Jurbarkas District Municipality
Panemunių Regional Park
botanical nature trail in a regional park
Panemunių Regional Park Visitor Centre, Raseinių g. 2, Šilinė village, Jurbarkas District
55.09000, 22.95550
1-1.5 hours, about 2 km
spring to autumn, in dry weather
Šilinė Nature Trail, Šilinė Botanical Reserve Nature Trail
A Loop on the Nemunas Bank
Šilinė Botanical Trail is an approximately 2 km loop nature trail in Šilinė Botanical Reserve, Panemunių Regional Park, on the right, Samogitian bank of the Nemunas. In the official protected-areas system it is called the Šilinė Nature Trail; 'botanical' in the title points to the reserve through which it passes.
The route begins beside the Panemunių Regional Park Visitor Centre in Šilinė village, in an old wooden building that was once a roadside inn at a road junction. This is a practical place to begin exploring the park: there is parking by the centre, and the trail is marked with information boards.
The Trail and Its Branches
The trail is a loop with two side branches: one leads to the wooden sculpture Sielių kelias, or 'The Road of Rafts', recalling Nemunas timber-rafting traditions; the other leads to German soldiers' graves. The whole route with branches is about 2 km, while the main loop is about 1.6 km, and it can be comfortably walked in roughly 1.5 hours.
Along the way there are about ten information boards in Lithuanian and English, explaining rare plants as well as medicinal and edible plants. The path follows forest tracks and field lanes, so it is best chosen in dry weather.
Šilinė Botanical Reserve
Šilinė Botanical Reserve was established in 1988 and covers 163 ha. It protects forest ecosystems formed on gentle slopes and shallow ravines: oakwoods, pinewoods, and deciduous stands, and on the lower terrace, mature oakwoods and a valuable herb-rich meadow community.
Visitors can feel the contrast between dry pinewoods, sometimes compared with 'taiga', and dry, steppe-like meadows. It is one of four botanical reserves in Panemunių Regional Park, so the trail is also a concise introduction to the park's nature.
Panemunių Regional Park
The trail belongs to Panemunių Regional Park, established in 1992. The park stretches for about 34 km along the Nemunas, covers parts of Jurbarkas, Kaunas, and Šakiai districts, and protects the scenic lower Nemunas valley with castles, manors, and hillforts. About 700 plant species grow in the park.
Several nature trails are installed in the park: besides Šilinė, there are Gelgaudiškis, Plokščiai, and Raudonė trails. The park is now administered by the Dzūkija-Suvalkija Protected Areas Directorate, and the visitor centre operates in Šilinė, at this trail's starting point.
Visiting
The trail is open, free, and self-guided; no registration is needed. Access is by asphalt road, parking is available by the visitor centre and near the sculpture, and resting places are installed. The best time is spring to autumn, in dry weather.
Allow 1-1.5 hours for the loop with both branches. Check the visitor centre's opening hours in advance if you want the exhibition or a guide. The visit combines well with Raudonė Castle, Gelgaudiškis Manor, and other Panemunių Regional Park sites.
