Optimistic Signs of Spring: Exploring Uutela Nature Trail in Helsinki with a Stroller

This morning, we were surprised to hear our 10-month-old daughter, Freya, making sounds in her bedroom already after 8 AM. We went to check her bedroom to see what was going on and found out that I had left the curtains open the evening before, and daylight was pushing through the window. No wonder she was awake!

We are now a few days into the month of March, which is usually considered the first days of spring here in Finland. Daylight is reaching us much more, and we're seeing signs of spring outside as trees and plants are budding, and snow is melting and becoming slushy. It's still slippery, though, so we still have to be careful!

This first weekend of March, we planned a little trip to Uutela Nature Area in Helsinki.

Is Uutela Nature Trail in Helsinki Stroller-Friendly?

We are still trying to find nature destinations here in Southern Finland that are stroller-accessible (or at least stroller-friendly) and had heard that the nature trail at Uutela, in Helsinki, might fit our criteria.

We looked through several trail guides and tried to figure out whether or not it was possible to bring our stroller with us. There were a couple of spots on the trail which were marked as "challenging", but we didn't really find information about what exactly that meant. Would the challenging bits be okay to pass with a stroller, or would it be impossible, and we'd have to head back? There was no other way than to go and check it out for ourselves.

The area is situated in the eastern part of Helsinki, near the Vuosaari metro station. If you're starting from Helsinki city center, let's say the main railway station, you will be able to reach this destination by metro and a short bus ride in about 40 minutes. The closest bus stop at the destination is Aurinkotuulenkatu.

New Parent Struggles: Getting Out of the House

At around 1:20 PM, we finally managed to pack ourselves into the car and drive off. I felt a bit frustrated since Freya's noon naptime hadn't happened yet. Once again, we optimistically hoped to leave the house before her first nap, thinking she could nap in the car or during the first part of the trail in her stroller.

Note to self: Maybe next time it would be a good idea to try putting her down for her nap earlier, before noon, pack everything, and head out as soon as she wakes up, instead of making her wait while we sort out all our packing.

Perhaps, as first-time parents, we're still optimistically thinking that things can just happen spontaneously in our lives. We're painfully learning that's not necessarily the case. It's all about planning and preparing if you're trying to get anywhere with kids!

Arriving at Uutela Nature Area

We were once again nervous about finding a parking spot. Luckily, free 4-hour street-side parking was available, and as we headed closer to the trail, there was a rather large parking area without a time limit. We left our car a short walking distance from the start of the nature trail.

There was also a really sweet authentic Finnish coffee shop called Kahvila Kampela at the trail start. How thoughtful of them to cater to hungry hikers heading back after a brisk forest walk.

Freya had fallen asleep during the car ride, and we tried to quietly unpack the car, pulling out the stroller, our backpacks, camera, binoculars, and my extra studded shoes. I wanted to bring them in case the trail was super slippery.

Icey Hills and Difficulties Finding Lunch Spot Along the Uutela Forest Trail

It was after 2 PM when we finally found ourselves at the start of the Uutela Forest trail. The first bit of the trail was slushy snow, which once again posed some struggles for us to plow through. By taking turns pushing the stroller, we managed, though. As we entered the spruce-filled forest trail, it turned icy, and I already started considering changing to my studded shoes.

It was almost an hour later as we reached the first little rest shelter where you're allowed to grill your own food over an open fire pit. Just before reaching the shelter, there was a small hill that I think wouldn't be considered very accessible by most people. Since the hill was icy, we both had to change into studded shoes to push the stroller over it.

The shelter is located close to the seashore, in the eastern part of the trail. Next to the firepit, there were two small tables with benches, but no other seating was available. The tables were full of stuff spread out by other hikers who were currently preparing their food over the fire. It was Freya's snack time, and we were also getting pretty hungry, but we decided to keep going for a bit to see if we could find the next shelter, which was supposed to be pretty close by if we continued a bit further on the trail.

Scenic Seashore Views at Uutela Forest Trail

The trail continued along the seashore, and the view was very pretty. From time to time the sun was shyly waving at us through the grey clouds, letting us know it had not, in fact, abandoned us over the cold, dark winter. Spring is almost here! There was, however, suddenly a cold wind picking up, although the weather forecast still said it was 2 C degrees warm.

The icy trail changed once again, and this time it was fully melted, showing no signs of snow or ice. Perhaps the spring sun had already melted all the snow away. I think this was my favorite part of the whole trail. We got to enjoy some sun, walk on almost dry ground, appreciate the seaview, and even explore some green forest spaces that had uncovered themselves from under the snow.

The second rest shelter came around, but this one too was unfortunately crowded, and there was very little seating. We were getting a bit discouraged but parked our stroller by the firepit for a few minutes, stuffed our faces with a PB&J sandwich that we shared, and kept going.

Unclear Trail Signage and Cold Fingers and Toes

At the end of the trail, there was a large allotment garden, which I bet is beautiful in the summer. This whole area is divided into small pieces that are rented by individuals who are making their gardening dreams come true. We have also looked into getting our own allotment garden piece of land this summer. I'm excited to see if it actually takes off and we'll get to plant something.

By now, we were closing in on the end bit of the ring trail and saw a sign of the trail continuing through the allotment gardens to the right, but mysteriously another trail was continuing straight. There was no clear indication which way was the right path to take to stay on the trail.

We decided to continue straight because our fingers and toes were freezing by now, and this allowed us to skip a little loop that we otherwise would have had to walk around if we had chosen to turn right across the gardens. Luckily, Freya had more layers than us, and her fingers still felt okay.

The time was after 4 PM as we finally got back towards the parking lot, surprised at how cold the day turned out to be and that we still hadn't opened our coffee thermos. We were somewhat baffled that along the entire ring trail there were no benches or seating available other than the two shelters. As I'm saying this out loud, I'm thinking, well, we could have sat down on a rock or fallen tree branch, but somehow we were optimistically wishing a little bench or rest area would had shown up if we just kept going a bit further. Lots of optimism today!

Trying Out the Kampela Café at the Start of Uutela Nature Trail

This cute café was situated right outside the entrance of the Uutela nature area. We felt like warming up a bit before heading back home and decided to see what the café was like since we had never been there before. From the outside, it reminded us a lot of the seashore café Regatta in Helsinki. It offered authentic Finnish baked goods as well as soup for lunch, which looked amazing.

They had seating outside, which was way too cold for us, so we ended up getting a table on the glassed-in porch, which was a bit cramped, and we had to apologize a hundred times for our stroller being in the way. The inside wasn't any bigger, and we didn't want to push our stroller in there to avoid causing a hassle. We ended up getting a heated spinach pie and the very Finnish concept of a blueberry rahkapulla, which is a bun filled with quark. I must say it tasted delicious.

They had clearly thought of Uutela hikers, as a couple of guys were frying sausages and muurinpohjalettuja, a type of thin crepe to have with berry jam and whipped cream, which are both traditional Finnish campfire foods, outside the café. Freya also got a little snack, and we got to warm up our hands and toes. I can definitely recommend this little café if you ever happen to visit Helsinki and the Uutela nature trail.

Conclusion and Stats

We were surprised to see that the trail itself was wide and level enough to proceed with a stroller, no problem. However, there were a few hills, where we had to do a bit of extra pushing. There were not many rest areas along the trail other than the two fire pit shelters, which means you may have to get a bit creative if you have little ones. Bringing along a backpacking chair could have been a good idea since sitting on icy rocks or the cold ground isn't always that pleasant.

Heading outside with kids is never an easy task, especially in winter, when you have to think of all the gear you need and ensure they have enough warm layers to stay warm. Although we left our extra pair of wool socks at home today and regretted it a bit afterward, we felt amazing as we arrived home, cooked dinner, and enjoyed some hot tea. We went outside today!

• 2 hours and 17 minutes spent in the destination
• 3.7 kilometers (2.3 miles) hiked
• 1 PB&J sandwich, 1 Finnish rahkapulla, 1 slice of spinach pie eaten
• 2 cups of coffee consumed
• 3 out of 52 family outdoor adventures in 2024 completed.