Lestijärvi
General information
The municipality of Lestijärvi was founded in 1868 and it is located next to our dear county lake of Lestijärvi in Central Ostrobothnia. Because Lestijärvi is the second smallest town in the mainland Finland with its 720 inhabitants, the nature has remained mostly untouched and unbelievably beautiful. The municipality of Lestijärvi consists of Syri, Yli-Lesti and Kirkonkylä areas. Lestijärvi is a friendly and welcoming town, where it is easy to move in as a new resident.
The wind power project is starting in Lestijärvi, which will bring growth to the municipality and to all the inhabitants of Lestijärvi, its visitors and neighbour areas. Besides its windiness, Lestijärvi is known for the vendace fish and the fresh spring water that Finn Spring Oy bottles and sells.
Four seasons of Lestijärvi
Summer
In the summer, Lestijärvi fills with happy people coming to spend time at their summer cottages and enjoy the lake and nature activities. Lestijärvi is the ultimate nature destination with all its lakes, forests and swamps filled with animals, plants, birds and fish. The nature provides the travellers with the best chances for exploration, hiking, fishing and hunting. The quiet wilderness can be enjoyed alone or together with your family and friends as there are many child-friendly nature trails. The day will pass by quickly while hiking in the trails, fishing in the wild or by rafting down the river Lestijoki.
Lestijärvi is one of the towns that are a part of the marked nature trail network called Peuran polku. The Peuran polku trail has 115 kilometres of routes in total and the routes go through seven towns and are clearly marked all the way. The trail name, Peuran Polku, means deer’s trail and the name comes from the vast population of the rare Finnish forest reindeer in the area. The Finnish forest reindeer is only one of the many animals you can encounter on the way.
If you want to experience the authentic midsummer, you cannot find a better place to do it than Lestijärvi. The Finns and the Swedes celebrate midsummer every year on the Saturday between the 20th-26th. of June. The atmosphere and happy people of Lestijärvi welcome you to join in on the festivities. The midsummer is the biggest event of the year in Lestijärvi, besides the end of the summer festival, when we have a special outdoor market that gathers people into the town from all over Finland. The market is called Muikkumarkkinat and there you can taste the exotic vendace fish, which is the most known and popular fish of Lestijärvi.
Autumn
In the autumn, the hikers, berry- and mushroom pickers arrive to admire the beautiful, autumn coloured forests. Peuran Polku nature trail attracts people from far away to hike the 115 kilometres long nature trail network.
Winter
In the winter, the forests and icy lakes can be explored with skis or ice skates. Snow shoes can also be rented out from the library of Lestijärvi, if you want to take a walk in the snowy forest. Lestijärvi is also known for its wind, which makes it a great destination for winter surfing.
Spring
In the springtime, when the nature is starting to come back to life after the long winter, people will head out to the nature. The ski tracks crowd with people trying to soak in every bit of the sun that stays up later and later each day. In the spring, you can explore the wonders of the nature, observe how the melting snow reveals the plants underneath it and listen to the birds sing.
You can read more about the activities and nature trails in Lestijärvi from visitlestijarvi.fi/en/experience/
