Lake Niedrājs is located in Launkalne Rural Territory, about 5 km from Smiltene. The lake and its surroundings are a popular recreation area for both local residents and visitors. The area is suitable for leisurely walks and relaxation, as well as for active recreation and sports such as Nordic walking, running, skiing, and cycling. Several well-equipped swimming and leisure areas are located around the lake, featuring jetties, changing cabins, picnic tables, benches, and fire pits. The lake is easily accessible via an asphalt road.

About Lake Niedrājs

• Average depth: 4 m, maximum depth: 8.5 m
• Lake surface area: 17.7 hectares
• Lake Niedrājs is connected by canals to six forest lakes: Mellūzis, Salainis, Niedrītis, Bezdibenis, Zummers, and Bezvārdis. The most recognisable of these, Salainis, is famous for its shape – when viewed from above, this small bog lake resembles the outline of Latvia. Several of the forest lakes can be walked around or easily accessed on foot. A suggested hiking route around Lake Niedrājs and the forest lakes is available here.
• Fish species living in the lake include perch, crucian carp, pike, tench, bream, roach, rudd, and eel.
• A ditch flows into Lake Niedrājs from Lake Zummers.
• A ditch flows out of the lake towards the River Kamaldiņa, which may dry up during dry periods.

 

Leisure opportunities

• A cycling and walking path around the entire lake;
• 6 well-equipped swimming areas;
• 8 picnic areas with tables and benches;
• A gazebo with a picnic table;
• Toilet facilities;
• A playhouse;
• A swimming area adapted for people with special needs;
• A dense network of forest paths and roads in the surrounding area, including three marked cycling routes of different lengths;
• Leisure areas, spacious enough for overnight stays in tents or camper vans.

The lake’s water is clean and clear, making it attractive to divers from across Latvia. In August 2002, underwater diver Edgars Mičulis discovered an ancient dugout boat beneath a layer of silt, where it had rested for several hundred years. In September, with the participation of underwater specialist V. Rains and newspaper “Diena” photographer R. Purviņš, the boat was lifted from the lake. Originally yellow, the boat turned black upon contact with air. It was carefully wrapped in protective film and transported to Jūrmala City Museum.

 

Legends

According to local legends, late-night passersby occasionally encounter a white, round-shaped woman appearing along the shores of Lake Niedrājs, near the popular swimming area. At midnight, she approaches male pedestrians and calls out, “Marry me!” If the man is frightened, she falls back into the lake, screaming that she must lie on the lake bottom for another hundred years. The woman is said to be an enchanted barrel of treasure.