Experience a Finnish nature trip with forest around a lake near Nastola Finland

We decided to take a Finnish nature trip here because trails are hidden only 10 km off the main road and few people come through. The walk around the lake took us an hour, challenging at some points, but no need to take a map, just boots and mosquito repellant.

This trail is without marks or guides, unlike alpine trails in Southern Europe. See yourself how to get there at the end of this page.

Enjoy the trip!

Markku Entering the trail in Nastola
Nature hike near Nastola Finland -The trail

Entering into the woods Markku chooses the left path.

A beaver dam
Nature hike near Nastola Finland -A beaver dam

We spot a beaver dam. The dam is more than 10 years old.

The same beaver dam
Nature hike near Nastola Finland -A beaver dam

Panning to the right of the previous picture.

Bridge in the woods
Nature hike near Nastola Finland -Bridge in the woods

Wooden bridge connecting two paths separated by a stream.

Brook in the woods
Nature hike near Nastola Finland -Brook in the woods

Playing near a brook in the Finnish woods.

Stream in the woods -kids playing
Nature hike near Nastola Finland -Stream in the woods

Finnish kids playing at the Finnish forest stream.

Kids and their stones
Nature hike near Nastola Finland -Stream in the woods
A small waterfall drops 3 feet down
Nature hike near Nastola Finland -A small waterfall drops 3 feet down
Rosa is near the waterfall
Nature hike near Nastola Finland -Rosa near a 3 foot drop waterfall
Crawling roots
Nature hike near Nastola Finland -Spruce tree roots pushing through the ground

Spruce tree roots crawling over the ground.

Picking meadow wool
Nature hike near Nastola Finland -We begin walking around the lake and pick some meadow wool

Markku and I begin our treck around the lake. A pick of meadow wool.

Topless birchtrees
Nature hike near Nastola Finland -Hiking around the lake we find birch trees without tops

Dead birch trees in abundance likely caused by...


Nature hike near Nastola Finland -Hiking in the woods, dead birch because of the beaver dam

...the beaver dam. The map showed that this area is only a stream, not a lake. After the beavers build their dam, as the water levels rose, water covered the birch roots and killed the trees.

Beaver's make teethmark on trees
Nature hike near Nastola Finland -Beaver's make teethmark on trees

Beavers are at work felling and chipping away.

Beaver marks near the edge of the lake
Nature hike near Nastola Finland -Beaver marks- A half-felled tree near the edge of the lake

Half-felled birch felled by beavers. Beavers fell trees toward the lake, without using any special equiptment-- just teeth

Roof of hunting cottage shown on top left corner

Markku and I stop at an old
abandoned hunting cottage
Nature hike near Nastola Finland -Markku and I stop at an old abandoned hunting cottage

Markku and I stop at an old abandoned hunting cottage.

Viewing the lake panning from left to right
Markku and I stop at an old abandoned hunting cottage

View of lake from an abandoned hunting cottage panning from left to right across the lake.

Viewing the center of lake
panning from left to right
Nature hike near Nastola Finland -Markku and I stop at an old abandoned hunting cottage.

View of lake from an abandoned hunting cottage. Panning from left to right across the lake.

Roof of hunting cottage shown on top right corner.
Dead birch trees in the lake
Markku and I stop at an old abandoned hunting cottage. View of lake, dead birch trees in the lake, from the abandoned hunting cottage after panning to the right

Panning to the right. -view of lake with beheaded dead birch trees. .

More dead birch trees
Markku and I stop at an old abandoned hunting cottage. View of lake, more dead birch trees, from an abandoned hunting cottage after panning to the far right

View of lake, more dead birch, after panning to the far right.

birchtree gnarls are valuable
Nature hike near Nastola Finland -Birch tree with gnarl. Special wooden tools are made in Finland with birchtree gnarls

Birchtree gnarl.Did you know...Special wooden bowls can be made with this kind of tree in Finland. Markku wondered why no one had taken the tree home yet?

Top of birchtree---------->

Same tree, differenct angle
Nature hike near Nastola Finland -Birch gnarl, looking up into the treetop

More birch gnarls. Same tree as previous. Camera pointing upward. Looking into the sky with a sunny view of the treetop.

A Finnish frog
Nature hike near Nastola Finland -A little frog held in the center of Markkus palm

Back from our treck around the lake. -a little frog in the center of Markku's palm.

Cloudberry leaves
Nature hike near Nastola Finland -Cloudberry leaves have rough edges. Cloudberries makes great jam

Cloudberry leaves. Northern Finland has lots of these. Cloudberry fruit makes great jam.

On our way out of the woods
Nature hike near Nastola Finland -Aura is waiting for me up ahead

Aura stands near a field surrounded by meadow wool.

A large patch of Meadow Wool
Nature hike near Nastola Finland -Bunches of meadow wool along our walkway

Meadow wool everywhere sproutet up around our narrow wooden walkway.

Wooley texture
Nature hike near Nastola Finland meadow wool -Ovular shape with white soft wooley texture

Ovular shape with white soft wooley texture

Typical small northern style Finnish lake
Nature hike near Nastola Finland -a typical small northern style Finnish lake to the left of our walkway

A typical northern style Finnish swamp lake, to the left of our walkway.

Lily of the valley Kielot
Nature hike near Nastola Finland -Lily of the valley. Little White bellets

Flowers during our Finnish nature trip. Kielot -Lily of the Valley

'Forest Stars'
Nature hike near Nastola Finland -Forest star with seven semi-conical points

'Forest Star' with seven semi-conical points. June is blossoming time for 'Forest Stars' in Finland

Finnish outhouse
Nature hike near Nastola Finland -Finnish outhouse with toilet-paper, no running water. !!-Looks clean-!!

Typical Finnish outhouse with toilet-paper, no running water -yet--looks clean-!!

This is where we are!
Nature hike near Nastola Finland -Where are we? 2,7 km from Pajulahti 2,1 km From Villahde

Where are we? -nature hike near Nastola Finland. 2,7 km from Pajulahti 2,1 km From Villahde.

Our Finnish nature trip -a map
Nature hike near Nastola Finland -Maps of where this nature trip is. 10 minute drive to Nastola

Map of where the nature trip is. Around 10 minutes drive to Nastola, east of the larger town Lahti.

Zooming up into the green
are of the map
-green area is forest
Nature hike near Nastola Finland -Stream in the woods

Back from our Nastola Finland nature trip we sit down relax and...

The kids make wooden sailboats
After our Nature hike near Nastola Finland -Handsize wooden sailboat straight twigs as masts carefully drilled carved holes for masts

Begin constructing a wooden handcrafted sailboat. Straight twigs as mast. Carefully carved holes to fit masts in.

Cutting up birch bark
Construction of a wooden handcrafted sailboat. Sails are made of birch bark -Markku cuts up some bark

Sails are made of birch bark -Markku cuts up some bark.

Mounting the sail to the boat
Nature hike near Nastola Finland -Forest star with seven semi-conical points

Mounting of the birch bark sails on our crafted boats . A handy tool to have -a pocketknife

!Complete!
Handcrafted wooden sailboat for kids is complete

Handcrafted wooden sailboat for kids.

Marinated barbeque chicken
After our nature trip hike everyone is ready for lunch. -Marinated barbeque chicken grilling over a grill

After our Finnish nature trip hike everyone is ready for a typical Finnish summer lunch. Marinated BBQ chicken grilling over a grill.

Here is where we sleep for the night
Nature hike near Nastola Finland -Sleeping in a small two storey summer cottage for the night. Mosquito nets keep the bugs out

Rest at last--sleeping in a small two story summer cottage on the lake. Mosquito nets keep the bugs out. Complete with lots of TV channels.

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