Different nature trails are arranged for the convenience of nature enthusiasts in the park (the Slokas Lake walking trail, the Great Ķemeri moorland footbridge, the Kaņieris castle mound trail), observation towers and bird-watching towers.
The Park territory also bears many traces of World War One battles and the front-line – old trenches in the Zaļā purva and Ķemeri moorland dunes, the cemetery of the Latvian Army soldiers in Smārde and that of German soldiers at Kalnciems. Ķemeri National Park (ĶNP) was established in 1997.
Geographically, the Ķemeri environs are a point of contact of large geological structures. The maritime lowland is restricted by several rows of dunes (Krāču hills, Zaļā dune, etc.) which mark the shores of the ancient Littorina Sea. When the sea receded, several lagoon lakes were formed – the Kaņieris, Duņieris and Slokas lakes. While in the northwest of the park, in the area of Milzkalnes, the North Kurzeme hill folds left from the ice age can be seen with the 30 m deep Valguma Lake. A unique object of the park is Lielais Ķemeru tīrelis bog, enriched with bog lakes, which is actually one of the largest mossy bogs in Latvia.
Ķemeri National Park is characterised by rich flora and fauna. 897 species of non-seed and seed plants, 202 mosses, 139 lichen and 521 mushroom species are found here. 25% of plants in the Latvian Red Book grow in the ĶNP territory. Bog spurge, Pallas honeysuckle, yellow lady slipper’s orchid, and bear’s onion can be found in wetland forests, orchids of different species blossom in green bogs - Baltic, different butterfly orchids and others.
The wildlife world is well represented by different species of birds. Sea eagle, eagle-owl, whimbrel, which are rarely found in Latvia and in Europe, have settled permanently here. Especially favourable feeding and nesting circumstances are provided in the Ķemeri National Park for black stork (7 – 8 pairs nest here), crane and little eagle. At times, the corncrake, number of which is catastrophically shrinking in western Europe, nests here in large numbers. Two internationally significant places for birds are located in the Ķemeri National Park. One of these is the Kaņieris Lake and the other - Lielais Ķemeru tīrelis. Little affected forests are an excellent place of residence for rare species of woodpecker. In some places, the diversity of species and biotypes is increased by the activities of beavers, as a result of which in some places the water regime has stabilised. Large bogs are a safe shelter for elks, and red deers, wild boars and wolves live in the large forests of the park.
Ķemeri National Park is also special due to the fact that sulphur springs were formed as a result of interactivity of dolomite bedrocks and large bogs. Therefore, already as far back as the 18th century the Ķemeri resort appeared here. To test the curative properties of its hydrogen sulphide springs and mud-baths, patients from all over Europe arrived here. The resort enjoyed growing popularity and already at the end of the 18th century 106 houses were built in the resort town, and in 1911 the direct railway connection Ķemeri – Moscow was opened. At present, Ķemeri is gradually regaining its former fame and, hopefully, the reconstructed Ķemeri sanatorium will be opened soon.
