What can one do in Linnansaari National Park?
Walk on Marked Trails
There are marked trails on the main
island (7 km and 5,5 km) and Linnonpolku Nature
Trail (2 km), which take you to for example Linnansaari Croft, old
slash-and-burn fields and the scenic lookout place of Linnavuori. Sturdy shoes
are needed on the hilly trails of Linnansaari.
Go Canoeing and Rowing
- Canoeing and row boating are good ways to explore the vulnerable landscape
of the National Park. The lake is also suitable for inexperienced canoeists.
At Haukivesi there are large open waters and groups of islands.
Equipment rental and maps are easily available.
- There are no marked boating routes in the park.
- It is easy to start your trip from Sammakkoniemi Camping in Linnansaari
Island, from Porosalmi in the municipality of Rantasalmi, or from Oravi
Village. A boat and canoe launching place is also located in Mustalahti, in
the harbour of the municipality of Rantasalmi.
- See also about the special
services for boaters and the directions
for visitors arriving by their own boat.
Go Canoe Trekking
The National Park area is about 40 km long, so it is recommended to have at
least 2 - 3 days for exploring the park. In addition to Sammakkoniemi Camping,
there are several camping
sites within the park.
The nearby waters of Linnansaari National Park offer more destinations for
canoe trekking. Take a course from Lake Haukivesi to Lake Joutenvesi and even
further to Kolovesi National Park!
Go Sailing or Motor
Boating
The National Park is a branching point of several routes, so it is easy for
both those renting a boat and those using their own boat to find services.
- In the
restricted areas, landing is
forbidden 1.5. - 15.7.
- On Linnansaarenlampi Pond, moving around is forbidden 1.5. - 15.7.
- On Linnansaarenlampi Pond, it is forbidden to use motor boats at any time
of year.
Go Bird Watching
More than 70 species of
birds live in the National Park, including the Osprey (Pandion
haliaetus), which is the emblem species of the National Park. In the birch
forests on the rugged lake shores it is also possible to see the endangered
White-backed Woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucotos). Typical birds of the
Finnish inland archipelago and forests live in the area too.
See the Sights and Scenery
Linnansaari Croft with its
surroundings is a valuable heritage landscape site, where visitors can find
out about the vanished way of life in the beginning of the last century.
- The scenic lookout place on Linnavuori
Rock is rewarded with the great scenery over the archipelago of
Haukivesi.
See the Visitor Centre
- In the immediate vicinity of the park, in the centre of the municipality
of Rantasalmi, is the Visitor Centre for Linnansaari, Oskari.
Walk on Nature Trail
On Linnansaari Island (the main island of the park) there is a 2-km-long Päiväranta Nature Trail, where you can wander
through various landscapes formed by the nature and the man.
Go Fishing
- Angling and ice fishing are allowed according to the
everyman’s
right (www.ymparisto.fi) everywhere else except in Linnansaarenlampi Pond.
In Linnansaarenlampi
Pond fishing is forbidden altogether.
- If you are 18 - 64 years old, you also need to pay the
fishing management fee (www.mmm.fi), unless you are only angling or ice
fishing.
- For lure fishing at Haukivesi you need to pay the
lure
fishing fee of the Province of Eastern Finland (www.mmm.fi) to the
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, or buy the lure fishing permit of
Metsähallitus , area
1401 (www.villipohjola.fi, in Finnish). Lure fishing permits can be bought
at the webpages
of Wild North (www.villipohjola.com).
- Haukivesi net fishing permit (no 7261). Permits can be bought at the
webpages of Wild
North (www.villipohjola.com).
- In order to protect the Saimaa Ringed Seal (Phoca hispida
saimensis), there are restrictions on fishing at Haukivesi:
- On state-owned waters fishing is forbidden 1.12. - 30. 6.
- Several local fishing collectives have prohibition on net fishing in
their water areas 15.4. - 30.6.
- The ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has set regulations on certain
fishing implements and methods of fishing in the areas essential to the
Saimaa Ringed Seal.
Go on Guided Group Tour in the National Park
Go Berry and Mushroom Picking
Picking berries and mushrooms is allowed everywhere in the park, except the
restricted areas, where it is forbidden to
enter. Linnansaari is a good place to pick blueberries (Vaccinium
myrtillus) and mushrooms.
Go Swimming
There are no official swimming places in the National Park. However, swimming
is allowed in the park, except in the restricted
areas. Easy places to go swimming are at the lakeside in Kamarluoto near the
main island or at the swimming platform next to the sauna in Sammakkoniemi
Camping.
Go Tour Skating and Kicksledding
Tour skating and kicksledding along a maintained ice track on the frozen lake
are the newest forms of outdoor recreation in Linnansaari National Park. There
are 20 km of skating track between Oravi and Porosalmi and equipment can be
rented from starting points at both ends of the track. Skaters can take a break
and enjoy a snack on Linnansaari Island at Sammakkoniemi campfire site, which is
5.5 km from Oravi and 15 km from Porosalmi.
For more information about the condition of the track on SaimaaHoliday
web pages (www.saimaaholiday.net) or please call +358 15 647290 in Oravi or
+358 20 729 17 60 in Porosalmi.
