Location and arrival

The Hervantajärvi hiking area is located on the south side of the Hervanta district, right next to the municipalities of Lempäälä and Kangasala. The area is easily accessible by public transport, as the terminus of the Tampere regional public transport Nyssen trolley line 3 and bus line 13 are located just a few hundred meters from the boundaries of the camping area.

Hikers arriving by car are served by the parking lots located on Vanhalla Hervannantie, Salmenkalliontie and Partinkatu, all of which also have a guide board for the hiking area.

Maps

Hervantajärven retkeilyalue (TRE_L201 – pdf)

See more map information in the link Hiking map in the upper left corner.

Nature and sights

The Makkarajärvi-Viitastenperä nature reserve is the largest nature reserve in the inner city of Tampere, and it is entirely owned by the city of Tampere. It was pacified by the decision of Pirkanmaa’s ELY center on 9 November 2018, with an area of 86 hectares. The area forms a varied set of habitats that are important in terms of diversity. The aim of the pacification is to protect, in addition to the whole, especially the characteristic features of the old forest, swamps and valuable rocky area, as well as the biological species.

Varied habitats

The Makkarajärvi-Viitastenperä nature reserve is a versatile forest area. The forests in the area are mainly fresh and dry deciduous forests similar to the natural state, with a lot of rotten wood in places. The northern part of the area also has grove-like features. Spruce and pine trees have been allowed to grow here in the oldest forests for more than a hundred years, and for several decades in the youngest ones.

In addition to the forest nature, the area has undrained sedges and ravens, as well as water bodies that increase diversity beaches. Differences in height also vary in the area, and steep rock slopes in some places have an impact on the area’s biodiversity. Rockiness can mean dry, even toasty environmental conditions for plants, or humid runoff rock surfaces in sheltered shade. Both of these can be found in the Makkarajärvi-Viitastenperä conservation area. Around Viitastenperä bay, there are nationally valuable rugged rock areas.

Along guided routes, you can enjoy the area’s nature and views without causing harm or disturbance to nature.

The diverse species tells about the diversity of nature

Varying habitats and landscapes increase the diversity of life in the protected area. The diversity of nature can be seen, for example, in the dwarf species and birds of the old forest, the rare mosses and lichens in the rocky area, and many rare insect and plant species.

60 dwarf species have been found in the area, which shows that the area is valuable for the species of rotting fungi that take advantage of rotting wood. The rarest of these is the endangered, which grows on a wound. The striped lungwort has declined in southern Finland and is rare in some places, but you can find it growing on the trunks of old aspens in the Makkarajärvi-Viitastenperä nature reserve. It has also been moved to the area on an experimental basis, but rooting in the aspens used as a substrate is so far uncertain and may take years.

There is a nesting grebe in Makkarajärvi. When moving around in the area, please note that you do not disturb the possible nesting of the plovers by making noise, swimming or swimming your dog in the spring and early summer on the shore of Lake Makkarajärvi, if you spot birds on the lake. Makkarajärvi is also home to a rare, protected and protected by EU directives, the water lily. In addition, 260 large butterfly species and 183 beetle species are known from the area. The most notable beetle is the flame beetle (Agonum mainlandheimii), which was once named after Marshal Mannerheim’s grandfather, C.G. Mannerheim, a noted beetle researcher.

In the forests, you can hear or catch a glimpse of the breeding species of the mature forests, such as the hen hawk, sparrow and barn owl, or the plover. Forest sparrows that have declined and are classified as endangered also occur in the area: common tit, tufted tit, and red-breasted sparrow. There are observations of mammals in the area, including flying squirrels.