Urho Kekkonen National Park

The legend of wilderness areas
Trek through this magnificent arctic fell country on foot or on skis, finding your way to a welcoming wilderness hut for the night. This vast park extends eastwards from the resort of Saariselkä through the wilderness of Finnish Lapland all the way to the Russian border. The remote fell of Korvatunturi is famous among Finns as the home of Father Christmas. The night sky is illuminated by the Aurora Borealis in winter and the Midnight Sun in summer. You can start your day hike from Kiilopää or from Saariselkä. These Out onto the Fell theme trails are suitable also for beginners. More challenging multi-day hikes, Out into the Wilderness trails, are available for experienced hikers with orienteering skills.
Juuri sitä parasta

Kohokohtia

Hiking

Outdoor & Sports

The extensive wilderness areas of Urho Kekkonen National Park can be explored on skis in winter and on foot in other times. Hiking outside marked trails requires wilderness and orienteering skills, and in winter the thick snow adds an additional layer of difficulty. A map and compass are necessary, since GPS devices are not always reliable in the remote wilderness. Nights can be spent at any of the many wilderness and reservation huts in the park, which are stocked with firewood. The huts are located about a day's journey apart from each other.

Cross-Country Skiing

Outdoor & Sports

Skiers can make day trips within a maintained ski trail network in the vicinity of Saariselkä, Kiilopää, and Kakslauttanen. The total length of maintained ski trails in the area is 200 km, of which 70 km is located in Urho Kekkonen National Park's recreational and nature tourism zone. The length of the ski network varies depending on snowfall level. Snowfall is thickest in the early spring.

Sights and the views

Landscapes & Sceneries

Hike to Lake Luirojärvi in the wilderness of the national park, and to Sokosti, the highest fell in the area, which rises on the eastern side of the park, Paratiisikuru or Vongoivan räystäs. Visit the clear-watered Suomujokilaakso or Korvatunturi in the border zone between Finland and Russia. There are many ways visitors can explore the local cultural heritage, for example by visiting the homesteads of the Skolt Sámi people in the northern part of the national park, the Raja-Jooseppi homestead near the Russian border, and more.

Trekking

Outdoor & Sports

The wilderness in Urho Kekkonen National Park can also be enjoyed by hiking along marked routes. The marked hiking network (200 km) in the Saariselkä, Kiilopää, and Kakslauttanen area is good for day trips. Of the network, 70 km is located in Urho Kekkonen National Park's recreational and nature tourism zone. Visitors can pause to rest at day trip huts and lean-tos stocked with firewood along the hiking trails.