The best hiking routes in Šiauliai County

Šiauliai County offers a low-lying landscape of glacial moraines, peatlands, and river valleys where your choice of walk depends on whether you prefer forested ridges or open wetlands. The region lacks any dramatic mountain peaks, presenting instead a gently rolling terrain shaped by the last ice age. Underfoot, you will mostly encounter a mix of sandy forest tracks, damp clay, and wooden boardwalks laid over soft peat.

For those drawn to water and wetlands, Tytuvėnų regioninis parkas and Varnių regioninis parkas feature extensive peat bogs, shallow lakes, and damp meadows. Walking here often involves navigating wooden boardwalks that protect the fragile bog vegetation. In contrast, Kurtuvėnų regioninis parkas is characterized by its dense pine forests, sandy ridges, and a historic network of fish ponds, offering firmer ground and more undulating woodland paths.

If you prefer river valleys and geological features, Dubysos regioninis parkas and Ventas regioninis parkas follow winding riverbeds carved into the clay plains. In Ventas, you can see exposed limestone strata along the riverbanks, while Dubysos offers steep, wooded valley slopes. For a flatter, agricultural landscape with estate parkland and dolomite outcrops near the Latvian border, Žagarės regioninis parkas provides a distinctively different, more open walking environment.