RMK campfire sites and campsites we have slept at

Everything we film happens at RMK sites. RMK, the State Forest Management Centre, runs a network of campfire sites, campsites and forest huts across Estonia's state forest. They are free, you cannot book them, and they are shared with whoever else turns up. This page is the practical layer under our films: how the sites work, and what the nine we have used ourselves are actually like.

What the words mean

• Lõkkekoht, a campfire site: a fire pit (often under a roof), a table with benches, a firewood shelter, a dry toilet, room for a few tents. Some have a laavu, an open lean-to shelter you can sleep in.
• Telkimisala, a campsite: the same things scaled up, with room for ten or twenty tents, often by a lake with a car park a short walk away.
• Metsaonn, a forest hut: a simple cabin with bunks, free and first come, first served.
• Puukuur, the firewood shelter: RMK stocks it for people who arrive on foot. If you come by car, bring your own wood.

How they work

RMK's guidelines are short and the sites run on them:

• Fire only in the fire pits, and only when fire is allowed; check the fire-risk level at ilmateenistus.ee before you light anything.
• Quiet hours 23:00–6:00, dogs on a lead, rubbish carried out and sorted.
• Water is from the nearest lake or river unless RMK says otherwise. We filter it.
• No booking and no fee. On a fine summer weekend the popular sites fill; carry a tent even if you hope for a lean-to.
• Most sites are inside protected areas: camp and make fire only at the marked sites.

On the Oandu–Ikla trail south of Aegviidu

The sites of our Aegviidu – Napu hike, in walking order, with RMK's distances from Aegviidu visitor centre.

Mägede campfire sites, 9 km. One covered fire pit and two open ones with grills, two roofed table-and-bench sets plus a table and four benches, two dry toilets (one with the firewood shelter), water from the old quarry lake, room for up to 15 tents, parking for 20 cars or 4 buses at 59.222174, 25.578712. Reached from the Jäneda–Perila road at km 7, 1.6 km down the signposted track. Our visit: lunch on the stove under the roof in the rain, film 5:03. The biggest and best-equipped site on the section; a good first night if you start late.

Noku campfire site, 19 km, at the start of the Kakerdaja boardwalk. Two separate sites: one with three open lean-to shelters, a table, a firewood shelter and a dry toilet, the other with an open fire pit with a grill, covered benches, a firewood shelter and a dry toilet. Up to 10 tents, parking for 10 cars or 2 buses at 59.188554, 25.509927, 3.2 km of gravel from the Perila–Jäneda road. RMK lists no drinking water; we used the lake. Our night: in a lean-to, 4 °C and raining, film 10:31. Our favourite of the nine: the bog starts at the door. More in the Kakerdaja guide.

Kalajärve campfire site, just before Noku on the lake. A covered fire pit with a grill, a covered table, a firewood shelter, a dry toilet at the car park, water from Kalajärv, up to 4 tents, a log-fenced car park for 8 cars at 59.199511, 25.509672. Our visit: the dusk shot of the lake in the film is here. The quieter fallback when Noku is full.

Napu campfire site, 27 km, on the Jägala river, on a branch of the trail. An open fire pit with a grill, a bench-table, a firewood shelter, a dry toilet, water from the river, up to 3 tents, and a parking pocket for one car at 59.147272, 25.523150, 13 km along the Kõrvenurga road from the Tallinn–Tartu highway. Our visit: the end of the hike and the pick-up point, film 16:38. Tiny; plan it as a finish, not a night.

The Järvi lakes, Põhja-Kõrvemaa

Four campsites along the Järvi – Aegviidu trail, all inside the Põhja-Kõrvemaa reserve, all with water from the lake they stand on.

Järvi Pikkjärve, the start of the trail. Two covered and two open fire pits with grills, two shelters with tables and benches, two more tables and seven benches, two dry toilets, two firewood shelters, three bins, up to 20 tents, parking pockets for 20 cars at 59.429489, 25.683073. From the Tallinn–Narva road at km 56 towards Kemba, 0.9 km, then 4 km of gravel. Our visit: the morning we set off south.

Järvi Pärnjärve, next door on Pärnjärv. Four open fire pits with grills, two covered shelters with a table and benches, two more tables and eight benches, two dry toilets, two firewood shelters, up to 20 tents, parking for 10 cars at 59.425812, 25.674227; same approach, 5 km of gravel. Our night: our first hot tent night, November 2025, a few degrees below zero with the whole site to ourselves. The Defence Forces' training area is next door; expect soldiers and vehicles on the forest road.

Paukjärve, 4 km down the trail. Three fire sites (one open with a grill and a roofed table, two covered), dry toilets and firewood shelters at each, water from Paukjärv, up to 20 tents. Parking at Kaksiksilla for 20 cars or 4 buses, then 1 km on foot; 59.399545, 25.686573. Our visit: passed on day one after the bog boardwalk.

Jussi, 4 km further, on Väinjärv. Two separate fire sites, one open with a grill and one covered, each with a covered table and benches, a firewood shelter and a dry toilet; up to 10 tents; parking at Koersilla for 20 cars or 4 buses and 3 km on foot; 59.376806, 25.722673. Our visit: a long hammock break, then a night nearby by Linajärv, which is not an RMK site; stay at the campsite if you follow us. More in the Jussi guide.

On the coast

Keibu campfire site I, Keibu bay, Nõva recreation area, 47 km from Tallinn through Keila towards Haapsalu. Two covered fire pits, a roofed bench-table, another table with benches, a firewood shelter, a dry toilet, two bins and two boardwalks down to the sandy beach; up to 6 tents, parking for 8 cars at 59.248297, 23.745768. Our night: the hot tent at −10 °C, January 2026, with the carbon monoxide alarm going off in the night. Open to the sea wind; pitch behind the pines.

Which one for which night

• First night out, by car: Järvi Pikkjärve or Pärnjärve. Big, flat, lake water, easy parking, and the trail south starts at the gate.
• The bog: Noku, walking in from Aegviidu or from the small car park. Kalajärve if it is full.
• Winter with a hot tent: Keibu or Pärnjärve. Both take a car to the site, both have room to clear a platform, and both expect you to bring your own firewood.
• A long day's finish: Napu, with someone meeting you; or Mägede if you want a roof and a proper site at the end.