Ilomäen lenkki is a compact mountain-bike loop of about 8.7 km through the Mustikkavuori outdoor hub on the edge of Ähtäri. It ties together forest and track sections around the city’s main recreation hill: you roll past the ski stadium and frisbee-golf courses, dip into wooded slopes with shelters, then swing back tow...
Visit Ähtäri – Nature routes+
Description
Ilomäen lenkki is a compact mountain-bike loop of about 8.7 km through the Mustikkavuori outdoor hub on the edge of Ähtäri. It ties together forest and track sections around the city’s main recreation hill: you roll past the ski stadium and frisbee-golf courses, dip into wooded slopes with shelters, then swing back toward Siltamäki and the Meijeritie services where the zoo-related attractions sit. The line is mapped as a full loop with the mapped start near the frisbee-golf and ski-trail infrastructure off Mustikkavuorentie.
Regional descriptions group Mustikkavuori with technically moderate forest riding: independent route listings for the Ähtäri area describe nearby MTB options around Mustikkavuori as technically fairly easy overall but still climbing in places, with sections that use wide ski-track bases and local paths before tightening into hillier forest. Ähtäri’s own outdoor pages highlight Mustikkavuori as more challenging terrain than the flatter lakeshore circuits, while still part of the same recreation network. That matches how this loop uses the hill massif rather than the long Väliveden lakeshore rings.
For trip planning beyond a single lap, Visit Ähtäri publishes downloadable PDF maps and Outdooractive links for Ähtäri’s wider nature route network, and the town’s cycling promotion ties Mustikkavuori’s observation tower into multi-day riding packages that move between accommodation partners. One marketed three-day package routes day two from the town culture trail through Mustikkavuori toward Hyvölän Talo, explicitly listing the tower on Mustikkavuori as a sightseeing stop. The same operator page notes that route availability can be more limited in winter and offers fatbike or e-fatbike rental as an add-on for package guests, which is useful context if you are combining this hill loop with a lodge stay.
The wider Ähtäri cycling ecosystem is easier to browse through Visit Ähtäri’s outdoor hubs, while the Velomesto cyclist-friendly map aggregates bike-oriented services in the municipality for racks, shops, and repair contacts. Retkeile Lakeuksilla’s Ähtäri listing summarises long lake-and-forest tours elsewhere in the municipality—useful background even though those 10–24 km rings are separate from this short hill lap.
Along the mapped line, treat the hill in two bands. Close to the Mustikkavuorentie axis you pass the frisbee-golf fairways, the cross-country ski centre footprint, a pair of laavu shelters, and the rifle range berms—compact outdoor-sports scenery within the first kilometre. Higher on the slope, Himaistenkallio’s laavu sits in quieter forest—a natural pause before the line bends west through timber settings that match the sample geometry. Toward the closing kilometres the route approaches Meijeritie and the Cristalli equestrian arena, Ähtärin Eläinkupla animal encounter, and the outdoor staircase work-out structure before dropping past arena parking and the ice hall back toward the sports cluster. Parking for many visitors ends up at the Mustikkavuori car parks near the top of the hill or the lower frisbee-golf access, depending on which spur you arrive from.
Connectors matter because Mustikkavuori is a knot: the illuminated fitness track, illuminated ski trail, Tuomarniemi–town centre ski connector, and the long Kolmen tähden polkaisu round-Ähtäri ride all touch the same place nodes. If you want a longer bike day, you can stitch this lap into the 58 km marketed tour that encircles Ähtäri while still using Mustikkavuori as one of the viewpoints. Runners use the overlapping kuntorata network here as well.
Length & route
The route is about 8.7 km as one loop through the Mustikkavuori recreation cluster on the edge of Ähtäri. Expect height gain typical of a forested esker hill rather than a flat lakeshore cruise; independent Ähtäri MTB listings quote a few hundred metres of vertical on nearby Mustikkavuori circuits comparable in area.
Getting there
Drivers usually aim for Mustikkavuorentie and the signed parking around the frisbee-golf and ski facilities or the upper hill parking clusters; the mapped line begins near that sports spine. Ähtäri municipality summarises the wider trail network and publishes staff contacts for outdoor services on its Luonto- ja ulkoilureitit page. Visit Ähtäri hosts PDF maps for the major nature routes and links to further online track descriptions. For Ähtärinjärvi-lakeshore tours that start from the zoo resort area, companion listings describe departures from Karhunkierros addresses.
Good to know
Illuminated ski and fitness routes overlap the Mustikkavuori massif; lighting hours follow the seasonal networks rather than this MTB loop specifically. Visit Ähtäri states that the large three-day cycling package has more limited route availability in winter. For commercial fatbike rental tied to stays, use the Visit Ähtäri cycling and holiday-package contacts.
Where to rent bikes
Visit Ähtäri markets multi-day cycling packages around Ähtäri with add-on fatbike or e-fatbike rental for three days; enquiries go through info@visitahtari.fi or 040 5003933 as published on the cycling and package pages.
Guided tours & Experiences
The Kolmen tähden polkaisu three-day cycling tour is sold as a fixed accommodation-and-routing package between Ähtäri tourism businesses, with day-two riding through town culture sites and Mustikkavuori; booking and seasonal notes appear on Visit Ähtäri’s holiday-package pages.
A closed loop around the Mustikkavuori recreation hill; travel direction is not published separately from the GPX trace.
Route direction
Open / Good Condition
Open / Good Condition
Activities allowed
Bike
Activity
Terrain & conditions
8.7 km
Distance
Mixed forest dirt and local path, gravel shoulders next to sports facilities, and wider ski-track or maintenance road bases where the line crosses Mustikkavuori infrastructure; short pinches and roots are typical of comparable Mustikkavuori MTB lines in the same landform.
Our data was researched from Ähtäri, 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.
Ilomäen lenkki is a compact mountain-bike loop of about 8.7 km through the Mustikkavuori outdoor hub on the edge of Ähtäri. It ties together forest and track sections around the city’s main recreation hill: you roll past the ski stadium and frisbee-golf courses, dip into wooded slopes with shelters, then swing back tow...
Visit Ähtäri – Nature routes+
Description
Ilomäen lenkki is a compact mountain-bike loop of about 8.7 km through the Mustikkavuori outdoor hub on the edge of Ähtäri. It ties together forest and track sections around the city’s main recreation hill: you roll past the ski stadium and frisbee-golf courses, dip into wooded slopes with shelters, then swing back toward Siltamäki and the Meijeritie services where the zoo-related attractions sit. The line is mapped as a full loop with the mapped start near the frisbee-golf and ski-trail infrastructure off Mustikkavuorentie.
Regional descriptions group Mustikkavuori with technically moderate forest riding: independent route listings for the Ähtäri area describe nearby MTB options around Mustikkavuori as technically fairly easy overall but still climbing in places, with sections that use wide ski-track bases and local paths before tightening into hillier forest. Ähtäri’s own outdoor pages highlight Mustikkavuori as more challenging terrain than the flatter lakeshore circuits, while still part of the same recreation network. That matches how this loop uses the hill massif rather than the long Väliveden lakeshore rings.
For trip planning beyond a single lap, Visit Ähtäri publishes downloadable PDF maps and Outdooractive links for Ähtäri’s wider nature route network, and the town’s cycling promotion ties Mustikkavuori’s observation tower into multi-day riding packages that move between accommodation partners. One marketed three-day package routes day two from the town culture trail through Mustikkavuori toward Hyvölän Talo, explicitly listing the tower on Mustikkavuori as a sightseeing stop. The same operator page notes that route availability can be more limited in winter and offers fatbike or e-fatbike rental as an add-on for package guests, which is useful context if you are combining this hill loop with a lodge stay.
The wider Ähtäri cycling ecosystem is easier to browse through Visit Ähtäri’s outdoor hubs, while the Velomesto cyclist-friendly map aggregates bike-oriented services in the municipality for racks, shops, and repair contacts. Retkeile Lakeuksilla’s Ähtäri listing summarises long lake-and-forest tours elsewhere in the municipality—useful background even though those 10–24 km rings are separate from this short hill lap.
Along the mapped line, treat the hill in two bands. Close to the Mustikkavuorentie axis you pass the frisbee-golf fairways, the cross-country ski centre footprint, a pair of laavu shelters, and the rifle range berms—compact outdoor-sports scenery within the first kilometre. Higher on the slope, Himaistenkallio’s laavu sits in quieter forest—a natural pause before the line bends west through timber settings that match the sample geometry. Toward the closing kilometres the route approaches Meijeritie and the Cristalli equestrian arena, Ähtärin Eläinkupla animal encounter, and the outdoor staircase work-out structure before dropping past arena parking and the ice hall back toward the sports cluster. Parking for many visitors ends up at the Mustikkavuori car parks near the top of the hill or the lower frisbee-golf access, depending on which spur you arrive from.
Connectors matter because Mustikkavuori is a knot: the illuminated fitness track, illuminated ski trail, Tuomarniemi–town centre ski connector, and the long Kolmen tähden polkaisu round-Ähtäri ride all touch the same place nodes. If you want a longer bike day, you can stitch this lap into the 58 km marketed tour that encircles Ähtäri while still using Mustikkavuori as one of the viewpoints. Runners use the overlapping kuntorata network here as well.
Length & route
The route is about 8.7 km as one loop through the Mustikkavuori recreation cluster on the edge of Ähtäri. Expect height gain typical of a forested esker hill rather than a flat lakeshore cruise; independent Ähtäri MTB listings quote a few hundred metres of vertical on nearby Mustikkavuori circuits comparable in area.
Getting there
Drivers usually aim for Mustikkavuorentie and the signed parking around the frisbee-golf and ski facilities or the upper hill parking clusters; the mapped line begins near that sports spine. Ähtäri municipality summarises the wider trail network and publishes staff contacts for outdoor services on its Luonto- ja ulkoilureitit page. Visit Ähtäri hosts PDF maps for the major nature routes and links to further online track descriptions. For Ähtärinjärvi-lakeshore tours that start from the zoo resort area, companion listings describe departures from Karhunkierros addresses.
Good to know
Illuminated ski and fitness routes overlap the Mustikkavuori massif; lighting hours follow the seasonal networks rather than this MTB loop specifically. Visit Ähtäri states that the large three-day cycling package has more limited route availability in winter. For commercial fatbike rental tied to stays, use the Visit Ähtäri cycling and holiday-package contacts.
Where to rent bikes
Visit Ähtäri markets multi-day cycling packages around Ähtäri with add-on fatbike or e-fatbike rental for three days; enquiries go through info@visitahtari.fi or 040 5003933 as published on the cycling and package pages.
Guided tours & Experiences
The Kolmen tähden polkaisu three-day cycling tour is sold as a fixed accommodation-and-routing package between Ähtäri tourism businesses, with day-two riding through town culture sites and Mustikkavuori; booking and seasonal notes appear on Visit Ähtäri’s holiday-package pages.
Mixed forest dirt and local path, gravel shoulders next to sports facilities, and wider ski-track or maintenance road bases where the line crosses Mustikkavuori infrastructure; short pinches and roots are typical of comparable Mustikkavuori MTB lines in the same landform.
Our data was researched from Ähtäri, 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.
