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What Can I Experience in a Finnish National Park?
Bird watching / Archipelago National Park
Utö is Finland’s southernmost inhabited island and is an excellent place to spot both common and rare birds in the spring. In the photo, eiders are flying by the shore at sunset.
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Cooking on a camp fire / Pyhä-Luosto National Park
Cooking and eating your dinner on a camp fire is an integral part of hiking trips. Here sausages are being cooked in the Karhunjuomalampi camp site at Pyhä-Luosto National Park.
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Cross country skiing / Urho Kekkonen National Park
Even in Lapland it is not completely dark around the clock in the winter, even though the sun does not actually rise. In Saariselkä and in the Urho Kekkonen National Park, there are three hours of semi-darkness every day in mid-winter. It is one of the best places for cross-country skiing in Finland.
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Snow Shoeing / Koli National Park
What a joy snow shoeing is when the snow is plentiful! Snow shoes are the ideal way to travel through a snowy landscape. The rough hilly terrains of Koli are well-suited for this purpose.
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White water rafting / Oulanka National Park
The rivers at Oulanka: Oulanka and Kitka and their famous rapids offer both a somewhat calmer and a more exciting way of travelling on a rubber boat. Either way, you will be surrounded by the spectacular Kainuu landscapes.
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Canoeing / Archipelago National Park
The Finnish archipelago is a child of the ice age, sat in the lap of the Baltic Sea. Over 90 per cent of the 500 square metre National Park is underwater. The Archipelago National Park (as well as the Oulanka National Park) belongs to the European PAN Parks organisation, which is a testament to their dedication to ecological values. For canoe aficionados, there is enough to see and do for more than a couple of weeks.
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Rock climbing / Repovesi National Park
The Olhava cliffs in Repovesi National Park in southern Finland are a mecca for rock climbers in the country. The nearly perpendicular rock face rises straight out from the lake, soaring 50 metres skyward. Red-throated diver birds can be heard on the lake as the brave climbers, secured by a rope, make their way up the granite wall at sunset.
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Volunteer work / Lemmenjoki (literally: Love River) National Park
The WWF and other local environmental organisations arrange volunteer camps in the summer in the various national parks. Everyone is welcome to participate. The photo shows a volunteer camp at Lemmenjoki National Park, where volunteers were restoring an old farmstead on the banks of the Lemmenjoki river.
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Mountain biking / Syöte National Park
Syöte National Park is the only one of the 37 Finnish national parks where trails are marked especially for mountain bikers. In the past few years, here in the land of tree-covered hills, old things have been restored and new things built for the pleasure of mountain bikers and hikers. In the most southern mountains of Lapland and in the surrounding taiga forests, you will find characteristics of nature typical of all the regions of Finland.
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Riding a Snow Mobile / Pyhä-Luosto National Park
As a general rule, snowmobiles are forbidden in national parks. However, in Lapland, on top of the Keski-Luosto Mountain, there is a rare official snowmobile route through the breath-taking scenery. In both Luosto and in Pyhä, one can rent snowmobiles.
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What Can I Experience in a Finnish National Park?
Finnish national parks contain many unique natural sights, such as rapids, rift valleys and eskers. Localities with outstanding picturesque scenery or panoramic views have also been selected for preservation. In other places the aim has been to preserve landscapes affected by human habitation and ancient ways of life.
There are 37 national parks in Finland. The total surface area of Finland’s national parks is 8,150 square kilometers.
An important role of national parks is to provide opportunities for recreation, hiking and other outdoor pursuits. Provided certain basic rules are adhered to, anyone may wander freely inside a national park. Many parks now feature nature trails, as well as information boards pointing out facets of interest. Many parks also have cooking places and tent sites. Some parks even boast a large camping site, complete with rentable cabins or unlocked huts.
Protecting nature is one of the main functions of national parks. The national parks are protected areas for the more valuable and characteristic habitats and land forms in the country, such as the archipelago, lakes, forests, peat lands and fells.
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Wild & Free
To be truly free, all you need is the untouched wilderness and a touch of madness in your blood.
