The improved outdoor recreation area of Porkkalanniemi will open for hikers on the 24th of October, 2018. New marked routes have been created and accessible passages have been built. Some familiar resting places have also been furbished up. Seven cooking sheds, two fireplaces and marked waste collection points near car parking areas serve picnickers. Guest boat, excursion and natural harbours serve boaters.

Porkkalanniemi, which extends far to the southwest in the middle of the Gulf of Finland, is immeasurably valuable in regard to its natural values and its cultural history. The archipelago of Porkkala is one of the most important bird areas of Finland, the main migration routes run through the area. The old coniferous forests and pastures, the steep siliceous rocks, the bare islet rocks and the vulnerable underwater nature form a unique whole. Porkkalanniemi can be considered the western connecting point of the green belt of the Metropolitan area, where the forest meets the sea.

“Reconciliation of nature, cultural heritage values and recreation was an important starting point besides usability. We concentrated the routes and the services on the available area so that the hiker has a chance to experience the best landscapes and the variable nature; forests, rocks and the sea”, project manager Hanna Ylitalo from the National Board of Forestry says.

The outdoor recreation unit of Porkkalanniemi has been planned in cooperation between the owners of the area the National Board of Forestry, the municipalities of Kirkkonummi and Nurmijärvi, the cities of Helsinki and Vantaa and Uudenmaan virkistysalueyhdistys. The southern part of the cape is part of the nature reserve of the Municipality of Kirkkonummi, the Lähteelä area in the east belongs to the City of Helsinki. Vetokannas in the north of the cape is part of the recreation area of Vantaa. On the other hand, the recreation area of Nurmijärvi is located near the bridge of Tullandet. In the future, however, the whole will appear unified to the hiker. Information about the area, including unified markings in the terrain, and guidance material at http://www.nationalparks.fi/porkkala

During the alteration work, nature conservation has played a central role. By decree of the Government, a nature reserve will be founded in the areas of Porkkala owned by the State. The nature reserve to be founded is situated in the open sea and consists of wide waters, small islands and rock islets and the island of Träskö. Also, the Telegrafberget area will be included in this reserve. The area of the nature reserve to be founded will be about 12,764 hectares, of which about 242 hectares will be ground and about 12,520 hectares will be water; Natura areas of Kirkkonummi archipelago and Ingå archipelago.

Read more: www.visitkirkkonummi.fi/en/visitkirkkonummi/areas/coast/

The Finnish landscape in miniature Lakeland Kirkkonummi and Veikkola