Asikkala Biking Trails

This mapped line is a short cycling loop of about 0.2 km on Aurinkovuori in Asikkala, on the Second Salpausselkä ridge between Lake Päijänne and Lake Vesijärvi. It sits in the same hub as Aurinkovuori Trail Center, the municipal downhill and enduro bike area opened in summer 2022 in the old ski-slope terrain, which the City of Asikkala describes as starting beside the outdoor gym on the hilltop(1). The activities pages point to the municipal sports locations map and the Trail Center area map for full line layouts and descriptions(1). Visit Lahti’s Aurinkovuori destination page underlines how high the ridge rises above the lakes and how the wider outdoor area pairs laavut and viewpoints with lit multi-use paths in other seasons(2). Regional mountain biking materials highlight Aurinko–Ilves as a longer linked ride between Vääksy and Evo forests past Aurinkovuori(4). LAB’s write-up from the Pyörämatkailijan Päijät-Häme project notes four colour-coded difficulty levels at the Trail Center, no lift, summer-only use on the built downhill lines, and e-bikes as a practical way to regain the top—plus year-round maintained multi-use routes elsewhere on the hill for winter fat-biking(3). Right at the hilltop you are next to Aurinkovuori outdoor gym, fitness stairs, the ski trail centre, and Aurinkovuori laavu with a fireplace—handy for a break before or after laps.

This segment is part of Finnish national cycling route 10, the signed backbone that runs from Turku through Hämeenlinna and Lammi to Asikkala(1). Do not mix it up with the separate international EuroVelo 10 Baltic Sea circuit along Finland’s coast—this is the inland line listed on Polkupyöräwiki(1). The route is about 24 km point-to-point within Asikkala in Päijät-Häme between the Viitaila sports-field area and the Länsi-Asikkala school cluster, using the kind of quiet local roads and connectors typical for long-distance cycle touring in rural Häme. Near the start, Viitailan kaukalo and Viitailan nurmikenttä sit beside Hautiontie; further along you pass Länsi-Asikkalan koulun nurmikenttä, Länsi-Asikkalan koulun kaukalo and Länsi-Asikkalan koulun liikuntasali in the Hilliläntie area—handy landmarks for breaks even though they are school pitches rather than wilderness shelters. The main touring draw in Asikkala is linking onward: Visit Lahti’s local cycling pages highlight how Vääksy, the canal district and Pulkkilanharju fit into postcard rides such as the 27 km Vääksy–Pulkkilanharju loop on the Salpausselkä Geopark esker(2). From the same hub you can also stitch gravel and touring circuits around Vesijärvi and toward Lahti when you want a longer day(2). Where this line meets other networks, you can branch to Viitailan ladut and Kurhila-Hillilän ladut in winter, or in summer combine with Aurinko-Ilves vaellusreitti, Aurinkovuoren kesäreitit and Aurinkovuoren ladut near Aurinkovuori—those trails reach shelters such as Kivistön laavu and Kuurnamäen laavu that make strong coffee stops on a bike-and-hike holiday. National cycling route 4, which leaves Lahti toward Sysmä and the north, crosses the same Asikkala–Aurinkovuori outdoor network on its own alignment, so ambitious riders can plan multi-day hops between numbered routes. For closures, grooming on parallel ski tracks and paths the Municipality of Asikkala maintains, check the Municipality of Asikkala travel hub and its sports-facility map application(3).

The Kalkkinen loop is a roughly 56.9 km road-waymarked Vellamo bike touring circuit on our map, closing through Asikkala while linking the Päijänne shoreline, Pulkkilanharju ridge country, and open farmland around Virtaa and Kalkkinen in Päijät-Häme. Sysmän Sisu presents the wider Vellamo network as a Sysmä–Hartola touring system on public roads with downloadable maps and companion GPX layers, and calls out the Luhanka–Vääksy corridor among Finland’s celebrated scenic road experiences together with manor landscapes and cultural stops farther east(1). For day-long gravel-and-touring context around the same lakeland gateway—where the ice-age themed Asikkala loop text describes café stops in Kalkkinen village, the rolling Kopsuontie ridge section after the canal, and Tallukan tower as a closing viewpoint—Visit Lahti’s gravel and bike touring collection is the practical regional planner(2). The Municipality of Asikkala tourism routes hub is a clean place to confirm local trail hubs and the municipal map app before you roll out(3), while LAB’s bike travel guide frames how these Päijät-Häme stages chain for visitors arriving without a fixed itinerary(4). The Kalkkinen village site summarises why Pulkkilanharju, Kalkkinen canal, and the free-flowing rapids draw national interest right beside the settlement(5). Ride flow splits into readable chunks. The western approach threads the big-lake scenery that touring guides associate with the Vääksy–Sysmä window before the line dives toward Virtaan kenttä and Virtaan tenniskenttä, where you can join Vellamo retkipyöräreitti: Sysmä - Hartola rengasreitin lisälenkki or look toward Tainionvirran melontareitti/Sysmä if someone in your group is coordinating bikes and boats. Past Ratsutila Vahto / ratsastuskenttä the countryside opens into the Kalkkinen cluster: Kalkkisten urheilukenttä, Kalkkisten frisbeegolfrata, Kalkkisten lähiliikunta-alue, Kalkkisten koulun peliareena, Kalkkisten koulun kaukalo, and Kalkkisten nuorisoseuran liikuntasali sit within a short distance of each other, so expect village traffic and school-adjacent paths rather than remote singletrack. Here the geometry also kisses Valtakunnallinen pyöräilyreitti nro 4, Valtakunnallinen pyöräilyreitti nro 46, and winter-only Kalkkisten latu sharing the same school-side footprint—useful orientation if you fold national cycle arteries or ski grooming into a seasonal plan. Nuoramoisten koulun kenttä and Nuoramoisten koulun luistelukenttä mark the eastern swing back toward forest-and-farm roads that lead once more to the Vääksy end. Throughout, treat it as moderate-distance touring: carry lights, spare layers, and enough water for sun-exposed ridge segments. Combine this loop with Vellamo retkipyöräilyreitti: Sysmä - Hartola rengasreitti for a multi-day lakeland tour, or stitch in shorter Vellamo spurs when you want an extra half-day without repeating the full ring.

This line is about 37.4 km of the former national bicycle touring corridor known as Pyörämatkailureitti 46, crossing Asikkala in Päijät-Häme between lake landscapes around Vesivehmaa–Virtasalmi and the Kalkkisten village sports cluster. The full numbered corridor historically linked Hamina, Kouvola, and Heinola toward Sysmä, Lake Päijänne crossings, and onward to Central Finland, as mapped and annotated by OpenStreetMap contributors(4). Brown “national bicycle route” signage was retired in the 2010s and those routes are no longer maintained as a signed system, though the roads remain public cycling roads(4). For local services, trail hubs, and the municipality’s outdoor overview, start from the Municipality of Asikkala travel-routes page(1); Visit Lahti’s gravel and trek-cycling collection places Asikkala in wider Päijät-Häme loop planning—including the paved-forward Ice Age touring ring and Vääksy–Pulkkilanharju scenery(2). From west to east, early kilometres pass the Ratsutila Vahto / ratsastuskenttä equestrian area roughly 7 km along, then drop toward Virtosaari on Päijänne. That island stop clusters a grill shelter, sauna, landing, and lakeside services maintained as a recreation site; facilities and visitor rules for the pause are documented alongside other lake islands(3). The virtues of a longer stop read like a small harbour pause: swim pier, shelter cooking, and optional sauna rather than a full trail centre. Near the eastern end the route threads Kalkkisten school and neighbourhood sports fields—outdoor gym, disc golf, rinks, and ball areas that read as a village sports hub more than wilderness. Connectors worth folding into the same day on our map include Vellamo retkipyöräilyreitti: Kalkkisten kierros for a signed trek-cycling ring around the Kalkkisten corner, Valtakunnallinen pyöräilyreitti nro 4 toward the Vääksy canal side and regional network, the short walking loop Kultainen tassu ulkoilureitti across the Virtosaari fireplaces and sauna corner, and Kalkkisten latu as the winter ski track hugging the same sports block.