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Shelters Circuit

—•Hiking Trails

11.1 km

Route

Description

Visit Savonlinna – Walking and hiking+

Description

Shelters Circuit (Laavujen kierros) is about 11.1 km of hiking in Savonlinna, South Savo, mainly through the Pihlajaniemi recreation area west of the city centre. The route strings together forest paths and lake shores around Suurijärvi, Kuikkalampi, and Mustalampi, with several laavut and huts where you can pause, grill, or plan an overnight. For the wider Pihlajaniemi network, services at Tervastupa, and other walking ideas in the region, Visit Savonlinna is a practical place to start. Metsähallitus lists the overlapping Aholahti–Tervastupa trail in the same landscape on Luontoon.fi. The circuit is best thought of as starting from the Tervastupa service cluster: Tervastuvan sauna, Tervastuvan uimaranta, Tervaskota, Tervastuvan Avanto winter swimming, and Tervastupa sit together within about a kilometre of trail, so you can swim, use the kota, or warm up in the sauna before a longer loop. Visit Savonlinna describes Pihlajaniemi winter recreation with Tervastupa as a car-accessible hub, a campfire spot, laavu, and a volunteer-run trail café on winter weekends. Along the main circuit, Kollaa Laavu and Kuikankolo offer lakeside shelter stops in the Suurijärvi–Kuikkalampi section; Mustalammen laavu - Savonlinna sits near the Mustalampi end of the round, with a dry toilet maintained by the City of Savonlinna’s Soininmäki nature trail partnership. Out in the Nature walked a shorter Suurijärvi circuit from the same area and describes red- and blue-painted route marks in different sectors, rocky and steep lakeshore walking with duckboards, and wider, easier forest-road sections toward the end of their loop. That write-up also names Laavujen kierros explicitly as roughly 13 km around the three lakes, with Kuikankolo and Mustalampi laavut noted as suitable for overnight stays. The route meshes with other Pihlajaniemi trails at Tervastupa: Jorinsatama toward Koivukanta harbour, Moskunpolku, Suurijärvi Lake Loop, the Aholahti–Tervastupa Trail, ski and bike connectors, and shorter links toward Soininmäen luontopolku and Vuohimäki—handy if you want to shorten the day or stitch together a different shape.

Length & route

The trail is about 11.1 km as one continuous hiking route through the Pihlajaniemi forests and shores, linking Suurijärvi, Kuikkalampi, and Mustalampi. Some public descriptions round the full shelter tour to roughly 12–13 km when including optional junctions. Terrain mixes rocky lakeshore paths, duckboards, and wider forest roads on return sectors.

Getting there

The usual access is the Tervastupa area on Pihlajaniemi, Pihlajaniementie 705, 57600 Savonlinna—Out in the Nature used the same address for a Suurijärvi walk starting from Tervastupa. Visit Savonlinna places Pihlajaniemi winter recreation about a twenty-minute drive from the city centre, with Tervastupa as the main car-accessible hub for the trail network. The City of Savonlinna gives separate driving directions to the Soininmäki nature trail and Mustalammen laavu from the Suuri Savontie and Pihlajaniementie junctions if you prefer that trailhead for the western part of the system.

Good to know

Firewood at Mustalammen laavu is maintained by Olavin retkeilijät according to the City of Savonlinna’s Soininmäki nature trail page. Bring care on wet rock near the lakeshore after rain. For current café hours at Tervastupa and seasonal grooming on shared ski routes, check Visit Savonlinna.

Managed by

Savonlinna

Official Maintenance

Trail info

Walkers often follow marked sectors in a round-the-lakes sequence; junctions near Tervastupa, Aholahti, and Kuikankolo invite shortcuts or extensions onto Jorinsatama, Moskunpolku, or Suurijärvi Lake Loop.

Route direction

Recreation Area

Lake

Out in the Nature followed red-painted marks on an initial easy sector, then blue marks toward Aholahti and Kuikankolo, and red again after crossing Suurijärvi.

Route Signs

Open / Good Condition

Out in the Nature – Suurijärvi walk

Activities allowed

Run

Activity

Hike / Walk

Activity

Terrain & conditions

11.1 km

Distance

About 4–6 hours on foot for most hikers on this distance and terrain; allow longer if you use Tervastupa sauna, beach, and kota.

Est. Time

Duckboards / Dirt / Gravel / Grass

Surface

Single Track, Wide Track

Route Type

Light Traffic

Traffic

Partial Shade

Shade

Location

61.83298°N, 28.73442°E

Approximate location

FinlandCountry

South SavoRegion

SavonlinnaCity

PihlajaniemiVillage

Hiking TrailsCategory

Explore nearby

Härkäjärvenmäki-Suurijärvi ladut

299 m

Free

Aholahti-Tervastupa lisälenkki

430 m

Free

Aholahti–Tervastupa extension loop

300 m

Free

Aholahti-Tervastupa lisälenkki

300 m

Free

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Answers to your questions

Our data was researched from Savonlinna, 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 South Savo Savonlinna Hiking TrailsShelters Circuit

Photo: Olavin Retkeilijät ry, Visit Savonlinna, Tervastuva's main building and campfire site, 2026

Shelters Circuit11.1 km

Route

Tervastuvan sauna

1.1 km|€3

Tervastuvan Avanto

1.1 km|Free

Winter Swimming

Tervaskota

1.1 km|Free

Wilderness Huts

Tervastuvan uimaranta

1.1 km|Free

BeachesSauna ja tupa tilauksesta

Tervastupa

1.1 km|Free

Kollaa Laavu

3.6 km|Free

Wilderness HutsSuurijärven laavu

Description

Visit Savonlinna – Walking and hiking+

Description

Length & route

Getting there

Good to know

Managed by

Savonlinna

Official Maintenance

Trail info

Location

Route direction

Recreation Area

Lake

Out in the Nature followed red-painted marks on an initial easy sector, then blue marks toward Aholahti and Kuikankolo, and red again after crossing Suurijärvi.

Route Signs

Open / Good Condition

Out in the Nature – Suurijärvi walk