Discover Laukaa: Nature, Culture and Trails

Laukaa combines distinctive natural areas with traces of the past and active day-trip destinations. Rock paintings, rapids, forest trails and museums offer a wide variety of experiences. If you are looking for a holiday rental in Laukaa, you can choose its location based on which aspects of the area you would most like to focus on during your stay.

Nature with a Wide Range of Character

On the southwestern shore of Lake Lievestuoreenjärvi, Hyyppäänvuori rises 160 metres above the depression below. The mountain is a major day-trip destination in Central Finland and lies in a remote Natura 2000 area valued for its geology, landscape, vegetation and wildlife. This makes it especially interesting for anyone who wants to discover the character of a protected landscape, as well as lakes and trails.

Hietasyrjänkangas, in the north of the municipality near Haapala village school, has a different character: glacial meltwater formed a maze of terminal moraines and kettle holes there. The terrain varies considerably. Kirkkoniemi, in turn, was Laukaa’s first nature reserve, established in 1955; today, the entire area is part of the Saraaveden-Vatian Natura 2000 area. These natural attractions represent different types of landscape and are a reminder to consider more than just one kind of outing when planning your trip.

Trails and Time Outdoors

The Multamäki nature trail is 2.3 kilometres long, leads to the summit and offers sweeping views over Lake Peurunkajärvi. Multamäki has a hut, a lookout point, outdoor tables, a covered picnic shelter, a woodshed, a rubbish bin and a toilet. There is also a shelter with a wood store and rubbish bin on the shore of Lake Peurunkajärvi. For a longer outing, you can take the trail from the Metsoreitti to Multamäki: the one-way route is about 6 kilometres long and has significant elevation changes. It can be travelled on foot, by bicycle or on horseback; in winter, it can be used on skis.

The Metsoreitti itself is about 40 kilometres long and passes through several villages and districts in Laukaa and the surrounding area. There are 15 lean-tos or shelters along the route. In the snow-free season, the trail is used for hiking and cycling, and in winter for cross-country skiing. Kuusaankoski is also connected to the Metsoreitti; there is a shelter with a fire pit, firewood storage and a rubbish bin there. Laukaa also has numerous regularly maintained outdoor trails, as well as huts and shelter sites.

Culture and History by the Water and in the Church Village

Laukaa Church is a wooden church designed by Carl Ludvig Engel in the Empire style. It was completed in 1835, is located in the centre of the church village and seats 800 people. The church museum is in the church’s basement: through objects, photographs, maps, drawings and texts, it documents the history of the parish from the 16th century to the present day. It opened in spring 1997. Below the church is also the Kalluntuvan kotiseutumuseo local history museum. Through an 18th-century dwelling house, other buildings, interior furnishings and objects, it depicts life in an impoverished farming family in Laukaa in the early 20th century.

A different kind of history awaits you at Saraakallio. The rock paintings are part of the Prehistoric Rock Art Trails, a Council of Europe Cultural Route. Saraakallio is also a protected archaeological site under Finnish heritage legislation and part of a Natura 2000 conservation area. The paintings can be viewed from a lookout platform in front of the rock face. It can be reached by boat, ship or canoe from Laukaa harbour; Päijänne Cruises Hildén operates a boat service from Laukaa to the rock paintings.

Historic structures have been preserved at Kuusaankoski: a former narrow timber-floating channel through Pollonsaari, a railway bridge dating from 1898 and a red-brick power station building from the 1920s. The fast-flowing rapids are used for activities such as white-water rafting and are also suitable for spinning and fly fishing. Depending on your interests, a trip there can combine nature, exercise or industrial history.

Local Experiences and Choosing a Location

For a break, Tertta’s Café & Shop in Vuontee serves homemade sweet and savoury food, with an emphasis on local produce and natural ingredients. The café is located in the former premises of the Tervetaimi station. At Laukaa harbour, the harbour café serves sweet and savoury food and drinks, including soup, steaks and hamburgers. If you are interested in local crafts, Kädenjälki offers products by more than 60 artisans, craftspeople and craft entrepreneurs from Laukaa, including design items, jewellery, textiles and gifts.

One important detail to consider when planning your outings concerns Kirkkoniemi: since the bridge was demolished on 8 November 2023, the peninsula can now only be reached from the lake. It has a shelter, two fire pits, an outdoor toilet and a woodshed, as well as sandy swimming beaches at the tip of the peninsula and on the west shore. As a precaution, you should bring your own firewood. If Kirkkoniemi is among your destinations, take this access arrangement into account when choosing your holiday rental and planning your activities.

More Places to Explore

Discover Muhola, Jämsä, Muurame, Häkkilä, Toivakka, Vaajakoski, Lievestuore and Uurainen too.

For the broader travel overview: Central Finland.