Services in Kurjenrahka National Park

Customer Service and Guidance

• Customer service
  Finnish Nature Centre Haltia, tel. +358 40 163 6200, info(at)haltia.com
• Kurjenpesä Nature Information Hut
  • Opening hours: Daily 8 am - 8 pm
  • At the Nature Information Hut you get information on the National Park, and the exhibition displays the mire from the point of view of the Crane (Grus grus).
  • There are no customer service officers at the Nature Information Hut.
• Kurkela conferensroom, with a kitchen, is situated near the Kurjenpesä Nature Information Hut. The conferensroom can only be hired during daytime. 

Services Offered by Enterprises and Organisations in the National Park

• Enterprises and organisations offering services in the national park
  • They have a cooperation agreement with Metsähallitus and they follow the principles of sustainable nature tourism when operating in the national park.

Meals, where to buy and prepare

On the grounds of Kurjenpesä Nature Information Hut, visitors will find the accessible Kurkela meeting venue which includes a kitchen. The Kurkela meeting venue is rented for daytime use only.

Campfire Sites and Cooking Shelters

• Campfire sites are located by the lean-to shelters. In addition, there is a campfire place at Takaniitynvuori Hill, south of Pukkipalo.
• There is a cooking shelter on the grounds of Kurjenpesä Nature Information Hut, on the shore of Lake Savojärvi.

Please note that lighting campfires is also forbidden at campfire sites if the wildfire warning is in effect. Check the current warnings (ilmatieteenlaitos.fi). This prohibition does not apply to cooking shelters or other fireplaces with a shelter and a flue.

Drinking Water

• There is a water tap at the Kurjenpesä Nature Information Hut.
• When hiking in the area, you should carry enough drinking water with you. The water in the lakes is not suitable for drinking. The water in the well of Lakjärvi is not suitable for drinking either.

Waste Management

• There are no waste-bins in the forest. Measures should be taken in advance to avoid taking unnecessary waste into the area. Biodegradable waste should be placed in a dty toilet or composter, and small amounts of clean paper and cardboard can be used as kindling in a campfire. Take all other waste out of the area.
• There is a recycling point at Kurjenpesä Nature Information Hut.
• Read more about Hiking without littering.

Toilets

• There is a dry toilet at each campfire site and lean-to shelter. There is an accessible dry toilet at Kurjenpesä Nature Information Hut.

Overnight Stays

Camping and Lean-to Shelters

• Lean-to shelter of Lakjärvi is located North of Pukkipalo
• Lean-to shelter of Vajosuo Mire is located at Lavamäki, on the southern side of Vajosuo Mire. It lies close to Vajosuo Rental Hut
• Lean-to shelter of Töykkälä is located on the southern side of Kurjenrahka Mire

Reservable Huts

• There is a rental hut at Vajosuo. 
• There is a rental hut in Töykkälä
• Kurkela conferensroom can be hired during daytime. 

Lodging in the Surrounding Area

In Rantapiha there is a camping ground where camping is free of charged, it is also possilbe to hire a room in the main building .
There are local accommodation and nature tourism enterprises. More information can be got from the webpages of the municipalities in the area.

Accessible Services

• The Karpalopolku trail (1.7 km), which is classified as a demanding accessible trail, starts from the Kurjenpesä parking area. The trail is suitable for wheelchairs and baby prams. An assistant is recommended for wheelchair users. There is no winter maintenance on the trail.
• A 100-metre path leads from the Kurjenpesä parking area to the accessible Kurjenpesä, where visitors will find Kurjenpesä Nature Information Hut, a cooking shelter, a dry toilet, a recycling point and the Kurkela meeting venue which is available for daytime rent. The parking area and the yard areas of Kurjenpesä are ploughed in the winter.  
• On the Kurjenpesä grounds, there is a lookout platform with a view over Lake Savojärvi. From the yard of Kurjenpesä, a 130-metre wheelchair-friendly access bridge leads down to the shore of Lake Savojärvi.  

Other Services in the Surrounding Area

• The nearest place for more services is the municipality centre of Yläne: pharmacy, bank, post office, petrol stations, shops, kiosks, restaurant, cafés and taxis. More information on Pöytyä (poytya.fi, in Finnish).
• Rantapiha, which can be found on the map of the National Park, is located on the shore of Lake Savojärvi. It is a recreation area owned by the municipality of Nousiainen, and there are a cooking shelter, dry toilets, sauna, camping ground and a swimming place, which all hikers can use.
  • The sauna is open for everyone during the summer, other times it is a reservable sauna. A a small fee is charged for the sauna.
  • The kiosk is open during the summer, from May till the beginning of October.