Nuuksio national park

Nuuksio National Park spreads across the southern Finnish lake plateau roughly 30 kilometres northwest of Helsinki, holding more than 80 numbered lakes, dense spruce forests and granite outcrops in a typical Esker landscape. Established in 1994 it now protects around 53 square kilometres of wilderness and shelters the last stable population of Siberian flying squirrel near the capital. Marked loop trails of two to seventeen kilometres start at the Haukkalampi car park or at Haltia, the timber visitor centre that opened in 2013 above Lake Pitkajarvi. Open fireplaces with free firewood let families grill sausages between hikes, and several lean-to shelters offer a night in the open. Swimming in the spring-fed lakes is part of the Finnish summer ritual here.