Lahemaa National Park

Lahemaa National Park (Estonian: Lahemaa rahvuspark) is a national park in North Estonia. It was the first national park to be created in the now dissolved Soviet Union.

Understand
Lahemaa National Park is the largest national park in Estonia and about an hour east (50 km) of Tallinn. Given its size it is the largest park in Estonia and one of Europe's biggest national parks, with 1000 km2. Lahemaa, which roughly translates as "land of bays", adjoins the coast of the Gulf of Finland. The seaside consists of four peninsulas (Juminda, Pärispea, Käsmu and Vergi) and four bays (Kolga, Hara, Eru and Käsmu). Besides that, it is a place to find some nice forests, trails, bogs, swamps, wildlife, and 4 manors.

For more information see: http://loodus.keskkonnainfo.ee (search for Lahemaa rahvuspark).

History
The area was once used for properties of several rich German landowners. However, around the First World War, landowners were expelled, and the country houses were used for different purposes.

Landscape
Most of the park is occupied by coniferous forest and peat bogs. It is mostly flat, and on the coast there are sandy beaches. There are also very exotic landscapes, for example, wastelands, overgrown with juniper, karst fields, and swamps and bogs.

Flora and fauna
Some parts of the park are off-limit during the breeding season. It is not ensured that people hold on to it, so take responsibility and use your mind. Especially annoying can be the mosquitoes, which during cycling, are not much of a problem as long as you do not stand still.

The "speciality" of the Lahemaa National Park are the huge water reservoirs called bogs. They get their water supply from the rain. Their surface is often covered with a thick and soft Sphagnum moss, which absorbs water into its empty cells. The lack of oxygen and acidity in a bog is the reason why dead plants deposit as partially decayed vegetation matter, the peat. A water drainage through the peat works very slowly. During the process of growth of a bog, wet hollows are enriched with oxygen, decomposition is accelerating and bodies of water, called bog pools, form. The process takes several thousand years. The depth of bog pools is generally less than 2 m, but can reach a maximum depth of 3–4 m in Viru raba. The humin acids found in the peat give the brownish hue and acidity to the bog water. Due to its acidity, this environment is unfavourable for the growth of many organisms.

Fees and permits
There are no entry fees, all the trails are free to hike.

Get in
The park is large and has many interesting places to go to. Therefore, it is hard to give only one set of directions for getting there.

By bus
It is easy to reach the borders of the national park and especially the suggested hiking trails by bus, since it is along the major route from Tallinn to the east. Many buses, often hourly, leave from Tallinn (along Pärnu/Narva mnt) and stop at, the exit for Loksa town at the highway. Price: €3.50.

Some buses should also go into the smaller villages inside and around Lahemaa national park, or connect from Loksa tee. They are however more sparse and might not go exactly where you want to.

All connections are available online, especially through Peatus.ee. See Estonia for more information.

By car
To see also the rest of Lahemaa National Park, besides the beautiful trails starting near the highway, it is more preferable to have a car.

Drive from Tallinn towards Narva via Peterburi road. About 50 km from Tallinn, there is a sign for Loksa (left), aka Loksa tee. You may want to turn there, as after a few hundred metres via this smaller road towards Loksa (direction north), the starting point to Viru raba will be on your right. Or you may want to drive to Loksa, further on to the seaside, or to the various other villages.

By train
If you intend to hike the trail through Kõnnu Suursoo, is the best starting or exit point for the trail, and along the main railway route towards east, for cities like Tapa, Rakvere, and Narva.

Many trains per day leave from/to Tallinn, see Elron.ee and Estonia.

Price from Tallinn to Aegviidu: €3.

By bicycle
It is also popular to take a bike tour through the park: 1–3 days, 35–65 km, with easy access from Tallinn. City Bike (bicycle rental and tours) organises daily tours and also offers self-guided packages to the park. But you can also rent a bicycle and do the tour on your own, if you have figured out all the sights. Check whether it is possible to take the bikes onto the bus at least until Loksa tee.

Get around
If you came here for hiking then by foot will be your preferred option.

To travel between the villages and from the highway, not so frequent buses can be used. See Estonia.

But for the latter, a car or bicycle might be your preferred choice.

See




Manors

 * Kolga manor.jpg
 * Kolga manor.jpg

Towns

 * – A small coastal village set in the park. It is a settlement on the peninsula of the same name, known as the "village of captains". From 1884 to 1931, there was a naval school here. Also, in the adjacent bay the ships used to be wintering. The local captains were particularly famous for their illegal trade with Finland – first by smuggling of salt, and in the 1920s, almost as now, of alcohol. Käsmu is probably the most visited place on the coast of Lahemaa National Park. Look at boulders and the sea, touch the history in the interesting naval museum, see the wooden lighthouse, or simply go out by boat. The village is built up by private houses-estates, which are somewhat similar to each other and painted in unusual way for Estonia, almost white colours with some kind of a shade.
 * – A beach village in the park.
 * – The largest and at the same time the probably most boring town in the park. Located on the western coast of the Peninsula peninsula, at the mouth of the Valgeijõgi River, offers views of the Hara Bay. It is built up with post-war dwelling and panel houses and has its own port.

Hiking
One of the most widely recommended places to go there is Viru raba, which has a 5-km foot roundtrack and observation tower. The following two trails cover this sight. The third one is longer, more diverse and includes a larger swamp than Viru raba, south of the highway. The projected walking times depend on whether you are just there for the hike, or also want to take your time for bird watching, longer breaks and such. All three allow for day tours from Tallinn, depending on your level of fitness. The tours partly correspond to sections of the "official" RMK matkatee (hiking path by the forest authority).







Remember to take nothing but photos and memories, and leave nothing but footprints.

Swimming
It is said that swimming in one of the water pools of the bog is one of the strangest but also interesting experiences that you can make, but can be equally refreshing in summer. While it is possible to do so with depth between 3 and 4 m in Viru raba, not all places are safe for swimming, because you need to know where to safely enter and (most importantly) exit the water pools. There are some wooden mountings for entering pools, especially in Viru raba. However, Kõnnu Suursoo does not offer these.

Beaches
Along the entire shore of the Bay of Jara (Loksa) is a nice sandy beach.

Eat
You will not die of starvation in Lahemaa, but there are fewer eating points here than you might think.





Sleep
Several accommodation options exist in the villages and towns in Lahemaa National Park and around it. Though, no budget accommodation is available so far.

Camping
You can put up tents free of charge in the official "RMK" camping sites. Consult OpenStreetMap, which many mobile Apps like OsmAnd or Mapy.cz use, or any other preferable map, to find them. Also there is nothing wrong with camping outside the special site, but remember not to have any fires in places that are not meant for making a fire. Putting up a tent on private land is not allowed – you must ask permission from the owner.

Observation towers
Sunsets and sunrises in the swamp are unforgettable. And on a warm summer night you may want to experience the feeling of sleeping in one of the (at least three) observation towers in the area. The towers have a roof, so worries about the rain are not that big, although wind may spray rain to parts of the "covered" areas. Sometimes there may be mosquitoes here, which are annoying but carry no disease but. Even in spring and fall, the towers could be used, depending on your equipment. Bring your own water and food. Please note that the towers south to the highway (located on the yellow hiking trail) are much quicker to reach from North than from South (if you intend to sleep there, just consider the time needed, from Loksa tee it's probably about 2-3 hours to walk).



Stay safe
In these forest there is a great possibility of catching a tick that can carry a disease (TBC or ehrlichia or borreliosis). Therefore a sufficient repellent is highly suggested. Also it is recommended to wear long, light clothes and examine your body in the evening to find any ticks.

The bogs may be tricky to get out of, and even dangerous, so better not step off the track. If you intend to go swimming in one, no not go alone and go where the is at least a provisional entry.

Go next

 * – some 20 km east of Tallinn, this is Estonia's largest waterfall. It is better to go early in the morning to catch the soft dawn light or in the evening when the sun shines on the falls. During cold winters, Jägala Falls freezes in a spectacular fashion and is well worth seeing.
 * Rakvere – Estonia's fifth largest city, east of Tallinn, famous for its Punk and Rock festivals and spirit.
 * Tallinn – The capital, and financial and cosmopolitan centre of Estonia, with a medieval Old Town. Beautiful and expensive.