Hiking und Trekking in Finland
Maps, Trails & Facilities
The website Nationalparks.fi provides information on national parks and wilderness areas, such as hiking trails, huts, accessibility etc. It is important to check the website beforehand, especially if you are planning to hike in spring to see if the trail is already accessible. After the long Finnish winter, it can take a while for the water from the melted snow to stop flooding the trails.
On the website, you can also find information about some of Finland’s most famous multiple-day hiking trails. Although you can usually find a rough map of the trails, I highly recommend buying a map of the national park you want to hike in. It will help you plan your route and water supply. You can order maps online (e.g. from Calazo) or buy them in an outdoor or book shop in a nearby town.
Another resource I like is a map of most of the huts, shelters and campfire places in Finland. Tulikartta can be tricky to navigate but it provides useful information about facilities in the area where you want to start your adventure.
Most huts, unless marked with a key on the map, are free. This is great and makes hiking in Finland more accessible, but it also has the downside that you never know how many people will show up that day. So make sure you have a plan B (I learned this the hard way). This could be walking to the nearest hut or bringing a tent.
Some general rules apply to most of the huts:
- Leave the huts as you found them (or nicer). This also includes leaving firewood for the next person if the wood is provided (which it usually is).
- Forget about first come, first served. If you are the first person to arrive at the hut that day, then if too many people arrive after you to sleep in the hut, you are the one who will have to leave and find another place to stay for the night. (This may sound unfair but it is reasonable considering the risks, as you will be the best-rested person.)
- For more information about specific huts, check them out beforehand or read the guidebook which is usually available in the hut.
Getting to the Trails by Public Transport
Not all of Finland's national parks are accessible by public transport, but the most famous ones are. You can buy train tickets from vr.fi and bus tickets from Matkahuolto or Onnibus. On some routes, only one of the two bus companies operates or one is cheaper, so it is worth checking both.
Finding the right connection can sometimes be difficult, as some buses only run on certain dates or only in summer or winter. It is therefore important to check the exact dates.
If you want specific information about how to get to a trail, you can check out my blog articles about hiking in Finland below, where I give detailed information about how I got to the trails. Nationalpark.fi usually has some information as well.
My hikes in Finland
Kurjenrahka National Park (The hike of Vajosuon Mire, 30km circle trail)
Evo Hiking Era
Koli National Park (Herajärven kierros Trail)
Oulanka National Park (Karhunkerros Trail / Bear Trail)
Hetta-Yllästunturi National Park (Hetta-Pallas Trail)
Käsivarsi Wilderness Area (Kilpisjärvi-Halti-Kilpisjärvi)