Jūrtaka Trail- a Latvian Coastal Adventure
For those looking for a wild and beautiful coastal hiking adventure, look no further than the Jūrtaka trail. This long-distance hiking trail situated along the Latvian coastline offers stunning views, challenging terrain, and a sense of wilderness that is hard to find in other parts of Europe. I recently had the opportunity to hike the trail for two weeks and it was a fantastic experience. Here are a few things you should know before embarking on your own journey.
The Basics: What is the Jūrtaka?
The Jūrtaka (Latvian portion of the greater E9) is a long-distance hiking trail that runs for approximately 300km (186 miles) along the full coast of Latvia. It is one of the newest trails in Europe, having only been officially opened in 2019. The trail is well marked and relatively easy to follow, most of time you are just following the coastline. However, there are sections that can be challenging, especially if you are not used to hiking in sand dunes or through dense forests.
How did I end up on the Jūrtaka?
I was participating in a residency ASEFCC, an international exchange program between artists in United States, Latvia, and Norway. One of the questions raised by the project was “how do artists continue to make work in a world of changing circumstances?” I proposed a project where I’d produce a series of Augmented Reality installations while working on the road. While researching ideas for this trip, I came across the Jūrtaka and instantly intrigued by the idea of hiking along a remote beach in Latvia. More about that project here.
What to Expect on the Jūrtaka Trail
One of the best things about the Jūrtaka is that it takes you through a variety of diverse landscapes. During a day, you can go from hiking through dense forests to towns/cities and along sandy beaches. You can resupply food and water daily, in most cases, either in a town or at a private campsite. I found it pretty easy to just plan my accommodations a day or two ahead as I went along, and cellphone reception was surprisingly consistent. It was perfect for someone like me, who enjoys some flexibility in my adventures.
What I loved about the Jūrtaka Trail
- It was consistently beautiful and interesting everyday. On cloudy days it was blustery and nordic and on sunny days the sea was teal and tropical.
- Once you leave a town, you are realllllllllly alone on the beach.
- If it’s warm you can hop in the water anywhere.
- If you need to leave the trail, for an obligation or injury, you are never too far from a bus stop that you could take back to civilization.
- As a foreigner, it was a really unique and precious way to experience Latvian culture, cuisine, and landscape.
Challenges
Overall, I would say that the biggest challenge on the Jūrtaka for me was managing my drinking water. There aren’t marked water sources on the official trail guides and you don’t often pass filterable fresh water. Instead you will rely on store-bought water from supply in towns or filling up at private campsites. At times, it felt like I was carrying quite a lot of water weight to make it to the next water source.
The distance between resupply points, at times, will force you walk further than you want to. I kept telling myself I was going to have an easy day, but then would end up walking like 20 miles to get to the next campsite.
The majority of the trail is level ground, but there’s unique difficulties that come along with walking on sand. After a few days, you and your gear will be completely inundated with sand.
In the parts of the trail that went through the forest, the swarms of mosquitos were brutal. Almost maddening!
I only saw a few other hikers the entire time I was hiking! On my last day on the trail I met a group and reflected with them at a bus stop, but otherwise there weren’t other hikers to chat with to learn pro-tips, cool places to stay/eat, etc.
Accommodations
The Jūrtaka trail does not have any official shelters or accommodations along the way, but beachside (or slightly in-land) campsites are plentiful. They usually run from about 5–15 euros as of summer of 2022. Sometime’s they will have interesting cabins (or sailboats) for rent. I stayed at these most often as to me it was absolutely worth it to be near potable water and shower.
“Stealth Camping” seems to be tolerated as long as you are out of sight and not on private property. There’s many unmarked campsites that you come across, but with no amenities.
If you need to sleep in a bed or take a sand break there are BnBs and hotels along the way. I’ve heard that they are booked in advance during the summer time, but for what its worth, I was always able to find a place on-demand in July.
Navigation: How to Find Your Way Along the Jūrtaka
The Jūrtaka trail is pretty easy to follow as you are walking along the coast, most of time. Most of the time I found myself using Google Maps for navigation, although the Latvian forest department has the trail available as an offline download on their own GPS app. This definitely came in handy at times when I lost the trail.
Top 3 Gear Recs
-Light-weight Gaiters : crucial for keeping some sand out of your shoes
-Hiking Poles: necessary for walking on slippery rounded rocks
-Sun-Hat: There’s no cover on the beach
Should you hike the Jūrtaka ?
Are you are looking for a path less traveled? Do you like feeling like you’re the only person on a forested beach for miles in any direction? Then yes, I recommend it.
If you are looking for more of a social adventure to hang with other hikers on a similar adventure- probably not.
Conclusion
I would highly recommend the Jūrtaka trail to anyone looking for a wild and beautiful adventure through Latvia’s stunning coastal landscapes.
Resources:
The official trail website. It’s has pretty comprehensive info about the trail. This is the most important resource you should look at:
Baltic Coastal Hiking
If you have other specific questions, this group was really helpful answering additional practical questions:
Baltic Country Holidays
A detailed account of a couple’s hike a few years ago:
Hiking and Coding
Also, you can hit me up on here or on twitter.
