The Sestroretsk swamp is located on the northern outskirts of St. Petersburg, near the city of Sestroretsk. The oldest areas of the swamp at the mouth of the Sestra River were formed more than 8 thousand years ago. The Sestroretsk swamp has never been drained, so it is very interesting to see what these places looked like when Tsar Peter I founded St. Petersburg in 1703. As you know, the city was built on swamps.
The Sestroretsk swamp is a nature reserve with a special nature protection regime. Despite it is located within the city area, here you can see the beauty of the pristine northern nature. The length of the circular route through the swamp is 3.5 kilometers. In all places where it is damp, a wooden deck is made, allowing people people to walk comfortably through the swamp. There is no wooden decking in the pine forests, but a path has been laid.
The area of the Sestroretsk swamp is 1,877 hectares. The Sestra and Black Rivers flow through it, and the Sestroretsky Razliv reservoir adjoins it from the south. Small areas of swampy lakes have been preserved in the swamp, but most of the Sestroretsk swamp is overgrown with moss and now belongs to the type of "upper swamp". This moss can withstand the weight of a person, but it is extremely dangerous to walk on it, since in some places the thickness of the moss is insufficient and you can fall through. Sand dunes have formed in the middle of the swamp, which are now overgrown with a dense pine forest. People can walk in it without fear of falling through.
The route of the hiking trail along the Sestroretsk swamp begins on its northwestern outskirts, near the railway. Entrance to the trail is free at any time. At the beginning of the trail, a wooden deck is laid along a swampy lake, and then passes into a pine forest. After 1.2 kilometers of walking through the forest, tourists come directly to the surface of the swamp. The wooden decking is laid on stilts. From this place there is a view of several kilometers around. The surface of the swamp is overgrown with thick grass. Observation decks have been made in many places.
In spring and early summer, many migratory birds stop at the Sestroretsk swamp. Black grouse also live here. At the entrance to the swamp, there is a stand with information that vipers live in the swamp. These are venomous snakes, but it is unlikely to be possible to find them near a trail where many people walk. If snakes are not disturbed, they do not attack people.
