Welcome to the wintery Geopark
The winter of the Geopark is full of activities. Enjoy cross-country skiing on maintained tracks, snowshoeing on quiet mires and downhill sledding. Have a snack by a campfire. The wintery Geopark has a charming nature and plenty of services to enjoy!
Enjoy the winter events
Entrepreneurs of the area offer targeted, safe experiences for families and small groups. For example, a guided trip to the snowy forest, dining by the campfire and a sauna after it will create the perfect winter holiday atmosphere.
Please remember the corona virus instructions when visiting the Geopark. Geopark’s partner companies are responsible for arranging the events, so please always ensure that they take place and ask special instructions from the companies.
Photo: Matti Hautalahti, Kammi-kylä
Here we introduce you some gems of Geopark’s winter offering. You can also easily buy experiences through Geopark’s online store.
Enjoy the treats of Valkoinen Puu Café
Enjoy the cafe’s cheerful service as well as hearty, American-style cakes baked from the best, locally sourced ingredients! Read more on the Valkoinen Puu website.
Swim in the ice hole in Eteläpää
In the tourist center Eteläpää you can swim in the ice hole at least every Sunday during the winter season. Before swimming and having a sauna you can ski on the nice trails of Eteläpää. Read more on Eteläpää’s website (in Finnish).
A family trip to an atmospheric croft
With Kurkikorpi Grandma’s host couple, you can sled to Asell’s croft. There you can have joyful outdoor games and roast stick buns and sausages on the campfire. Take a peek into the 19th-century life of the croft and warm up by the oven. Ask for more information.
Sauna experiences next to the National Park
Lauhansarvi next to Lauhanvuori National Park offers relaxing sauna experiences for families and groups. Enjoy the soft steams of the smoke sauna and spend time in a traditional hut, pamper yourself in the peat sauna or choose a sauna with a hot tub. Read more and book your sauna experience on the web store (in Finnish).
Winter vacation in SyVilla
SyVilla’s winter scenery and nature will charm you at first sight. In SyVilla you will stay comfortably and enjoy the sauna and the outdoor jacuzzi. If you wish, you can also relax in the smoke sauna. Read more and book your holiday on the web store.
Photo: Terttu Hermansson
Taikapolku takes you to winter nature with snowshoes
Snowshoes open new sights to winter nature in Lauhanvuori National Park, the Hyyppä Valley and elsewhere in the Geopark. With snowshoes you can enjoy varied terrain calmly or a little faster. Good snacks complete the lovely experience.
Book a tour for your own group or take part in ready-made departures:
- Saturday 27th of February at 11 am Brooks of Lauhanvuori National Park
- Saturday 27th of February at 7 pm Mire in a moonlight in Kauhajoki
- Sunday 7th of March at 10 am Lauhanvuori National Park
Read more and book your experience on the Taikapolku web store (in Finnish).
Photo: Ismo Nousiainen / Taikapolku, Hyyppä Valley
Winter experiences in Luomajärvi Horse Inn
Luomajärvi Horse Inn offers wonderful winter activities with ponies and other domestic animals in an old-fashioned rural setting. Read more on the website and book your own experience. Some examples:
- Trail riding with a pony or a horse and sleigh riding to lean-to including delicious snacks by an open fire
- A day on the farm for the whole family
- Snowshoeing in the forest to a lean-to with a campfire
- A nice moment with ponies for children including pony-care and a leash ride
Photo: Luomajärvi Horse Inn
Exercise and have fun in the winter nature
There are hundreds of miles of groomed trails in the Geopark. Ski slowly or raise your heart rate in varying terrains. Read more about Geopark’s skiing opportunities. You can also explore the winter nature of the Geopark, for example, on horseback or snowshoeing. You can find service providers for guided tours and equipment rental in the Activities section of our website. You can also go wild on the mighty sledding hills of the Geopark.
Photo: Kuntoutuskeskus Kankaanpää, Hämeenkangas
Rent equipment for winter activities
Geopark’s partner companies and the municipalities of the area rent equipment for winter activities. Here are some options. Ask companies for more information. Some of the equipment can be rented in Geopark’s web store. The following web pages are in Finnish.
Photo: Jennika Hakola / eBike Adventures, Lauhanvuori National Park
Skinbased skies
- Jämi area Jämi Sports
- Lauhanvuori area Taikapolku
Snowshoes
- Jämi area Jämikeskus, Jämi Sports, Korsuretket and Luomajärvi Horse Inn
- Kauhajoki municipality of Kauhajoki and Suupohjan Latu
- Lauhanvuori area Lauhansarvi , Taikapolku and municipality of Isojoki
- Parkano municipality of Parkano
Mountain bikes
- Jämi area Jämikeskus (mountain bikes), Jämimaat (electric fat bikes) ja Jämi Sports (fat bikes, mountain bikes)
- Kauhajoki eBike Adventures (electric fat bikes) and Suupohjan Latu (fat bikes)
- Kihniö Aurinko Palvelut Margit Hellgrén (electric fat bikes)
- Lauhanvuori area Isojoen eläinhoitola (fat bikes)
- Siikainen Matkailukeskus Eteläpää (fat bikes)
- Parkano municipality of Parkano (fat bikes)
Relax by a campfire
The highlight of the outdoor activities is a meal by a campfire. You can buy ready-made take-away treats from cafés or restaurants of the area. Let the blaze of the campfire an the sounds of the surrounding nature relax you. In the Geopark, there are many sheds with firewood freely available to visitors. Campfires are only allowed at marked campfire sites. You can find these sites on Retkikartta online map service. Please also pay attention to the corona virus instructions and the Outdoor etiquette of Metsähallitus Parks & Wildlife Finland when hiking in the Geopark.
Photo: Ismo Nousiainen / Taikapolku, Lauhanvuori National Park
Our entrepreneurs at your service
Entrepreneurs of the area make your stay at the Geopark as relaxing and successful as possible. Treat yourself with the delicacies of the area’s cafés and restaurants and shop at the farm shops and small boutiques. Enjoy the destinations on a guided tour or rent equipment for your own adventures. Relax in natural treatments and the sauna and stay overnight in some of our high-quality accommodation options. The Geopark offers a huge variety of services for both day travelers and those staying longer. Check out the service offering on our website.
Photo: Valkoinen Puu, Kauhajoki
Stay overnight and sleep well
Rent a high-quality cottage or choose another accommodation option of your choice in the Geopark area. Well-equipped cottages and a wide range of additional services guarantee a relaxing holiday. In the Geopark you can spend a memorable night in an AuroraHut igloo. Read more and book on the web store (in Finnish).
Photo: Tiina Ekholm / Lomamökki Luistokas, Jämi
Experience the Geopark through a film
Get to know the inhabitants, the culture and the nature of the area through Geopark’s In a Blink of an eye promotional film. What we see in a blink of an eye is the result of billions of years of geological evolution.
Watch the video on YouTube and enjoy!
Photo: Terttu Hermansson, Annen Taidekahvila, Karvia
Main photo: Kari Leo, Kauhaneva-Pohjankangas National Park