Kalajoen Hietasärkät | Exploring Finland

Kalajoen Hietasärkät is by many known by the name Kalajoki, the name of the nearby town. These are the long sandy beaches of Kalajoki, stretching along the Baltic Sea coast of the Northern Ostrobothnia Region. These long beaches are at the center of a larger resort area along the coast, with a large camping site, several hotels, and many outdoor activities such as a large water park. The campsite market itself as the largest camping center in Finland.

A Short History of Kalajoen Hietasärkät

The attraction of visiting the sandy beaches at Kalajoen Hietasärkät dates back to at least the 1890s. Initially, it attracted the local population, but that soon expanded with more national interest. It was an interest that eventually also included notable persons such as former President Urho Kekkonen.

The first hotel here was established in 1931 and the tourism development accelerated in the 1960s. It is estimated that the area had around 3.500 beds in the early 2000s, a number that had increased to about 12.500 by the year 2017.

Things to Do and See

The main attraction here is the long sandy beach, but there is quite a lot more to attract visitors nowadays. There is the waterpark Jukupark with water slides and swimming pools, as well as the adventure park Seikkailupuisto Pakka which lets visitors climb and fly between the tree tops.

Kalajoen Hiekkasärkät

The long sandy beach of Kalajoen Hiekkasärkät is the main attraction. The water of the Baltic Sea might be considered cold, but the shallow waters along the beach can provide some great opportunities to swim and to let the kids play.

JukuPark Kalajoki

JukuPark Kalajoki is a large waterpark right next to the beach. It offers many waterslides and other both water and non-water activities. Here you will find playgrounds for the kids along with a lot of possibilities to get wet.

Seikkailupuisto Pakka

Right next to the large camping site is the adventure park Seikkailupuisto Pakka. The adventure takes you high up into the tree tops where you get to climb along the track. There is also the possibility of throwing yourself along the 330-meter-long zipline that starts at a height of 32 meters.

Hiekkasärkät Golf

Nearby to the camping site and the beach is the local golf course, the Hiekkasärkät Golf. It consists of an 18-hole course surrounded by forests.

How to Get to Kalajoen Hietasärkät

• Flights: There is the nearby Kalajoki Airfield, but for regular flights, you will probably have to travel to Kokkola-Pietarsaari Airport (KOK) to the south or Oulu Airport (OUL) to the north.
• Car: Kalajoen Hietasärkät is located along Road E8, just south of Kalajoki, between the larger towns of Kokkola and Raahe.

The driving distance from 5 major Finnish cities, according to Google Maps:

• Helsinki – 541 kilometers (6 h 20 min)
• Turku – 509 kilometers (6 h)
• Vaasa – 181 kilometers (2 h 20 min)
• Oulu – 140 kilometers (1 h 50 min)
• Joensuu – 405 kilometers (5 h)

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