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Storskäret nature trail

—•Hiking Trails

1.3 km

Description

Storskärets Intresseförening – Hiking trails (Storskäret)+

Description

Storskäret nature trail is about 1.3 km of marked walking on Storskäret island in Maalahti, in Ostrobothnia’s Kvarken archipelago just north of the Rönnskär group. The island is a nature reserve managed by Metsähallitus together with the joint property arrangements of Outer and Upper Malax; Storskärets Intresseförening looks after visitor information, printed trail maps in the guest-harbour box, and firewood supplied for the harbour grill spots. For rules on staying on paths, where fires are allowed, dog leashing seasons, snakes, and ancient monuments, read the hiking trail notes from Storskärets Intresseförening. The City of Malax groups mainland routes with Visit Vaasa’s Kvarken audio-guide links when you are planning other walks in the municipality. Merenkurkun Lintutieteellinen Yhdistys presents Storskäret as an outer-archipelago bird destination with informative boards, a small bird tower near the east-side fishing cluster, a picnic table, tent sites, and the guest harbour—worth reading for breeding-season behaviour and realistic sea distances. Visit Vaasa publishes the World Heritage archipelago audio-guide episodes that include Maalahti material alongside Vaasa-side stops. Most visitors arrive by small boat to the association guest harbour, where a storage building hosts an information point, composting toilet, first-aid gear, a defibrillator, and leave-no-trace reminders; Malax Navigation Club maintains a fairway line toward Storskär, summarised on Solrutten with video and chart context. On land you move between low rocky heights, pockets of mixed forest, and shoreline meadows. At the south end the broad sandy bay called Södra viken is named as a swimming beach in local destination text. Fires are only permitted at the designated grills by the Norrkumlet wind shelter and at the guest harbour area. The walk is short and easy underfoot for careful walkers but still an island outing: watch for uneven rock, roots, and wet stone near the shore, and treat sea weather as its own forecast.

Length & route

The trail is about 1.3 km as one short marked segment on Storskäret and is not a loop. The island itself is roughly 2.5 km long and about a kilometre across, with low rocky hills rising on the order of 10–12 m above sea level—more path kilometres exist if you combine other marked legs around the harbour and shelters, but this route follows one compact walk of about 1.3 km. Surfaces are mostly forest soil and rock with short shore crossings; allow about 25–40 minutes plus harbour time and birdwatching stops.

Getting there

Storskäret is only reachable by sea. Merenkurkun Lintutieteellinen Yhdistys describes the crossing as long—on the order of 30 km—and rocky from nearby fishing harbours such as Bredskäret, Bredhällan, or Ytterbådan; from Vaasa a deeper route of roughly 40 km opens from the west tip of Kopparfuruskäret toward the island’s south end. Storskärets Intresseförening reminds crews that open-sea weather can diverge sharply from mainland forecasts and asks you to approach cautiously to the association guest dock, where depths are shallow and wind driven water-level swings are common. Malax Navigation Club’s Storskär steering line is published on Solrutten with markings and video to supplement your chart work. Plan charts, lifejacket discipline, and anchoring for the club fairway note before you commit to the crossing.

Good to know

Between 1 May and 15 July stay on marked paths to protect nesting birds. Dogs must be kept on leash from 1 March to 19 August under the hunting-law provision cited on the association pages. Snakes occur on the island; leave plants, wildlife, and cultural stones undisturbed. Firewood at the harbour is intended for the maintained grill sites; the association welcomes voluntary donations in its collection box.

History

The island was previously known as Kirkegårdsskäret; residents and cottage owners formed Storskärets Intresseförening in 2011 to support sustainable care of the skerry, maritime heritage, and visitor services.

Managed by

Maalahti

Official Maintenance

GPX data from: © Metsähallitus, 2024

Trail info

Archipelago

Marked Route

Route Signs

Dogs (On Leash)

Dogs

Open / Good Condition

Activities allowed

Hike / Walk

Activity

Terrain & conditions

1.3 km

Distance

About 25–40 minutes for the walk, longer with birdwatching, swimming, or harbour logistics.

Est. Time

Stone Dust / Dirt / Sand

Surface

Single Track

Route Type

Light Traffic

Traffic

Partial Shade

Shade

Location

63.11453°N, 20.80669°E

Approximate location

FinlandCountry

OstrobothniaRegion

MaalahtiCity

StorskäretVillage

Hiking TrailsCategory

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Answers to your questions

Our data was researched from Maalahti, and other trusted sources, in March 2026. Our route / place GPX data comes from Metsähallitus / Lipas, last updated March 2026. Always check their official website for safety-critical updates.

Finland Ostrobothnia Maalahti Hiking TrailsStorskäret nature trail

Storskäret nature trail1.3 km

Description

Storskärets Intresseförening – Hiking trails (Storskäret)+

Description

Length & route

Getting there

Good to know

History

Managed by

Maalahti

Official Maintenance

GPX data from: © Metsähallitus, 2024

Trail info

Location

Archipelago

Marked Route

Route Signs

Dogs (On Leash)

Dogs

Open / Good Condition

Location

63.11453°N, 20.80669°E

Approximate location

FinlandCountry

OstrobothniaRegion

MaalahtiCity

StorskäretVillage

Hiking TrailsCategory

Activities allowed

Hike / Walk

Activity

Terrain & conditions

1.3 km

Distance

About 25–40 minutes for the walk, longer with birdwatching, swimming, or harbour logistics.

Est. Time

Stone Dust / Dirt / Sand

Surface

Single Track

Route Type

Light Traffic

Traffic

Partial Shade

Shade

Rate & Review

Be the first to write a review for "Storskäret nature trail"

Share a photo from a recent trip

Answers to your questions

Finland Ostrobothnia Maalahti Hiking TrailsStorskäret nature trail