Paimelanvuori nature trail – 2 km

Everyone is the maker of their own luck 

The Paimelanvuori nature trail takes you past the countryside and through a beautiful forest to an Ice Age ridge, on top of which the scenery is unparalleled. The landscape paints a view of almost all of Hollola. Is the mountain that got its name from the place a result of climbing there, because even though the journey is not long, you can quickly find ascents on the route. And will you find a pitfall along the way?

Paimelanvuori, photo: Taneli Paavoseppä


Even though the place is named a mountain, it is actually a ridge, born at the end of the last ice age, approx. 12 years ago, from the gravel and sand transported, sorted and layered by the glacier's meltwater stream (glacier river). The chain of ridges, to which Paimelanvuori is a part, continues discontinuously both to the south and to the north of Paimelanvuori. In the south, it is partly visible on the eastern shore of Paimelanlahti as elevations and partly also continues as underwater ridge formations. Further south comes the First Salpausläcka. In the northern direction, Harju continues in an interrupted form almost to Vesivehmaankanga. Vesivehmaankangas is part of Tois Salpauselkä. Walking along the nature trail is guided by wooden posts with the image of a wolf.  

  • 2 km
  • Camping
  • Nature trail
  • Wooden posts with the image of a wolf as route markers
  • Bench, no fireplace
  • Beautiful scenery
  • Antiquities
  • Gateway to nature

The route can be reached by car, public transport or even by bike.

Parking after the open boom.

  • Park in the marked area
  • Access to private areas is prohibited
  • Keep animals on a leash
  • Respect nature and those who walk there
  • Making fire in the area is prohibited
  • In an emergency, call 112
  • Enjoy nature and its purity

Locking backs

The edge formations of Salpauselkki are unique, internationally significant and Finland's best-known geological entity. The first and second Salpauselkä are the most representative in the Päijät-Häme region, and they are associated with internationally valuable ridges here. The edge formations were formed in front of the edge of the glacier, parallel to the edge of the ice, when the edge remained almost in place (and even advanced again) during the cooler climate period of the melting phase of the ice age. Place In addition, the edge formations have moraine deposited by the glacier. The retreat of the edge of the continental glacier had started approx. 20 years ago (varies slightly by region) as the climate warmed and melting accelerated. The edge of the continental glacier had already retreated to southern Finland, until the climate suddenly cooled approx. 000 years ago. The cooler phase lasted for approx. 12 years. The cold phase, the younger Dryas period, got its name from the Lapland anemone (Dryas octopelata), whose characteristic arotundra vegetation took over the area from the forests when the climate cooled, e.g. in Central Europe.

View from Paimelanvuori, photo: Taneli Paavoseppä

The exact reason for the cold phase is not known, for example the weakening of the Golf current has been suggested as the reason. The weakening was caused by cold, fresh water released from North American glacial lakes, which affected ocean currents. Often there are several factors influencing these climate changes, probably in this case as well. Salpauselä were born in front of the glacier during the Baltic ice lake stage (the first stage of the Baltic Sea after the end of the ice age), when the retreat of the glacier edge stopped (and in some places it progressed again). The first Salpauselkä was born approx. 12 – 300 years ago and the Second Salpauselkä approx. 12 – 100 years ago.

Although the cool period caused the edge of the glacier to remain almost stationary, melting did occur, especially during the summer. Gravel, sand, silt and clay traveled with the meltwater. Glacial rivers deposited gravel and sand in front of the edge of the glacier in the Baltic Ice Lake as deltas, or river estuaries. Salpaussel mainly consist of contiguous glacial river estuaries. Harjut and Salpauselä are part of the soil that was formed on top of the bedrock during the last ice age, mainly in its final phase. Explore the genesis of soil here:

Link The glaciation of Salpauselka , opens in a new tab

Glacial river formations

Both ridges and edge formations are glacial river formations. Glacial river formations are formations consisting of gravel and sand transported, sorted and deposited by glacial meltwater streams, glacial rivers. Glacier rivers run both on top of the glacier and inside it and in the grooves and tunnels below.  

The ridges were born in the places of glacial rivers. In the vernacular, edge formations, or other elevations, are also often called ridges, but scientifically, ridges and edge formations are distinguished based on the way they are created. Ridges are created when gravel and sand transported and sorted by glacial rivers are deposited on their bottoms and in front of the edge of the glacier at the mouths of tunnels and grooves. Stratification occurs when the flow of a glacial river weakens for some reason. This happens, for example, at the mouth of glacial rivers (cf. a river that flows into the sea). As the edge of the glacier gradually recedes, deposits are left at the glacier rivers, which formed long ridges in the direction of the movement of the glacier.  

The shape of the ridges varies depending on whether it is created, for example, in a narrow tunnel or in wide-open grooves on the edge of the glacier. Ridges can also be formed by successive separate mounds. The course of the ridges reflects the retreating direction of the glacier's edge. The direction is roughly opposite to the most recent flow direction. Ridge sections resemble river systems on a map. 

Paimelanlahti and Vesijärvi Foundation

Paimela is located on the shore of Lake Vesijärvi's Paimelanlahti. Near Paimelanvuori runs the Myllyoja, which flows into Paimelanlahti. Both Paimelanlahti and Myllyoja are important sites in the monitoring and treatment of Lake Vesijärvi. 

Vesijärvi Foundation measures map , opens in a new tab

Water table

Paimelanvuori is a groundwater area. Groundwater is everywhere in the ground and in the rock. For water procurement, the most important groundwater reserves are in edge formations and ridges. Rain and meltwater (in places also lake water) filter through thick layers of sand and gravel, forming high-quality groundwater. 

Sudenkoppa and other memories

Along the Paimelanvuori nature trail, you will find an ancient relic, a historical trapdoor. There are also other ancient monuments and sites in the Paimela area.

Alluding to Sudenkuoppa, photo: Taneli Paavoseppä
Sudenkuoppa in the service window of the cultural environment , opens in a new tab