Climbing the mountain in Helsinki

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Mountain. What comes to your mind when you hear this word? For me, as a Swiss, I see the Alps, high mountains with snow all year round. But I've noticed that for some Finns, the meaning is different. The highest mountain in Finland is the mount Halti (1324m above the sea level) in Northern Finland. Very often, they call "mountain" a simple hill, like the hill in Kaivopuisto in Helsinki.

View on the South of Helsinki with the Silja Line ferry heading to Stockholm

I was wondering which the highest "mountain" in Helsinki was. After some research I've found out that it was a 90m hill located in Malminkartano (ca. 10km north from the city center). But Malminkartanonhuippu or Jätemäki (dump hill) for locals is not a natural hill. It is a huge amount of rubbish covered with dirt.

426 steps

This is a great place for sporty people. There are 426 steps to reach the top or several turns if you prefer to use the way. Ice hockey players are regularly training their physical shape on this hill. In summertime, this hill is commonly used as a mimi-mountain bike track and in wintertime for sledging. It is also a good location for paragliding.

It is a nice place where you have a 360° view over the city. Of course the view is much different as you won't see the known city center. You can also spot the planes taking off from the international airport.

The summit at 90m

How to go there?
Option 1: Take the commuter train M to the station of Malminkartano which is in a tunnel. Walk approximately 800m to the West.
Option 2: Take the bus 51 in Hakaniemi to the final stop which is at the bottom of the hill.