How to plan an epic 2000-mile hike through Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania

21.09.2023 - 18:05 / lonelyplanet.com

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania might just be the next big hiking destinations.

For if the Baltic states lack mountain ranges for summit collectors, and though long, dark winters are better suited to sauna sessions than open trails, the largely rural region is home to almost endless forests, primeval bogs and a rugged coastline lapped by cold Baltic waters – all best discovered at a slow pace.

Rather than elevation gain, distance is the main challenge for athletic hikers in these parts. The network of paths known as the Baltic Trails allows you to walk for weeks on end, crossing three countries in three months through national parks, rural villages and often unexpected cultural-heritage sites.

Here’s all you need to know as you prepare for this (very!) long-distance hike through Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

The Baltic Forest Route and the Baltic Coastal Route – which together form the Baltic Trails – are two long-distance hiking paths that stretch across Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

Measuring 2141km (1330 miles), the Forest Route starts in the Lithuanian town of Lazdijai on the Polish border and ends in Tallinn’s Old Town. The route was officially inaugurated in 2021; while some of the trail infrastructure is still under development, fit walkers can complete the whole distance in 100 to 110 days. If you’re up for a truly epic challenge, the Forest Trail links up with the E11 European long-distance path, which runs all the way to the Netherlands.

The Coastal Route is shorter, measuring 1419km (882 miles) and hugging the shores of the Baltic from the Lithuanian town of Nida (on a spit that borders the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad) up to Tallinn. Completing the Coastal Route takes between 70 and 72 days.

Mixed forests cover over half the surface of both Latvia and Estonia, and a third of Lithuania. These forests are typical of northern Europe, with a high density of birch and pine trees. Wetlands are another common landscape, especially along the coast. You’ll need special footwear to cross Estonia’s and Latvia’s spongy bogs – many formed in prehistoric times and considered the oldest landscapes in each country – and no shoes at all to stroll on the Curonian Spit’s sand dunes.

That slice of land marks the beginning of the Coastal Route, which runs up to Latvia, passing by Ķemeri National Park and the resort town of Jūrmala, before reaching capital Riga. In Estonia, bird-watchers will enjoy the wetlands of the little-visited Matsalu National Park, an expanse of meadows, pasture lands and reed-covered marshes south of Haapsalu. A possible detour takes you to the Estonian islands of Vormsi and Hiiumaa, before you tackle the northern coast along the Gulf of Finland toward Tallinn.

On the Forest Route, you’ll hike