The best hiking routes in Pärnu County

Pärnu County presents a landscape shaped by its proximity to the Baltic Sea and vast inland water systems, meaning walkers must choose between flat coastal pine forests and deep peat bogs. There are no hills or deep valleys here; the terrain is consistently low-lying, where a difference of just a few meters in elevation determines whether you are walking on dry sand or wet moss. Underfoot, you will transition from soft forest needles to wooden boardwalks designed to keep you above the waterlogged ground.

For those seeking the interior wilderness, Soomaa rahvuspark offers a landscape dominated by massive peat bogs, floodplains, and meandering rivers. Walking here, particularly in April when melting snow frequently floods the lower forests, requires sticking to the established boardwalks that wind through stunted pines and dark bog pools. The ground off the path is spongy and saturated, reflecting the natural drainage patterns of this protected wetland basin.

In contrast, the coastal strips of the county offer firmer footing on sandy tracks beneath tall canopy pines, where the air smells of salt and resin. While Soomaa rahvuspark feels enclosed by dense mires and thick spruce forests, the coastal walks are more open, though still bounded by reed beds rather than sandy beaches. Choosing where to walk comes down to deciding between the damp, silent isolation of the inland bogs or the firmer, breeze-cooled paths along the Gulf of Riga.