When someone comes to visit me in Salo from far away, I always know where I’ll take them. We head for Teijo National Park, to its very best spots: Lake Matildanjärvi and Teerisaari. Over the years I’ve gotten to lead wonderful guests down these paths — from Lapland, from Ukraine, and most recently from Alta […]
Pirunkurun ponnistus When I arrive in Äkäslompolo, a beautiful summer day that started sunny, but windy, turns rainy. The rain continues when I park my car in the carpark of Kesänkijärvi. So, I decide to eat my lunch in the car, while staring at the raindrops running down the windscreen. While enjoying a tasty baguette, […]
In commercial cooperation with Visit Puolanka, Municipality of Puolanka, Paljakka, UVM project, co-funded by the European Union The Pyssykulju loop (4 km) is an easy outing even with younger children. The trail starts and ends at a lean-to shelter on the shore of a small lake, and the scenery shifts constantly along the way. Adults […]
In commercial collaboration with Visit Puolanka, Puolanka municipality, Paljakka, UVM project, co-funded by the European Union Paljakka Strict Nature Reserve in Puolanka, Kainuu, protects one of the largest contiguous old-growth forests in the southern half of Finland. A peaceful loop trail winds through the reserve, introducing visitors to the extraordinary world of spruce giants up […]
First-timer’s guide: what to expect, what to bring, and how to avoid the most common mistakes on one of Finland’s most beautiful lakeshore trails. Iso-Melkutin is the kind of lake that stops you mid-step. The water is exceptionally clear: the sort of clarity that makes you want to stop, stare, and eventually wade in with […]
It was a cold, dry morning in Lauhanvuori national park without the same dusting of snow that coated the forest on the previous morning. While tucking into my porridge, cheerful birdsong tingled my ears. What bird is entertaining me so sweetly? Not long after I finish my porridge, I see the singer in a small […]
On a chilly afternoon in early May, when spring sunshine competed with passing clouds for dominance, I arrived at Kivajata carpark in Lauhanvuori national park. Through the trees, I could see a mass of stones and boulders. I lifted my camera rucksack on to my back and strolled to find the start of the trail. […]
Located in Eastern Lapland, Salla is home to Finland’s newest national park, Salla National Park. The park offers a variety of excellent walking trails, and the area also features relatively easy-to-access weather shelters built especially for those wishing to watch the Northern Lights. The grey weather and snow-covered ground painted the landscape in their own […]
The Christmas holidays, a grey sky, the lack of snow, and daylight lasting only a few short hours had wrapped Liesjärvi National Park in complete stillness when we arrived at the courtyard of the Korteniemi heritage farm on Christmas Day. The drive from Helsinki takes only about an hour and a half. We first walked […]
In commercial collaboration with Visit Ii
Retkipaikka/Auli Packalén
