Wintery Nuuksio Calls: An Easy Day Hike at Haukkalampi

Although Haukkalampi is the most popular gateway to Nuuksio National Park, it is still possible to experience peace and quiet there – as long as you time your visit right. If you have the chance to head to Nuuksio on a winter weekday outside the holiday season, it’s well worth taking. About a week ago, I escaped into wintery nature with my colleagues from the Finnish Nature Centre Haltia and my spouse, choosing the beautiful surroundings of Haukanholma and Mustalampi as our destination. The hike was just the right length for a break from everyday life, yet it offered everything wintery Nuuksio has at its best: silence, the gentle murmur of a stream, untouched snowdrifts and the calm of the forest.

Now that winter has arrived in Nuuksio, it’s worth enjoying it to the fullest. I previously wrote about the Haltia gateway as a low-threshold destination for a winter day trip. If you’re ready to venture a little deeper into Nuuksio, Haukkalampi is an excellent next choice. Unlike Haltia, however, Haukkalampi cannot be reached directly by bus, nor are there any heated indoor facilities, so this trip requires a bit more preparation. Even so, it is a rewarding and beginner-friendly winter day trip destination, suitable for everyone from babies to grandmothers – as long as they are dressed appropriately.

Instead of a baby and a grandmother, my companions on this trip were my colleagues Kikka and Maarit, who work at the Finnish Nature Centre Haltia as customer advisors, among other roles, the office dog Ruune, and my spouse Joel.

*Kikka, Maarit and Ruune the office dog at the customer service desk of the Finnish Nature Centre Haltia. This is a great place to ask for hiking tips and destination advice when you visit!*

Below you’ll find a list of tips – compiled based on our own observations – to encourage you to head out and enjoy wintery Nuuksio!

A winter day hike around Haukkalampi in Nuuksio

Haukkalampi basics:

The official loop trails starting from Haukkalampi are Korpinkierros (7 km), Haukankierros (4 km), Punarinnankierros (2 km) and Nahkiaispolku (2 km)
When arriving by road, you’ll first encounter a large parking area, followed by a smaller one further along
There are no heated indoor facilities in the area, only cooking shelters, campfire rings and, for example, a reservable sauna

Weekdays are best for peace and quiet

I recommend planning your hike for a weekday. The Haukkalampi area is popular, but in the middle of the week you can often enjoy the trails almost in solitude, especially in winter or on slightly greyer days. I’ve only ever visited on weekdays myself, and stories of crowded parking lots have fortunately felt very distant. This time, the large parking area was completely empty, and there was just one other car besides ours in the smaller lot.

Silence feels especially powerful in the winter forest. Your attention is drawn to gentle sounds such as the forest sighing in the wind, the chirping of goldcrests, or the murmur of a stream. The occasional airplane passing overhead only highlights how complete the silence is in between.

Now in January, the day isn’t very long. It’s possible to hike by headlamp, as long as you make sure the batteries last, but it’s easier and more pleasant to time your trip around midday. We headed out onto the trails shortly after ten in the morning.

*Along the trail leading to Haukanholma, you’ll encounter impressive rock faces and boulder walls.*

Prepare your backpack for winter

A regular backpack works just fine for a winter day hike, and the most essential gear is likely something you already have at home. Although winter hiking may sound challenging, common sense will take you far. A short day hike on marked national park trails is a gentle introduction to winter hiking – venturing out in extreme cold or remote wilderness is a completely different matter.

In our backpacks we had:

foam sit pads
a coffee pot, matches and fire starters
our own thoroughly dry, pre-cut firewood
a few bottles of water
marshmallows, protein drinks and dried mango slices
a knife and a headlamp, just in case
a plastic bag for carrying out trash

*Haukanholma has both campfire rings and cooking shelters. During our visit, there was no one else around.*

Layering gives you flexibility

In winter, both the temperature and your body heat can vary greatly depending on whether you’re moving or sitting down to enjoy a break. The warmth of a campfire alone is rarely enough to keep you warm while resting. Layering works best: when you’re on the move, fewer layers may be sufficient, and when you stop, it’s important to be able to add an extra insulating layer, such as a break jacket. A lightweight down jacket and, for example, an insulated skirt are trusted winter essentials for many.

Footwear deserves special attention. Even on marked trails, winter boots should be sturdy and warm. Lightweight, insulated winter boots are an excellent choice, but if you don’t have even slightly higher-cut outdoor footwear, try gaiters – they’re often a big help in keeping snow out of your boots.

Firewood – saw it, carry it or pull it on a sled

There are several campfire sites around Haukkalampi, with woodsheds located nearby. The firewood in the sheds comes in long pieces and needs to be sawn to a suitable length. It’s important not to waste wood – a surprisingly small amount is enough for making coffee, grilling sausages and roasting marshmallows.

*The information board reminds you not to hit your hand or knee with an axe.*

Of course, you can also bring your own firewood with you. If your group includes, for example, a child who is delighted to ride along in a sled, a sufficient amount of firewood can easily be transported at the same time. We carried our own small firewood pieces in our backpacks – a suitable amount of thoroughly dry, small logs is not a very heavy load.

Whether you take firewood from a woodshed or bring your own, you may only light a fire at designated campfire sites. If you’re a free spirit and want to enjoy your snack break anywhere you like – in a rocky nook or perched on a stump – bring either:

a camping stove that leaves no trace in nature (these can also be rented from Haltia)
ready-to-eat snacks, or
a food thermos filled with a meal you’ve already heated at home.

*One of Haukanholma’s campfire sites became our break spot. Thanks to the grilling racks, it’s easy to warm and cook snacks over the fire.*

Plenty of campfire sites – remember hiking etiquette

There are several campfire sites at Haukanholma, and two cooking shelters also await on the shore of Mustalampi, set in stunning scenery and within a relatively short walk from the parking areas.

Because campfire sites are so popular, the importance of outdoor etiquette is especially clear:

make room for others
keep your behaviour considerate and calm
use firewood in moderation
do not burn rubbish
keep pets under control
when you leave, keep the area clean and pleasant, and take your rubbish with you

One of the easiest ways to keep campfire sites tidy is to go litter-free. You can avoid generating rubbish altogether by packing your snacks in durable food containers and reusable water bottles, so there’s nothing to deal with during the hike – or you can simply pack any waste into a plastic bag and carry it out of Nuuksio with you.

Pause and listen to the winter forest

Some of the most memorable moments on a hike often happen when you stop. In Nuuksio, you can hear streams murmuring even in winter, and at its best the stillness of the forest feels almost tangible. The snow seems to soften both sound and the sense of time passing. This beauty and calm are well worth taking in deliberately. There are even studies suggesting that you gain the wellbeing benefits of nature more effectively when you pause to admire what’s beautiful and wondrous, instead of simply rushing on.

For me, the most enchanting feature around Haukkalampi was this stream, because I love open, flowing natural water more than anything.

Punarinnankierros is a lovely trail choice

Punarinnankierros is an approximately 2-kilometre loop trail at Haukkalampi and an excellent option for a short winter hike. Along the way you’ll find campfire sites, winter-frozen pond scenery, a stream and a whispering forest – lots to see with little effort! The loop isn’t among the hilliest routes in Nuuksio, but it does include a few ups and downs.

Thanks to its length, Punarinnankierros makes a great taste of winter hiking for someone heading out into the snow for the first time, or for those who have already practised a little on Haltia’s nearby winter trails. It’s a safe place to learn and realise all sorts of things about winter hiking and your own gear – or any gaps in it.

*A cooking shelter on the shore of Mustalampi along the Punarinnankierros loop.*

Longer loops require a bit more preparation

As the days grow longer, you can also experiment with slightly longer winter day hikes. Haukankierros (4 km) and Korpinkierros (around 7 km), both starting from Haukkalampi, are popular marked trails. After taking smaller winter “taster trips” at places like Haukanholma and along Punarinnankierros, you’ll already have gained some experience of snowy Nuuksio – and of your own winter hiking skills, footwear and clothing. On Haukankierros and Korpinkierros, you can put those lessons to use and build on them further. Make sure you have enough daylight, and pack plenty of drinking water. Remember to drink during the hike – Nuuksio’s terrain is very hilly.

Making use of the connector trail and buses

A great longer day-hike option is to start from the Finnish Nature Centre Haltia. The connector trail to Haukkalampi is 4.6 kilometres one way, and once you arrive you can visit Haukanholma, Mustalampi, or walk one of the area’s loop trails before returning the same way back to Haltia.

Another, slightly shorter option is to take a bus 245 (from Espoo centre) to the Haukkalammentie junction, walk 2 km along the road to Haukkalampi, enjoy the area – for example by making a fire at a nice designated site – and then walk the connector trail to Haltia, where you can hop on whichever return bus service suits you.

It’s nice to share the mood from winter hikes on social media, too. You set a great example when your photos show pets on a leash and any campfire exactly where it should be: at an official campfire site 🙂

To Nuuksio by public transport all year round

You can’t take a bus all the way to Haukkalampi, but the nearest stop is at the Haukkalammentie junction, from where it’s about a two-kilometre walk to the lakeshore at Haukkalampi. Bus route 245 from Espoo runs through the winter, and you can get off, for example, at the Finnish Nature Centre Haltia, at the Haukkalampi junction, or at the terminal stop at Nuuksionpää. In summer, the bus continues even deeper into Nuuksio, all the way to Kattila.

At Haltia, you can drop by the hiker’s living room, the shop, the restaurant or the nature-themed exhibitions. Say hi to my colleagues Kikka and Maarit if you happen to see them at the customer service desk!

Wintery Nuuksio National Park is calling: enjoy an easy and rewarding day hike at Haukkalampi