Pyhä-Häkki

National park

Area 1300 hectars, 13 sq. kms (3000 acres/4,6 sq.miles)

Of the area one half consists of bogs and fens, the other half is solid land and forests

The purpose and task of Pyhä-Häkki national park is to preserve and present old forest as well as Central Finland’s boggy scenery

The name of the park comes of the word “pyhä” meaning somebody’s own, bordered, in Old Finnish and of the first permanent residents of this area named Häkkinen.

Established in 1956

Pyhä-Häkki national forest was first protected of all use of land and timber in 1912,

a national park was established in 1956, additional area of Kotaneva was added in 1980

Paths and trails

There are two nature trails inside the park. Marked red is the main trail, 6,5 kilometers, covering all the different scenery and landscape of the park.

The other trail, 3 kilometers,  marked in yellow, runs inside the old forest section.

In the other end of the park, partly together with the 6,5, kilometer trail,  runs the national hiking trail through the province of Central Finland. It is marked in blue.

 Services

There are no litter bins/-service inside the park.

A lean-to cooking place/camp fire site at lake Kotajärvi 1,6 kilometers from the starting point.

Trail maps and a park presentation in the information booth.

A well behind the information booth.

Compost toilets left from the information booth, by the national hiking trail and at the cooking site

Guide at the information point in summer season, outside season phone +358 205 64 5274,

+358 40 756 1684. Other times Metsähallitus/Seitsemisen kansallispuisto luontokeskus,

(nature center) phone +358 205 64 5270.

Sites of interest

Giant tree – a pine – 1,2 kilometers from the starting point. Born in the year of 1518, died in 2004 of "natural causes". Height 26 meters (86 ft), 8 cubic meters (91 cu ft) by volume.

Poika-aho farm – fields and courtyard – at the other end of the park. Founded in 1854, the present house dating back to 1898. Three of the original buildings remain, the house, barn and a storage house.

For daytime leasing, contact Metsähallitus/Seitsemisen kansallispuisto

luontokeskus (nature center) phone +358 205 64 5270.

Animals

The old forests of Pyhä-Häkki favor hole-nesting birds, such as tits, owls and woodpeckers. Decayed trees are intensively used by various insects and bugs. Whereas the moose (alces alces) finds hardly anything edible in the old trees. That’s why the bears don’t appear in the area, either.

In wintertime tracks of pine marten, fox, squirrel and otter reveal their existence in the park – even if the animals themselves are rarely spotted.

Gallinaceous birds thrive in the shelter of the old forest. Flocks of hazel-grouse can be seen in the dense forests all year around, wood grouse and black grouse are well off in the sandy areas of the forest.

The adopted symbol animal of the park is the black woodpecker which can be seen and heard all over the park.

Regulations

Visitors can freely walk and ski in all areas of the park.

It is allowed to pick berries and mushrooms in the park.

It is forbidden to hunt or fish in the park.

Dogs must be leashed in the park.

Picking plants and other disturbing of nature is forbidden.

Natural Heritage Services

Pyhä-Häkki national park, as most national parks in Finland, are owned and governed by

Natural Heritage Services (Metsähallitus)

For more details, visit -  Linkit/Links on top of the page