Saariselkä: Hiking, Cross-Country Skiing and Winter Sports

Hiking Trails and Winter Sports in Saariselkä

In Saariselkä, you can plan your trip around the activities that interest you most: hiking trails lead into Urho Kekkonen National Park, while cross-country ski tracks and the Saariselkä Ski & Sport Resort offer other highlights. The national park stretches east from Saariselkä. When choosing a hike, you can pick from routes of different lengths and difficulty levels; in winter, trail maps provide guidance, among other things.

Hikes Starting from the Saariselkä Trailhead

The easy Aurorapolku Trail starts at the Saariselkä trailhead, leads into Urho Kekkonen National Park and is 2.1 kilometres long. In summer, you can experience the midnight sun there. The moderately difficult Iisakkipää Nature Trail also starts at the trailhead. It has 3- and 7-kilometre options. Along the way, the trail provides information about birds, plants and their habitats across the four seasons. The two trails therefore differ in length, stated difficulty and thematic focus.

A longer hike follows the moderately difficult Rumakuru Trail from the Saariselkä trailhead to the steep-sided Rumakuru Gorge. The trail is 14 kilometres long, and the gorge, shaped by the last Ice Age, is its destination. Rumakuru is 6 kilometres from Saariselkä and lies along marked trails in Urho Kekkonen National Park. There are two day huts for hikers in the gorge. One was built around the turn of the 20th century and is the oldest hut in the entire area.

The Prospector Trail also combines a hike with the history of gold mining. It starts at the Saariselkä trailhead or in Laanila. From Saariselkä, the route is 9 kilometres long; the hike from there is estimated to take about 3 to 4 hours. Highlights include an old gold mine established by the mining company Prospector in 1902. The trail explains the history of gold mining and the importance of gold in the Saariselkä region.

Cross-Country Skiing and Other Winter Activities

Some of the cross-country ski tracks in Saariselkä are lit from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The trail maps indicate which tracks are lit. Most tracks are groomed every morning. The nature trails and the Vellinsärpimä–Taajoslaavu–Luulampi tracks follow a different schedule: they are groomed three times a week. If you are out with a dog, you can use the Saariselkä–Moitakuru–Palo-oja cross-country ski trail, provided your dog is kept on a leash.

The snow-sure Saariselkä Ski & Sport Resort is located on the Kaunispää and Iisakkipää fells. Finland’s longest toboggan run leads from the summit of Kaunispää down to the lifts. Ski School Saariselkä offers lessons in alpine skiing, snowboarding, telemark skiing, snowkiting, cross-country skiing and adaptive alpine skiing. Sessions must always be booked in advance. This lets you choose different focuses for your trip, from hiking and cross-country skiing to other winter sports activities.

Getting to Saariselkä

A shuttle bus connects Ivalo Airport with the resort of Saariselkä. Tickets are available on the bus; advance booking is not required. You can therefore plan your journey on the shuttle without buying a ticket in advance.

Return to the main travel overview: Saariselkä.