi looked wet and soft, so I didn’t really feel like stepping down to it, though someone did seem to be down there. Before long I reached the shore of Sorlampi, which was drier and covered in pine needles, with reeds painting a pretty picture along the water’s edge. The pond was lovely to look at in every way: an undeveloped, forested shoreline, rocky outcrops and silvery dead pines, just like real wilderness.

Soon a signpost with an information board pointed the way to some giant’s kettles. The path led onto a wide gravel track that is part of the loops in the Pirttilampi outdoor recreation area. I followed the signpost on a detour because I wanted to see the giant’s kettles, but I came up empty-handed: I just couldn’t find them! Maybe I should have followed the gravel track further, and perhaps there would have been another sign pointing straight to the right spot? Maybe I headed into the forest too early? I don’t know. I searched the rocky area for a long time, and my GPS insisted I was standing practically right on top of the kettles, but I saw nothing, and in the end I gave up. I hope others have better luck, or sharper eyes!

I returned to the nature trail, which for a while ran side by side with the gravelled outdoor track near the shore of Sorlampi. The path wound through the strip of forest between the gravel track and the pond, and it was fun to walk: narrow, with a touch of adventure to it. I passed a lone outhouse, and a little further on was a cooking shelter.

There was no one having a snack break at the cooking shelter. I didn’t stop there either, but instead climbed the rock next to it, where the trail continued and where the view was absolutely stunning.

Once again, Nuuksio’s wilderness feel managed to surprise me. It was hard to believe that from that rock, the bustling heart of Helsinki was only 20 kilometres away as the crow flies.

The path led onwards along the side of a large rock face and was very rooty and stony. Soon I came to another junction, and this time I found what I was looking for with ease: high up on the slope gaped the mouth of Hiidenpesä cave.

I peeked into the cave. It didn’t look very big, but apparently it is actually quite roomy inside. For children, it must be an incredibly exciting spot. The climb up to the cave isn’t very long, but it is steep and rocky.

After the detour to the cave, the journey continued through forested, rocky surroundings along the bottom of a kind of narrow ravine. The trail followed the boundary of the nature reserve and soon also a small stream. At one point the stream had to be crossed, and waterproof shoes certainly didn’t hurt.

Ahead lay one of my favourite spots on the whole trail, even though I hadn’t expected it. A large upturned root plate stood upright next to a small plank bridge, and under the bridge flowed a stream full of green moss. The root plate had a hole in it, like a little window. I must have spent twenty minutes or so on that bridge, gazing into the water and enjoying the forest.

After the bridge came a really muddy stretch, but otherwise the surrounding forest was mossy, which made the scenery lush and green.

After the stream crossing, the route continued for a while through a mossy spruce forest, with a black woodpecker flitting about high up in the trees. Soon the terrain changed, and the path ran across bare rock. In the middle of the trail sat a lump of rapakivi granite that stood out clearly from the otherwise smooth bedrock. It almost looked as if it were flaking.

An old nature trail signpost pointed the way onwards, and the path led to the shore of Laihalampi pond. It is smaller than Sorlampi but still charming, with reeds along parts of its shore. The path skirted the shore over lumpy, rocky ground, where a low, table-shaped spruce spread its branches across the rock.

You can also walk all the way around Laihalampi as part of the route, which adds a little over a kilometre to the total distance. If you want to do this extra loop, follow the signs for Laihalammen kierros (Laihalampi Loop).

After Laihalampi, I slowly began making my way back towards the hazel grove where I had started. The path ran beneath tall spruces, with a sea of needles covering the forest floor. A small stream also flowed through the middle of the spruce forest, having carved itself a deep channel in the ground.

The Sorlampi Nature Trail is one of the finest loop trails in Nuuksio. It has a genuine sense of adventure, because the route follows actual footpaths rather than, for example, gravelled tracks. Along the way there is a wonderful variety of atmospheres, from a mysterious hazel grove to the depths of a cave, from open, wilderness-like pond scenery to green, mossy forests cut through by streams. Pines with thick, plated bark, plenty of decaying wood, the feel of a real forest full of life, and beautiful rocky shores are the crowning touches. It’s also great that there is a cooking shelter along the way for anyone wanting to take a break.

Read more:

This Is Why Haltia Is the Best Gateway to Nuuksio National Park

Heading into Nuuksio? Discover the Walking Trails in the National Park!

Uuvi.fi: Sorlampi Nature Trail (in Finnish)