The Finnish word ruska refers to the change of colours the autumn brings, the forest turning from green to yellow, red, and brown. Autumn is my favourite time of the year. The ruska, the leaves falling in the wind, hot teas, scented candles. In the fall I like to get cosy and see the nature change dramatically.

We are now in full ruska time and this past weekend has been unusually warm. I knew it was the perfect time for us to embark in one of our family hikes. We set to explore a new trail in Vihti, about a hour drive from Helsinki: the Pääkslahti Nature Trail (Pääkslahden luontopolku).

This outdoor area has a combination of ring-like trails that meet in several points. In this way, you can easily ‘build’ a path of the length you prefer. My advice for you is to print the map to make sure you don’t get lost in all the ramifications of the trails [page 2 of this leaflet]. The trails start from the wide parking space at the address Pääksniementie 69, 03400 Vihti.

One of the paths gets near the (huge) lake Hiidenvesi. There you will find toilets, picnic tables, a long and narrow sandy beach, and three fireplaces to grill (wood is provided by the town but you need to split it with an axe).

The trail also features a giant’s kettle! Unfortunately we didn’t get to see it, as we had to cut our walk shorter (everyone was complaining but me, they’re out of shape). If you want to see it, it’s in the point 4 or 5 of the map.

The forest floor was brown and yellow with fallen leaves, except for the vaste moss floors in some parts. We have seen over 20 kinds of mushrooms – spotting mushrooms is a fun game for small children while walking. The weather was benevolent, the sun shined all day and temperatures reached 20C degrees. The lake was quite peaceful. Small waves crashed on the sandy beach, giving me a sense of peace and fulfilment.

The terrain of Pääkslahti nature trail is not stroller-friendly and has some elevation. Again, given the pick-and-match nature of the trails, you can adapt your hike to any need, going as short at 2 km up to about 6 km. If you are going after rainy days, choose an appropriate footwear as the path gets muddy in some points. Also, beware: we met several horses’ “presents”, I think many residents go for rides throughout the forests, so be careful where you step.

It was a lovely day and I recommend the Pääkslahti nature trail to all families who want to spend time on a fascinating hike!

Are you looking for more recommendations for family hikes? Check out my posts on:
Hannusmetsä (Espoo)
Klassarinkierros (Kirkkonummi)
Repovesi (Kouvola)
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