- Place
- Linkmenys Eldership, Ignalina District Municipality
- Region
- Aukštaitija National Park
- Type
- woodland campsite by Lake Linkmenas
- Address
- Papiliakalnė, Linkmenys Eldership, Ignalina District
- Coordinates
- 55.37331, 25.98991
- Visit duration
- 2-4 hours for a day stop; longer for a tent stay or lake paddle
- Best time
- May-September; check forest-track, pier, and fire-danger conditions before travelling
Linkmeno Recreation Site, Linkmenas Lakeside Campsite
The campsite is on the northern shore of Lake Linkmenas
Linkmeno Campsite lies on the northern shore of Lake Linkmenas near Ginučiai and Papiliakalnė, in Aukštaitija National Park. It is a woodland place by the water that fits a day route through Ginučiai, the hillforts, and Ladakalnis.
Ignalina District Municipality gives the campsite coordinate as 55.373314, 25.989905. It marks this facility rather than the centre of Lake Linkmenas, so look for the woodland approach instead of trying to drive to an arbitrary point on the shore.
The character is a quiet shore and simple equipment rather than a long list of services. You can sit, use a designated fire pit, reach the water, and pitch a tent, but electricity, showers, and food service are not confirmed.
A shelter, piers, and practical outdoor facilities
The facility inventory updated in May 2026 gives an area of roughly 0.5 hectares, nine tables, 13 benches, two fire pits, two small bridges, one outdoor toilet, one bin, one changing cabin, two information boards, one direction sign, and six parking spaces. It is a published inventory, so assess equipment condition on arrival.
Exact-site photographs show two connected steep-roofed timber shelters, a simple stone-ringed fire site, and a short narrow pier with a railing. A striking steep green slope topped by pines rises across the water, providing a useful visual marker that distinguishes this campsite from others in the park.
The facilities are maintained by the Ignalina regional division of the State Forest Enterprise. That does not mean daily service: plan what you will do if the toilet, a small bridge, or the changing cabin is temporarily unusable.
Free recreation and tent camping
The official Aukštaitija National Park portal states that Linkmeno Campsite is free, and that tents and fires are allowed. The municipality also says State Forest Enterprise campsites cannot be reserved or charge for use, so no particular shelter, table, or pitch is guaranteed.
Bring a tent, sleeping bag, drinking water, food, lighting, and first-aid supplies for an overnight stay. The outdoor toilet, changing cabin, and pier are useful, but the site does not provide the full facilities of a commercial campground.
Make fires only in the designated fire pits, use safe fuel, and check that the fire is fully out before leaving. During drought or high fire danger, follow additional park restrictions.
Lake Linkmenas connects nature with the Ginučiai landscape
VLE describes Linkmenas as a 77.5-hectare thermokarst lake, 2.3 km long and up to 9 m deep. Its north-eastern shore is low and partly marshy, while the south-western shore is high, steep, and wooded; the campsite's view across the lake clearly reveals that relief contrast.
The official Lakes Ring route identifies a landing on the northern shore of Linkmenas near Ginučiai and Papiliakalnė Hillfort. It continues through the strait between Linkmenas and Asalnykštis, making the campsite useful as a modest water-route stop as well as an overnight place.
If you paddle a canoe or boat, wear a life jacket and plan your launch and landing points in advance. Public access to a pier does not make every part of the shore suitable for every craft or for unsupervised swimming.
Forest access and park rules
Travel to the campsite through the roads around Ginučiai; the final approach leads through woodland to a small parking area listed for six vehicles. After rain or frost the surface can be slippery, so remain on permitted roads and do not plan for more parking than the inventory provides.
Allow two to four hours for a day visit: enough to reach the pier, walk the shore, and leave the fire-pit area tidy. A tent stay or paddle deserves a full day and supplies brought in advance.
In Aukštaitija National Park, camp and make fires only in designated places. Stay on permitted roads, do not damage the shore, leave no rubbish, and keep animals in a way that does not disturb wildlife or other visitors.
