The Baltic region is well known for being flat and it sits in the heart of the Great European Plain, which is the largest area in Europe without mountains. This probably accounts for why Estonia sees so little climbing activity, but you would be very wrong to assume there is no climbing in the country. On the contrary, there are hundreds of boulders in Estonia and it isn’t low-ball pebble wrestling either, many of them are enormous.
The large number of erratic boulders in Estonia were used to help develop early theories about continental glaciation. Now we know that both igneous and metamorphic boulders were carried to Estonia from Finland on a glacier, around 20,000 years ago. The boulders were deposited in their final resting place roughly 13,000 years ago when the glacier melted. Geologists have compared the composition of the boulders to those in southern Finland and have been able to map out which areas specifically they travelled from.
We started our journey in Estonia much the same way the boulders did…by taking the ferry from Finland. After reading about the boulders on ClimbEstonia, we knew we wanted to spend some time climbing here and enjoy seeing some beautiful parts of Estonia that are off the radar of almost everyone.
Guidebooks for Climbing in Estonia
There is no guidebook for any of the climbing in Estonia, but there are plenty of online resources that should adequately cover it for most people. There is a lot of good information on 27Crags, which is a great place to start. Additionally, ClimbEstonia has plenty to go at and lots of information that overlaps with 27crags. Between these two there is easily enough for a week of bouldering and you can’t go far wrong. In our opinion, all the best looking problems lie almost exclusively on the north coast. In this area there are lots of big boulders in very scenic locations, it’s a great place to climb and a really under appreciated part of Europe.
Weather and Climbing Season in Estonia
Estonia has a temperate climate and has relatively warm summers and cool winters. It will be possible to climb through the year for locals, but the best and most reliable conditions will be in spring and autumn. Summers can get quite hot and many of the boulders have little shade, likewise you can expect snow and freezing temperatures throughout the winter. We climbed in Estonia from the end of August and into early September, the conditions weren’t great and were hotter than ideal, but it was always manageable, especially if you get lucky with overcast days.
Climbing Recommendations
East of Tallinn
Ehalkivi
Ehalkivi is not only the largest boulder in Estonia, but is also the largest glacial erratic boulder in Northern Europe. The circumference of the block is an impressive 49.6 meters and it is 7.6 meters high. It is surprising then, that there are only 9 documented problems, from 4 to 6C. In reality there is loads of climbing on Ehalkivi, you can do huge circuits in a loop or figure of 8 shape and almost all parts of the boulder are climbable. The rock was very solid, lichen is the main problem if you’re doing a long traverse. It is also worth considering whether or not you want to fall off from high up, the landings are a mixed bag and the top feels very high!
The rock itself is pegmatite, an igneous rock with large crystals and a high mineral content. It was a delight to climb on and would have been better still if it was clean. This is the only boulder we visited which is tidal. We were too impatient and ended up arriving with the boulder still surrounded by water! Thankfully, you can wade out to a rock on the left where you can dry your feet, put your shoes on and pull on from there. You will be able to traverse and climb almost everywhere on the boulder from here, we did so without a pad as we didn’t want ours to get soaked, its a good incentive not to fall but spare a thought for your knees and ankles before you commit.
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Jaani-Tooma
In a beautiful and rural part of Estonia, set within a juniper meadow, Jaani-Tooma is a symbol of the Lahemaa National Park, the largest and oldest national park in Estonia. Jaani-Tooma has a maximum height of 7.5 meters and a 34.7 metre circumference , which according to the information board makes it the 14th highest erratic boulder in Estonia. The rock is rapakivi, which is part of the granite family. The rock was really nice on the whole, but there are some hollow holds around and some of the problems are a bit snappy.
Jaani-Tooma has 12 documented problems from F5+ to 7B (including a project). In terms of rock quality the boulder is probably weaker than the others we visited, but the location and the problems themselves make up for it. We definitely think Jaani-Tooma is a worthwhile stop for anyone travelling along the coast eastwards from Tallinn.
Tallinn Area
Ellandvahe
Ellandvahe is only 25 km from Tallinn city centre, however it is in a rural and quiet part of the country. Strangely, the boulder is right next to a golf course, but we had no problems accessing the area and nobody seemed bothered by climbers. Ellandvahe is a big wide boulder in a flat grassy field and has problems on all aspects. In total Ellandvahe has 28 problems, from 3 to 7A+, including a handful of projects.
Tammneeme
Tammneeme was the closest boulder we visited to Tallinn, in a quiet suburb just outside the city. The boulder is really nice, one of our favourites, with some fantastic and aesthetic cracks. The location is great, close the the baltic sea in a flat grassy meadow. Tammneeme seems to be on millionaires row, some of the houses nearby are like enormous grand designs! It is worth taking care with the approach and making sure you don’t walk through anyones garden. We had to go bushwhacking a bit, but the locals we did see seemed to appreciate it and weren’t bothered by our presence.
Tammneeme has 18 documented problems, from 4 to 6C+, including one project. In terms of the quality of the rock and the problems, it might have been the best boulder objectively that we visited. While we did love it at Tammneeme, we personally preferred Leetse Pank, even if the rock there is a bit flaky.
West of Tallinn
Leetse Pank
Leetse Pank is situated on the Pakri Peninsula 47 km west of Tallinn, in a quiet location by the water’s edge. Leetse Pank actually ended up being our personal highlight of our time in Estonia, just because of how interesting and unique the area is. Despite the limited information, the photos of the striking lines on this boulder intrigued us to pay it a visit, needless to say we were really glad we did.
Interestingly the cliff and boulders here are limestone, different to all the other boulders we climbed at during our time here. Whilst it’s true the rock can be a bit flaky in places, the really cool textures and shapes more than make up for that. There is only one documented problem on the boulder, ‘Valgus prao lõpus’ 6B and four amazing projects all of which are really eye catching lines. We had a good crack at one of the projects, it feels about 6C starting up Valgus and traversing all the way across the lip. Unfortunately, we only had one pad and it’s massive, with a spicy landing at the end, so we bottled it. If you have 3 pads and 2 spotters it will probably be fine, or alternatively have the extra confidence you won’t punt off (we didn’t!).
We did also notice four sport routes on the cliff behind the boulder, around 10 metres high, and on some interesting looking rock. We were very much kitted up for bouldering and decided not to return to grab sport gear, so we didn’t personally climb any of them. Because of this, we can’t vouch for the quality or note anything about the grades, we also couldn’t find any information about these online. Despite this, they definitely deserve a mention as Estonian sport climbing is extremely niche, and these routes are definitely not typical for the region.
Leetse Saunakivi
Less than 2 km west along the coast from Leetse Pank is a wonderful granite boulder right on the waters edge. The boulder may be slightly affected by the tide, but it seems the main face will always be dry to access. Leetse Saunakivi has 7 problems from 4 to 6A+ in a glorious and quiet location, a great place to have a relaxed easy day.
A Brief Note on Latvia and Lithuania
As well as climbing in Estonia, we enjoyed a few weeks in the Baltic region for sightseeing and some hiking. Much like Estonia, there is very, very little information about any type of climbing in Latvia and Lithuania. We personally didn’t climb in these countries, mostly due to burnout and iffy weather. However, we did do a bit of research and found a few places with some boulders. It is only very minor stuff, but it may be useful to anyone who fancies a bit of bouldering when they’re in the area.
The most useful resource is The Big ones, a free pdf guide for bouldering, mostly in Lithuania, but also with a few in Latvia. You can find the link for it here. If that stops working we have the pdf file and can easily email it to you. It is safe to assume the name is tongue in cheek, the boulders are many things, but they aren’t very big! With the Big ones guide, 27crags and some googling it is certainly possible to find a few boulders to include on your journey. The climbing won’t be great, but it’s pretty much guaranteed they won’t be crowded or polished!
Rest Day Activities
Tallinn
Tallinn is a fantastic city, with a wonderfully relaxed atmosphere and lots to see. The Old Town dates back to between the 13th and 16th century, it is a UNESCO world heritage site which is reported to be one of the best preserved medieval trading cities in Europe. Whilst we can appreciate the buzz of a big city, we very much enjoyed Tallinn’s small scale and relatively peaceful ambience. For many people Tallinn will be an easy place to include as part of the journey. Even if you don’t arrive there at the start or end of your trip, most boulders are in that direction anyway, making it an obvious choice.
Oandu Nature Centre
Oandu Nature Centre is set within the Lahemma National Park (the same area as the Jaani-Tooma boulder). There is a charming visitor centre, completely free of charge, which has some exhibitions about forestry in the local area, flora and fauna, and even an exhibition about the erratic boulders and rock types found in the national park. Estonia also has excellent nature access rights, including the right to roam, pick berries & mushrooms and wild camp for a night.
There are many hikes which start from the nature centre car park, which lead you through different parts of the forest. The quality of the natural environment is impeccable and the forest is full of wildlife. Everything about the area felt pristine, the forest was very peaceful, completely free of rubbish & pollution, with a wonderful unspoilt feel. It was very interesting knowing that the area had been used historically for timber harvesting , as the visitor centre shows. The fact the forest has now recovered so well you can’t notice this when walking through it is impressive and goes to show how well the landscape can recover if given the chance.
Soomaa National Park
Soomaa National Park is a fantastic detour for anyone travelling between the north coast of Estonia and Lativa. There area is famous for its many bog trails, but as we had already walked through many bog trails , we decided to visit the Beaver study trail instead. We weren’t expecting very much and we were quite surprised when we actually saw a beaver! It was really special to see it in the flesh, and see how they have changed the landscape. The size of some of the trees they had chewed through were immense, if only our fingers were as strong as beavers teeth!
Summary
We loved Estonia as a country, the nature is fantastic and there are lots of beautiful & unspoilt locations, both for bouldering and hiking. The boulders themselves exceeded our expectations, particularly in terms of the size and the scenic locations. Once you’re outside Tallinn there are seldom any other tourists and you’re almost guaranteed to have the place to yourself. In terms of the density of boulder problems Estonia is quite sparse compared to the continents famous areas. However, for anyone seeking to avoid the honeypots and do some bouldering in an interesting and under the radar area, Estonia is great.
We write for pleasure and climbing is our passion. Our articles will never be paywalled. However, if you would like to help towards the costs of running the site or if you have found our content useful please consider contributing here. To read more about why your support matters, click here.
Relevant links and resources
Guidebooks
https://27crags.com/countries/estonia
http://climbestonia.pbworks.com/w/page/16025698/FrontPage
Lahemma National Park
https://www.visitestonia.com/en/where-to-go/north-estonia/lahemaa-national-park
The Big Ones guide
The Crag Journal 
Defo not pebble wrestling!
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