Discover the best routes (hiking, cycling, snowshoeing, tour skating cross-country skiing) near Hotel Punkaharju
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Hiking from April to November
Cycling from from May to October
Snowshoeing from end of December to March
Cross-country skiing from end of December until March
Tour Skating from (December) January to March
Route suggestions in Outdoor Active
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Hiking
Punkaharju and the whole Saimaa area are ideal for hiking. There are hiking trails everywhere and they wind around striking and diverse terrain, through the boreal forests and by the shores Saimaa’s lakes. Each season of hiking is different. In the spring, the world leaps to life after its sleep through the winter, exploding into greens and blues in just a few short weeks. In the summer, the new growth of the forest shades the ground beneath it offering respite from the sun, and in the autumn a great symphony of reds and golds covers the landscape. Winter calls for skis and snowshoes!
Cycling
Saimaa area is well-known of it’s lakes, islands and endless space. and it is ideal for cyclists. Sparsely populated and relatively flat area is covered with numerous beautiful and varied cycling routes of all levels of difficulty. The best time for cycling is from May to October. You can book the equipments (bicycles, fatbikes, E-mountain bikes etc.) online from Harjun Portti (900 meters from Hotel Punkaharju).
Snowshoeing
You can experience winter nature in Punkaharju by snowshoe walking. Snowshoe trails are usually available from the end of December until April. There are many marked snowshoe trails in different levels. You can rent snow shoes from Hotel reception.
Tour Skating
One of Finland’s longest skating tracks kept open on natural ice is found in Punkaharju, maximum length of 16 km! Tracks are usually opened late December/early January and will be open to the last days of the winter (late March usually).
There are many break points on the track, a campfire place, a Pancake Café during the way, equipment rental and restaurants.
The starting point of the track is from Holiday Resort Harjun Portti, (900 meters from Hotel Punkaharju) which also maintains the tracks daily so you can skate safely along the route even in the last days of winter. Equipment Rental available at the starting point, where you can rent tour skate packages, kick-sleds and many more winter equipment.
Cross-Country Skiing
In wintertime there are numerous ski trails (harjureitit.net) in the nature reserve and in its surrounding area. Ski trails are usually available from the end of December until March. A 16 km tour skating track and over 30 km long cross-country skiing network starts just next to our hotel. Equipment rental in Holiday Resort Harjun Portti (900 meters from Hotel Punkaharju).