Laajalahti bay
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Laajalahti bird hide is temporarily out of use. The old bird hide has been taken down. The new bird hide will be set up along the edge of the reedbed. The duckboards leading to the new bird hide will be built during 2025.
Access
From Vaasantie road, turn at the sign to Laajalahti bathing area and follow the signposts. The parking area is at the end of Hietanokantie road. Signposts in the parking area point to the nature trails and bathing area.
The Laajalahti bay is located on the coast of Lake Öjanjärvi. This bird wetland belongs to the Natura 2000 network and covers an area of 266 hectares. With their swimming beaches and fitness tracks, Laajalahti and Hietanokka are among the most popular recreational destinations in Kokkola. The area is open to visitors all year round. In the winter, there is a ski trail that runs all the way to Koivuhaka. Visitors can move freely in the area under the Finnish everyman’s rights, while keeping in mind the restrictions in force at the swimming beach. Please consider the bird nesting season (from 15 April to 31 July) while hiking in the area.
LAAJALAHTI SHORELINE TRAIL (1.7 KM)
Difficult accessible trail – the initial section of the trail starting in Laajalahti parking area follows an easy duckboard path. There is an accessible toilet as well as a barbecue shelter along the trail. The trail section after the barbecue shelter follows a gravel-surfaced path. This is a circle trail marked with signposts.
The first section of the trail leads along duckboards through dunes to the seashore. From here, the trail continues through a pine forest near the shore before turning back towards the parking area. Along the trail hikers will find a barbecue site, bathing area, changing rooms, accessible toilet, birdwatching tower and two campfire sites near the shore. The city provides firewood for the barbecue at Laajalahti bathing area. The trail is maintained for hikers in winter.
LAAJALAHTI NATURE TRAIL (3.3 KM)
Easy trail – The trail runs partly along duckboards. It is marked with signposts and paint spots. This is a circle trail.
The nature trail starts near the parking area. It meanders in a herb-rich forest and leads along duckboards through shoreline reeds. Plenty of information about the local nature is provided on the trail, and there is a birdwatching tower and hide. In terms of landscape and vegetation, Laajalahti is an outstanding destination for a nature excursion with its pine forests, fossil sand dunes, beaches, alder groves and extensive coastal meadows. The Natura site consists mostly of aquatic and littoral nature and coastal forests. Bird life in the area is one of the most diverse in the region. While there is no winter maintenance on the trail, hikers are welcome to use it. Laajalahti is one of the highlight destinations of Kokkola.
Services
There is a shallow, child-friendly swimming beach in Hietanokka. The trail to the Hietanokka birdwatching tower is marked all the way from the parking area. The beach has a grill shelter, changing rooms and waste management services in the summertime.
Nature
In terms of landscape and vegetation, the area is a significant entity due to its pine forests, fossil sand dunes, sandy beaches, alder groves and vast coastal meadows. The area included in the Natura 2000 network consists mostly of water and shore nature and of coastal forests. The bay area is inhabited by one of the most versatile selection of bird species in the region. The Finnish Metsähallitus manages approximately 40 hectares of coastal meadows through grazing.
