The autumn trail run in Sipoonkorve offers a versatile path, steep ascents and descents, and a prize at the end of the run.
The rain that was promised for the weekend made us go on the jogging trails already on Friday. We headed for Sipoonkorvi, where we knew we would find suitable jogging terrain and fresh air. The starting point was the Kuusijärvi outdoor recreation area, which is easy to reach either by car or by public transport. There is a free parking lot at the site, where, at least on a weekday, there was plenty of space. The area is popular with outdoor enthusiasts, so there may be little space on weekends.
In Kuusijärvi there are fitness tracks in the city of Vantaa (+ a beach with saunas), and there are several no-dog signs in the area. However, the ban only applies to lighted circular routes in the vicinity of the outdoor recreation center and the beach. Paths and forest roads further away from the area are therefore also allowed for dogs.
Our route starts at the outdoor center and quickly moves to the so-called trails. with the you think away section. A steep uphill with rhizomes rises to the top of the rock and immediately raises the heart rate. However, you should not be afraid of the beginning, because the route is mostly flat and easy needle path and forest road. Actually, apart from a few steeper climbs and descents, you can keep a steady running pace on the route.
We used a Garmin GPS watch (Forerunner 945) with the route loaded. The route is mostly unmarked, so a map/navigation device is almost essential, unless you are already familiar with the trails in the area. The route is for the most part wide and clearly a well-travelled path, so it is difficult to get lost, but it is convenient to check a few crossing points on the map.
There are several resting places with fireplaces on the route, and as you go clockwise in the early stages of the route, you will see a rare sight in southern Finland: a big white hut. This is apparently for free use, and inside there is a fireplace and seats for at least ten people. We already started planning a trip for the beginning of winter with sausages and hot cocoa.
There were a few stairs on the way, and some of them had metal gratings that were a bit annoying for the dog's paws. However, the dog could also walk next to the stairs if it wanted to.
Around the third of the route, the road turns towards Högbergett and Kaskenpolttajanpolku, which appear on the map as a smaller loop farthest from the starting point. If you want to run shorter, you can get this part by skipping about 10 km of the route. However, we recommend that additional loop, because the Kaskenpolttajanpolku was perhaps the most beautiful part of the route. The path is mostly meandering and in good shape, a gravelled outdoor trail and climbs high up to Högberget, from where you can certainly see far over the forest in clear weather. This time the visibility wasn't so great, but a nice place nonetheless.
We used Tuija Non-Stop Canix belt -running belt and Utulla on Non-Stop Freemotion -harness. As a leash for trail running, we recommend a longer model, so that there is more space between the dog and the runner, and the runner has time to see the terrain and choose his steps between the roots and stones. So a good choice is, for example Non-Stop Bungee Leash A version that stretches to 2.8 meters.
Garmin trace: click on the title of the map below Kuusijärvi-kalkinpolttaja.
The GPX file can be downloaded from Garmin's website by clicking the three dots next to the Share button.