Urho Kekkonen National Park

Urho Kekkonen National Park is one of the most popular national parks in Finland. In 2025, more than 420 000 people visited Urho Kekkonen National Park. The park is the second largest in Finland, covering an area of 2,550 km². The UKK Park was established in 1983.

Urho Kekkonen National Park is a winter hiker's paradise. The area is full of open wilderness huts and lean-to shelters covering also the most remote parts of the park. In winter, the service trails often provide easy skiing from one place to another. There are lots of beautiful fells in the park, which can be climbed on a ski tour.

Urho Kekkonen National Park is located in the Savukoski, Sodankylä and Inari regions in Lapland. 80% of the area is in the Sámi Homeland. Although "Koilliskaira" is a hiking destination, the protected wilderness area is intended to preserve nature and wildlife, as well as local livelihoods and Sámi culture.

Sokosti - the highest of the Saariselkä fells

Sokosti (718 m) is the highest fell in Urho Kekkonen National Park, and the only one of Saariselkä's fells to reach over 700 metres above sea level. Near Sokosti is also the beautiful Ukselmapää (698 m) fell.

At the top of Sokosti rises a link mast, and you can often find mobile phone network coverage. The Sokosti summit is one of the few spots to check the weather forecast - and send greetings to social media.

Sokosti is a popular day-trip destination from Lake Luirojärvi, about six kilometres from the Sokosti summit. The ascent is just over 400 m from the lake. The popular route to the top is via Jaurutuskuru gorge.

Summitting Sokosti by skiing had already been on my mind the previous winter, and everything was set up, including hut reservations. However, a stomach flu epidemic in the UKK Park took me by surprise less than a couple of weeks before the tour, so instead of Sokosti I got to see Halti in winter.

Urho Kekkonen National Park map - route to Sokosti and Lake Luirojärvi

Urho Kekkonen National Park can be accessed from different parts of the park. Most hikes to Sokosti and Lake Luirojärvi are from Kiilopää.

The Luirojärvi ski hike follows roughly the same route as the Luirojärvi hike in summer. Sokosti can be summited as a day trip from Lake Luirojärvi in summer and in winter. My ski tour of Lake Luirojärvi and Sokosti followed this route:

Kiilopää - Rautulampi - Lankojärvi - Luirojärvi - Sokosti - Luirojärvi - Tuiskukuru - Tammakkolampi - Kiilopää.

On the Luirojärvi hike, folks usually hike via Suomunruoktu instead of Tammakkolampi. From Kiilopää there's a maintained cross-country skiing track to Rautulampi in spring-winter, while elsewhere in the national park you can either take the snowmobile track or ski in snow.

Urho Kekkonen National Park map and the route of the Sokosti and Lake Luirojärvi ski hike. The red crosses mark the places where it may be a bit challenging with a sled.

Getting ready for a skiing trip in Urho Kekkonen National Park

I had all the necessary ski touring gear otherwise ready, but I bought new full-length nylon skins for my fell skis. I also bought a fair-sized shell jacket with pockets that could hold a sackful of stuff. Both of which I had missed on my previous ski trips.

I had also planned the ski tour a year ago. In summer and in autumn, a tent and the freedom to move around is all I need on hikes. Winter hiking, and especially ski touring with a pulk sled, requires a bit more planning.

I can sleep in a tent even in hard frosts. I can melt water in wilderness using a gasolin stove. But I don't particularly enjoy camping in freezing temperatures far from huts or fireplaces and other sources of heat and comfort.

So it's nice to plan a winter hike to get close to a hut or a lean-to for the night. And if the hut is empty, it's also comfy to sleep in a hut. It takes much less time to get the water, and the time saved can be spent admiring the scenery or reading a book.

It's worth booking or renting a hut in advance to make sure you get a hut on popular routes. In particular, a rental cabin is a safe bet if you're planning to make noise during the night and go out and stalk the Northern Lights. On the other hand, the wonderful freedom of any schedules takes a hit when you've got specific dates booked in advance.

I booked the Kuusela hut on Lake Luirojärvi and the Tammakkolampi hut for my return journey. Ski touring - like summer hiking - is best when you do it the way that brings the most joy. Here is my winter hiking story in Urho Kekkonen National Park and Saariselkä.

From Kiilopää to ski touring in Urho Kekkonen National Park

I set off from the Kiilopää gate in the morning, with my self-made pulk sled and a jam-packed 155-litre Fjellpulken bag. The night's bitter frost was gone. It must have taken the forecasted bright weather with it, as the scenery was only but a solid pale grey from snow to sky.

The hardest part of hikes is often the start. If there's more than one trail, I'll probably choose the wrong one. That's what happened this time, too. I thought I was heading for Niilanpää day hut, but I skied along the cross-country skiing trail towards Sivakkaoja lean-to.

Fortunately, somewhere around a couple of kilometres there was a skiing path that turned in the direction of Niilanpää. No harm done, and it was nice skiing in a snowy forest. From Kiilopää to Niilanpää it took a couple of hours of skiing.

Coffee at the Niilanpää day hut

One skier had already made it to Niilanpää hut and was putting fire in the stove. I helped to carve sticks from the logs and then made hot coffee to have a short morning break. According to the visitors' book, the Niilanpää day hut is quite busy year-round. It was already crowded when I packed my stuff and set off to the snowy slopes.

From Niilanpää there is a short, gentle slope back to the cross-country skiing trail. Soon I was at the junction where the track turns left and steeply up to Raututunturi fells. From here I would start a ski tour to Luirojärvi and Sokosti, and return in less than a week via another route.

Kiilopää - Raututunturi cross-country skiing trail

The Raututunturi fells are crossed by a cross-country ski trail that opens during the winter holidays, in February. From Kiilopää the trail goes past Niilanpää hut to Raututunturi fells and down to Rautulampi huts, where it turns towards Luulampi hut and back to Kiilopää.

The new full-length Colltex nylon skins had their first test in the slope. To my delight, the skins worked surprisingly well, and the ascent with the heavy sled went off without any problems. Of course, somewhere halfway up the slope I started to wonder again what makes you do this kind of sled pulling up the fells.

On the top of Rautunturi fells the terrain is flat for long stretches and the surrounding scenery is beautiful. Except when it's cloudy or foggy and everything looks practically white and grey.

Halfway the Raututunturi fells, you can ski downhill a very long slope at a furious pace (if you take off the skins). Then you have to climb up another similar slope. I left the skins on and guided the sled with a rope to run ahead of me downhill.

The whole landscape looked so flat and pale that I couldn't really spot out anything except the occasional snowmobile trail crosses. A few skiers came along now and then. The best - or worst - part of the Raututunturi cross-country ski trail is the descent to the Rautulampi huts.

A few months ago, I had visited Urho Kekkonen National Park to hike the Saariselkä fells and Vongoiva fell, and at the same time checked out the Rautulampi slope to have an idea of skiing the slope in winter. During the summer, the slope had looked as if it would be impossible to descend it safely with a sled.

Fortunately, my skins managed this slope well, and I skied down to the Rautulampi yard without falling. It took me about three hours to cross the Raututunturi fells.

The Rautulampi wilderness huts

The old Rautulampi day hut burnt down in March 2019. A couple of years after the fire, the new open wilderness hut and reservation hut as well as a separate day hut on the shore of Rautulampi pond were completed. The new huts represent modern scandinavian architecture and look different than the other huts in the national park. I think the minimalist boxy huts fit nicely into the landscape, even if they lack some atmosphere.

There were families with children and their sleds in the yard and the wilderness hut. Smoke was rising from the chimney of the day hut, so I headed there for a lunch break. The room was empty. I added wood to the stove to boil hot water for the thermos while I ate lunch. My clothes were a bit sweaty from climbing the slopes, so it was convenient to dry them off at this point.

With a full stomach I could think about the next stage towards Lake Lankojärvi. It was almost the middle of March, and I thought I would be able to ski some kind of harder track from Rautulampi to Lankojärvi. Right next to the huts I found a good track towards Rautuoja river.

The groove made a fairly quick crossing of the river along the snow bridges. Along the way, the Rautuoja river flowed in many places, between snowbanks a couple of metres high. The crossing would be quite challenging with a pulk.

I was only halfway through the stretch when the sun was already starting to set behind my back. Fortunately, there would be plenty of twilight for a long time to come, even a moonlight would illuminate the area. The terrain was also easy to ski thanks to the hard groove, and it was mostly flat. And familiar places from summer hikes.

Lankojärvi - Northern Lights in Urho Kekkonen National Park

The last stretch climbed a bit higher in the now already twilight forest. Finally, light was shining from Lankojärvi. There were people at both the open wilderness hut and the reservation hut, and there was a tent with a stove in the yard. It took 3.5 hours to ski from Rautulampi to Lankojärvi huts.

I put on my headlamp and went first to prepare the tent site. I found a ready tent site on the beach, what a treat for the lazy hiker. I pitched my tent in just minutes. But walking in deep snow between the tent and the hut was a lot of work.

The Lankojärvi open wilderness hut is located on the shore of Lake Lankojärvi. On the open side of the hut there are sleeping places for eight people. The cabin seemed somewhat cramped, with six people and winter hiking gear taking up a lot of space.

I sat in the warmth of the hut for dinner and chatted with the stove tent guys. A French-speaking couple were mingling with the folks in the reservation hut and wanted to share a taster of their dinner. 
By nightfall, the frost would again reach -30C degrees. I prepared a hot water bottle to take in my sleeping bag and headed for my own hut.

The cloud curtain had meanwhile cleared away the almost full moon, which illuminated Lake Lankojärvi so brightly that I didn't even need a headlamp. At the same time, green northern lights appeared above the pine trees.

I had to get my camera out. Too bad the forest at Lake Lankojärvi was so dense that it almost covered the whole sky. I could have walked to the middle of Lake Lankojärvi, but I didn't want to wade into the deep snow.

The bright moon and impossibly vivid Auroras made it difficult to find suitable settings. The photos were not that amazing, and I moved to my sleeping bag warmed by a hot water bottle.
I slept in snatches as my mobile phone was charging badly again. In the morning I was so tired that I had my porridge and coffee staying in my sleeping bag.

While I was fetching my drying ski shoes from the hut, the French-speaking couple were already making their departure, and two of the stove-tent guys were preparing to cook breakfast. I asked about the best route to Lake Luirojärvi, whether there was any tracks or skiing in deep snow ahead.

Initially, I had thought of skiing via Porttikoski and Maantiekuru gorge and Pälkkimäoja lean-to. It would be a long journey if there was no ready track. The guys had just skied from Luirojärvi via Palovanganjoki river yesterday, so there would be good tracks there.

Skiing to Lake Luirojärvi

The skiing tracks started from near the water hole made to the ice, straight across the lake. From time to time, I checked GPS to see what was lurking under the snow and ice. The trail led to the summer wading spot by the river. It's always a little unnerving to ski alone on the ice.

From the river, the trail moved into the woods. The summer hiking trail runs right next to the Suomujoki River, skiing is apparently easier crossing the Kaustanlammit ponds.

In a very hilly forest and on a winding track, a rope-pulled sled is not at its best. The most difficult parts were a few steep bends, especially the very steep descent to Kaustanlammit ponds.

I arrived at the Palovanganjoki River, which was flowing open on both sides of a snow bridge. After a brisk crossing, the trail started to climb gently through the forest between Tampakkopää and Tuiskutunturi fells. The hard trail was easy to ski.

There was clearly a break spot at the old campfire site, where a group of three Czech skiers were continuing on towards Lake Lankojärvi. They were amazed to see a woman skiing alone with a sled, "whoa that's awesome", and wished me a great trip. I took a lunch break myself, sitting on the sled.

From the campfire site, the journey continued along the river, gently curving. The day was again a flat grey, and there was nothing to photograph in the wooded river valley. But the skiing was effortless and I was in a good mood.

Encouraging and not-so-encouraging fellow hikers on ski tour

The next person I met was an elderly Finnish man coming from Lake Luirojärvi. I smiled and told him about the route to Lankojärvi, where he was going, and that I was skiing to Luirojärvi myself.

The man said unfriendly: "bad news, you've got a hell of a long way to go." And that "there was another woman skiing alone from the direction of Lake Luirojärvi, probably has to stay in a tent on the way". Then the old man went on his way.

I continued on my way, stunned. I had skied from Lake Lankojärvi in good spirits after chatting with the nice stove-tent boys and after the great good wishes of the Czech men. In my notes that evening I wrote: "What a motivational speaker, goddammit."

I preferred to think of the Czechs as I skied on. First came another solo hiker with a rucksack on his back, and halfway through a woman skiing alone with a big sled. All smiled and said hello. I bet they both made it quite well to Lankojärvi huts for the night.

Despite the cloudiness, the weather was nice and the slope was easy to ski. I passed the path that would lead to Kaavitsanlammit ponds. That was the route I had hiked on my summer hike to the fells and Vongoiva in Urho Kekkonen National Park.

After a couple of kilometres I reached the highest point of the trail stretch between Joukhaispää and Vasanlyömäpää fells, where I had planned to ski happily downhill to Lake Luirojärvi. Well, there was no slope here, of course.

It was about four kilometres from the fell saddle to the shore of Lake Luirojärvi. At the beginning of the valley you could ski downhill for a short distance, then the rest of the way was more or less flat land, with bumps, hills and ditches.

At the Livikönlammit ponds, the water flowed again in a thaw. The weather turned from light grey to dark grey and the wind became heavy. Finally, the wide open landscape of Lake Luirojärvi opened up before me.

Lake Luirojärvi - the most famous lake of Urho Kekkonen National Park

The wind had blown snow across the lake, and no faint traces of the track could be seen in the fading evening light. Outside the groove, the snow was deep and skiing was slower, so I did my best to stay on the track.

Crossing Lake Luirojärvi seemed to take forever. Sure, it was almost a couple of kilometres across the lake in a terribly chilling wind and gloomy darkening sky.

Finally I saw the light reflecting from the open wilderness hut of Lake Luirojärvi, the day's skiing was complete. I congratulated myself. Even though today's skiing was nothing compared to, say, the Porojärvi stretch of the Halti ski tour, and it was sometimes much tougher when I skied in Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park. The whole Lankojärvi - Luirojärvi skiing took 7.5 hours.

Luirojärvi open wilderness hut - Luiro's Hotel Hilton

Luirojärvi open wilderness hut is big, with enough beds for 12 people. It is also called the "Luirojärvi Hilton". The hall has a fireplace in the middle, and tables and benches on either side of it by the window.

There were three people in the wilderness hut. I went to pitch the tent, for which I first had to dig and tamp the foundations in the snow. Then I went back to the cozy dark hut to listen to the crackling of the stove and eat dinner.

Poorly slept the night before and exhausted by the day's long skiing, I went to bed at 9pm. The next day the weather should be fine and I would finally be able to ski to Sokosti.
The clock woke me up early in the morning, and I was dreaming of a picturesque sunrise at Sokosti. But, outside the sky was completely overcast and it was snowing. Disappointed, I continued sleeping until 9am.

The snowfall gradually stopped during the morning activities. There was only a couple left at the hut, with whom I chatted while eating porridge.

I heard fascinating stories of their winter hikes. It turned out that they had written a story about a mid-winter ski hike, which I had read before my own Hetta-Pallas ski hike (which had turned into a Pallas-Pahakuru-Pallas ski hike.) I got some good tips on winter hiking in the Saariselkä area.

The air started to clear and the thermometer stayed around -10C degrees. I made the decision to go to Sokosti. The tent could stay in the yard. Around noon, I had my daypack on and set off skiing towards Sokosti.

Sokosti - Saariselkä's finest day trip to the fells

The snowmobile track went past Rajankämppä open wilderness hut, where it turned towards the lake. I continued on the tracks along the summer route. Looking from the edge of the swamp, Sokosti was hidden in the mist, the outline of the fells just visible.

Before the Sokostinoja river, a wide snowmobile track crossed the landscape, probably going towards Hammaskuru. I crossed the snow bridge over Sokostinoja river and followed the faint ski tracks into the woods. In the forest the tracks eventually disappeared and I skied my own trails towards Jaurutuskuru gorge. Fortunately, the snow was not very deep.

I arrived at Jaurutuskuru gorge in the sunshine, where I could again see ski traces under the snow. I tried to watch my route on the GPS so as not to get on too steep slopes. The avalanche risk in Saariselkä was low, but the mere thought of an avalanche scared me so much that I tried to take the most gently sloping route.

Higher up, the powdery snow turned hard and icy. At some lower peak the wind became stiff and the frost seemed to get even more severe. My mobile phone went silent from the cold while I was shooting a video, and my InReach also waved to shut itself off due to the critical frost temperatures.

At first I thought, "Damn, now I missed the Sokosti summit as I don't dare to stay on the fells alone in the frost without equipment. It was already quite late. Then I decided to take a lunch break and charge my mobile phone, no matter what.

I managed to get the wires charging and the devices warm enough to work while I ate noodles. At the same time, I saw a figure on the other side of Jaurutuskuru gorge skiing towards Sokosti summit. And lower down the slope, two skiers followed in my footsteps. So no worries, just head for the top of Sokosti!

The Sokosti fell summit

The last ascent was quite steep in places. The metal edges of my fell skis came in handy on the hard icy slope. I couldn't even climb straight up, even on branching, but had to make some gentle turns.

Eventually I reached the top of Sokosti. The pile of stones at the top had turned into a pile of snow. The cottage and mast further away had been covered with a thick layer of snow.

The sky had cleared, the wind had faded away and the afternoon sun was shining in the blue sky. I skied along the top of Sokosti fell in the perfect peace of the wilderness. From the top of Sokosti, I had an incredible view of the wintry Urho Kekkonen National Park and the snowy fells of Saariselkä.

To the south, Ruotmuttipää bathed in light, to the north the white Riitelmäpäät fells against the blue sky, and far away at the end of the mountain range the magnificent Ukselmapää fell top. To the northwest rose Joukhaispää and Lupukkapää fells, and straight ahead Lake Luirojärvi with forests and fells all around.

A young man skiing on the other side of Jaurutuskuru gorge said he had come from Rajankämppä wilderness hut. We both took selfies in the most stunning winter weather at the most stunning viewpoint possible.

The sensation at the top of Sokosti was at least as good as when I was standing on top of Halti in winter. Maybe even a tiny bit better. Of course, conquering Finland's highest point in winter brought a smile to my face, but you could ski to Halti on a snowmobile track. Skiing to the top of Sokosti through snow was more exciting.

It would have been great to stay longer in the stunning scenery, but it was best to get to Luirojärvi before dark. Especially as for the first time in my life I had forgotten my headlamp.

I thanked Sokosti and set off down the sunny slope. The icy slope was a fast downhill, luckily without the sled. I headed straight towards my own tracks in the glorious evening sunshine of the Jaurutuskuru gorge.

After skiing through the forest, I arrived at a larger snowmobile track where the men from the reservation hut who had followed my tracks to Sokosti were skiing. I joined them and we skied the track back to the Luirojärvi huts as the sunset coloured the sky behind the fells. The Sokosti trip from Luirojärvi took a little over 6 hours.

This night, the open side of the wilderness hut was empty, but I had booked the Kuuselankämppä hut so that I could photograph the Northern Lights at night in peace. I waved to the reservation hut's folks that I could take a sauna after them. The sauna fee could still be paid after the trip.

I unpacked my tent, packed my stuff into the sled and headed for the Kuuselankämppä hut.

Kuuselankämppä - a hut on the shore of Lake Luirojärvi

Kuuselankämppä hut is a four-persons cabin on the shore of Lake Luirojärvi. The spacious cabin has a stove in one corner, a kitchenette on the other wall and lots of pots and pans. There are benches and a table by the window and a candle-lit chandelier. A platform on the back wall can accommodate four mattresses side by side.

I occasionally went outside to see if the Northern Lights were visible and if the sauna was free. There was only the moon in the sky and the sauna was occupied forever. While I was waiting for these, I couldn't even settle down to make pancakes.

Lake Luirojärvi's sauna and the Northern Lights

I didn't get to the sauna until a little before midnight. Outside, the frost dropped below thirty and the sauna floor glowed with cold. The big sauna wasn't very warm either.

I quickly threw some wood into the stove, but I don't know if it was of any use. The floor was icy and slippery. The sauna smelt of strong hiker's sweat and week-old woollen socks.

I had to fetch more washing water from the lake. The hole had already been blocked by the frost, so I went back looking for the auger in the sauna. There was none, so a big axe would have to do.

Finally, I lit a couple of candles and hung a headlamp from a nail in the wall so I could get up on the deck. In spite of everything, the gentle steam soothed the soul and body of the wanderer, and it was good to wash up.

Outside, the full moon beautifully illuminated the sauna building on Lake Luirojärvi. And the Northern Lights came over Lake Luirojärvi, too. I photographed for awhile in the frost and then went to my cabin for dinner.

I went to bed thinking about my incredible day: Sokosti summit in the gorgeous March sun, fascinating winter hiking stories, a sauna by Lake Luirojärvi, dinner in a wilderness cabin, and the Northern Lights over Lake Luirojärvi. Like from a movie.

Experiences like this make it so worth pulling a heavy sled behind you!

Skiing from Lake Luirojärvi to Tuiskukuru hut

It's hard to set off for the day's hike early when the rental period is until noon. Especially when all you can see outside is a thick snowdrift. Today I would only ski under 10 km to Tuiskukuru, so it would be a relaxing day.

I followed the snowmobile track to the Lake Luirojärvi summer wading spot, where I met the two men from the reservation hut. We chatted for a while before I continued my journey to the sweaty Luusuanvaara hill climb.

In the snow and dense forest on a cloudy day, there wasn't much to photograph. But it didn't matter. It was atmospheric skiing with just the rustle of skis and sled breaking the silence of the forest.

From my summer Lake Luirojärvi hike, I remembered the long and steep slopes of Luusuanvaara hill. I tried to listen for the sound of the snowmobile so that I could move the sled aside if necessary. In a deep groove, it would not be possible so quickly.

The higher I climbed, the whiter the trees grew. The snowing stopped, and above, the clouds gave way to a blue sky. Just as the uphill slope was left behind and the Ampupäät fells could be seen ahead of me, the sun finally appeared.

There was a long clearing between the Luusuanvaara hill and the Ampupäät fells. A couple of snowmobiles whizzed past me in the clearing, where passing was easy. On the map, the clearing and the bypass of Ampupäät looked short, but on the spot the skiing seemed to take forever.

Ampupäät fells

I took a lunch break in the clearing before the uphill. The ascent to the saddle between Ampupäät fells and Ampukankaanvaara hill was easier than the ascent to Luusuanvaara, but there were a couple of tricky bends on this section too.

Looking down from the upper slope, the scenery behind looked enormously beautiful in the late afternoon sun. A lone reindeer was walking slowly in the deep slope, nibbling at the branches of the curly fell birch trees.

It felt a little wistful - was it already time to leave Saariselkä and Urho Kekkonen National Park behind me?

Finally, I reached the saddle between Ampupäät and Ampukankaanvaara, where there was steady pacing for about a kilometre. If the scenery behind was spectacular, so was the scenery ahead.

The glowing orange March evening sun dyed the Pikkutunturi and Tuiskutunturi fells in gold in front of me. The landscape with its crown-snow fir trees looked like something out of a fairy tale! I skied downhilll a kilometre with my camera ready to snap photos of the fells.

On the last stretch through the forest, the sun was setting. I was met by a couple on a skiing trip with sleds, perhaps still on their way to Lake Luirojärvi for the evening. It took 5h 20min from Kuuselankämppä hut to Tuiskukuru open wilderness hut.

Tuiskukuru

Smoke was rising from the chimney of Tuiskukuru hut. A nice couple who had a lot of hiking experience were having dinner in the hut. We chatted about the trails and the weather during the evening, and some of the conversation made me feel like I might recognize them.

The frost had picked up to almost thirty again, and the warmth of the hut was enticing. Maybe this time I could sleep in a hut next to other folks.

There are sleeping places for eight in Tuiskukuru hut. Fortunately, there was a free space next to the stove and the small window, where I would have spread my sleeping bag even if the room had been empty.

I went to fetch more water to boil. The Tuiskujoki River was mostly frozen, and it was difficult to descend the steep bank with a bucket. I slipped on the edge of the ice, but survived the water-fetching trip without getting wet.

After dinner, I sneaked out to the dry toilet and to the yard a couple of times to see if there were any green beauties in the sky. But it was cloudy and there were no Northern Lights. I read a crime novel inside my sleeping bag wearing a headlamp until I fell asleep.

The couple got up for their morning activities when it was still dark outside, I just turned my back probably snoring. I then wished them a pleasant adventure while I made my own morning porridge. At the same time, I boiled all the thermoses full of new hot water.

It was snowing again outside. I packed my gear into my sled and cleaned up the cabin. I wrote my greetings in the guest book and noticed the couple's inscription - I had quessed right.

I would spend the last night of my skiing trip in the reservation hut of Tammakkolampi. As the route to the hut past the Kopsusnokat fell was a bit of a mystery, I set off at 9am.

Skiing from Tuiskukuru to Tammakkolampi hut

I skied the track following the summer route towards Tuiskujoki River, which I crossed on a snow bridge. Immediately after the crossing I had to do some branching in a very steep hill. Fortunately, the really steep hill turned into a steep hill pretty quickly.

The snowing stopped and at the same time the air cleared. The ascent of almost 400 metres to the Pikkutunturi fell felt like Luusuanvaara II. After a kilometre and a half, the climb eased into a flat terrain, and then slowly turned into a descent.

Vintilätunturi fell loomed ahead, and it would be almost four kilometres of skiing to its foot. In summer, there is open moorland between the Pikkutunturi and the Solustamaselkä fells, now a wide clearing of white. The snowmobile track running through the clearing was full of soft snow. I left my tracks in it for a moment.

Vintilätunturi fell

It was quiet on this leg, as it was yesterday. I passed Vintilätunturi fell on its southern side, following the same route as on my summer hike. On the left side, the Nattaset fells stood out sharp and white-tipped. A couple of groups of a few people with their sleds passed by, and we chatted briefly in English.

The descent towards Suomujoki river starts quite soon between Vintilävaara and Vintilätunturi. The descent from Vintilätunturi with a sled had been a bit of a worry beforehand, but it was pretty easy in the end. The only thing was that the sled sometimes tried to descend faster than the skier.

But the last descent before Aitalampi pond was too much. I maybe could have go downhill skiing with a rope-pulled sled, had it not been for the pine trees growing on both sides of the narrow track. There was nothing to do but take off my skis, put them on top of the ski bag, and walk down the hill behind the sled.

The last 500 metres were skiing on gently sloping terrain to the campfire site. In winter, there was nothing of interest at the Aitalampi campfire site, so I continued on my way. Although I guess the Aitalampi campfire site has been removed for the summer too.

A long and nasty branching awaited me on the slope of Mukkavaara hill. After that, I could ski easily on the flat land towards Suomunruoktu.

From Suomunruoktu's old cabin to Tammakkolampi hut was only a three-kilometre ski from the south side of Kopsusnokat fell top, if you could only ski from there. First I had to survive the rather wild descent down to Suomujoki river. Judging by the tracks, other skiers had also descended the slope.

I made it to the riverbank without falling. The snowfall started again as I searched for a snow bridge over the Suomujoki River.

Suomunruoktu old cabin

About 100 meters before the current Suomunruoktu open wilderness hut is Suomu's old cottage. Suomunruoktu's old hut was probably built as a gold miners' sauna in the 1930s. Suomu cabin was Saariselkä's first camping hut. With the construction of new cabins, the hut fell into disrepair and is now just a museum attraction.

The summer hiking trail to Tammakkolampi pond runs directly over the Kopsusnokat fell top. In winter, it would probably be easiest to go around the lower slopes, although the terrain on the south side seemed rather lumpy. The first question mark was the crossing of the stream running from Kopsusnokat fell.

I battled my way in the snow to the banks of the Suomujoki River. It was tough with the sled, it turned on its side a few times. After surviving the snow bank, I found an old ski trail, which I followed to the left, where I wanted to go. The skiing seemed surprisingly easy, but only for a moment.

Then the hellish scrambling started. The forest was full of small hills with deep snow. Fortunately, it was a short journey. Or it would have been, if the stream from Kopsusnokat had been able to be crossed.

The stream flowed melting between the high snow banks. Not a snow bridge in sight. The snowfall intensified as I scrutinised the map and tried to think of a suitable route to Tammakkolampi hut.

Getting past Kopsusnokat fell top

I decided to go around Kopsusnokat fell top from the north side, because the terrain to the south was such hilly forest all the way. The first task was still to cross the creek, so I started skiing up the creek side.

There were faint ski tracks ahead of me, so this route would probably get me somewhere. However, the snow bank was quite deep and the slope was steep. The sled turned on its side a few times and I had to scramble in snow to save it from rolling downhill into the creek.

The journey slowed down and got extremely heavy. A small glimmer of desperation came over me and I was already weighing up my options if the progress continued at this slow pace and my strength began to run out. I could pack my essential gear, leave the sled in the forest and ski to the hut.

I cherished the idea in my mind, in the same way that I sometimes cherish a poster of an eagle flying over the mountains that reads "You can always quit", when having an undesirable job. And all the while I scrambled forward, one metre at a time, as the sled scooped up tons of snow.

I finally made it across the creek and continued to follow the old tracks through the woods. The slope climbed towards the saddle of the Kopsusnokat and Kopsuspäät fell tops. Sometimes I had to climb sideways in soft snow, where branching was not possible. But just like that, I dragged my sled to the saddle, and the snowfall slowly subsided. Go girl!

The last stage involved some rapid descents down rocky slopes in a maze of forest. I tried to ski downhill carefully and steer the sled in places, so that it didn't accidentally go the wrong way around the tree trunks.

The final descent to the Tammakkolampi hut was also a fast one. I made it to the hut by dusk.

From Suomu's old cabin to Tammakkolampi hut took more than two and a half hours. The skiing from Tuiskukuru hut to Tammakkolampi hut was the longest stage of the whole skiing trip, 8.5 hours.

Tammakkolampi reservation hut

The Tammakkolampi reservation hut is located on the shore of Kopsuslampi pond, or Tammakkolampi pond, on the west side of the Kopsusnokat fell top. The hut can be rented all year round, but it is not accessible during mud season.

The hut has a stove and a gas-fired cooking corner, a few stools and mattresses for two people. The room height is so low that not many people can stand up straight. Standing bowing down and banging your head against the ceiling was the only downside.

There are frequently visitors in the hut and it was not freezing cold. But I put a fire in the stove right away to get warm after a long day's hard work. I also got rid of sweaty clothes and made hot drinks and ate biscuits while curled up on the mattress.

In the evening, the sky cleared, with stars in sight. I set up my camera for the Northern Lights, as it would finally be a nice place to take Aurora photos. Unfortunately, no Northern Lights appeared in the sky.

In the evening I made some popcorn in a pot on the stove. Reading the visitor book while lying on the mattress won out over my novel. Somewhere along the way, sleep won out over peering at the Northern Lights through a tiny window.

In the morning, the hut was cool. I set a fire in the stove and made finally pancakes. The pancakes were topped with the classics: brown cheese brought from Norway and homemade apple jam. After the pancakes, it was time to clean the small hut and pack the sled for the last leg of the ski tour.

The sun was already shining brightly around eleven o'clock, and the glowing snow dazzled my eyes as I skied down to the ice of Tammakkolampi pond with my sled. It would have been nice to set up a stool next to the waterhole and sit down to fish. Maybe someday.

For a while I stood on the ice and watched the small cabin hidden in the edge of the forest. The wistfulness of departure felt like detachment. As if I had belonged to something until now, but no longer.

Skiing from Lake Kopsusjärvi to Teräväkivenpää fell

I skied in the spring sunshine to Lake Kopsusjärvi. There was a fireplace and a wood shed on the shore and a sign telling about the history of the Lake Kopsusjärvi area. The shores and ridges of Lake Kopsusjärvi and Tammakkolampi pond have been inhabited since prehistoric times, with more than 20 deer hunting pits found.

A snowmobile track run across the lake, but it seemed to go in the wrong direction. Fortunately, I didn't descend from the high bank down to the lake. The right track went immediately from the edge of the Tammakkolampi pond to the right up the slope.

My original plan was to ski over Kopsusselkä, Kopsuspäät and Teräväkivenpää fells to Kiilopää, but the thought of dragging my sled back to Kopsusnokat made me feel powerless. The snowmobile track along the Kopsusoja river was more appealing.

I skied the Kopsusvanka valley for about three kilometres and passed the bigger fork of the Kopsusoja river. Shortly after, I turned right to cross a clearing where the ditch beds were no longer visible and the crossing was easy. The snow was hard and carried me well as I headed towards Teräväkivenpäät fell.

I followed the path shown on the map, which would lead to the buildings higher up the slope. The bushy slope was a bit deep in places, but for the most part I was able to make my way without any problems.

The grey buildings were obviously some sort of storage buildings, no sign of any traces on the slopes. I aimed for as straight a route as possible to the top, where the snow would be harder. As I climbed above the bushes and trees, the snow surface became icy and quicker to ski.

Teräväkivenpää fell

From Teräväkivenpää fell top, I had stunning views of the Kopsuspäät and the Raututunturi fells and Urho Kekkonen National Park, where the snow-capped fells undulated. Could you imagine, I was adventuring somewhere out there just a few moments ago. I was happy with my choice of route over the fells.

At the same time, the calm and sunny weather gave way to a biting wind and a thick cloud cover. I was just crossing the fell top of Teräväkivenpää, and had to dig out my fleece shirt and ski goggles from my bag and pull my hood up tight. The chill was pounding the loose snow on the ice at a furious pace.

Again, extra strength was needed. I skied a gentle curve and tried to keep the wind on my side. Above the Urho Kekkonen National Park, the sky looked dark. The snowmobile track to Suomunruoktu stood out as a white ribbon below.

Finally, the top of Terävänkivenpää fell leaned towards Niilanpää day hut. Ahead lay the wild descents down from the fells. This time I skied downhill with the sled gliding alongside.

From the valley I still had to climb up in the slightly slushy snow and towards the summer hiking trail. The snow was already hard enough before the snowmobile track, so I curved straight towards Niilanpää's day hut.

From Tammakkolampi hut to Niilanpää day hut was a ten kilometre trip over the fells, which took me six hours. At the cabin I met a couple who were just leaving for a skiing tour. The weather forecast promised miserable and even worse weather for the following days.

In the cottage, heated by the fireplace, it was good to have a proper meal. I had dreamed of having lunch on the fellside, sitting in the sun, but a sudden storm had prevented it and I was starving.

The end of the ski tour - Northern Lights at Kiilopää

As nice as it would have been to stay at the Niilapää day hut, I had to pack my stuff into the sled bag once more. The storm stopped as quickly as it had come, the air cleared again.
The mist began to descend as I left Niilanpää and headed towards Kiilopää along the wide cross-country skiing trail. The sky and the ground turned dark blue, only the lingering orange of the setting sun showing the way to Kiilopää.

The descent was quickly skied, and I arrived at the gate of the Kiilopää fell station. The last leg from Niilanpää to Kiilopää took a little over an hour.

As I loaded my skiing equipment into my car, the Northern Lights appeared in the sky. How is it that they often happen on the day of departure or arrival, when you're sitting in your car or standing in a parking lot?

Thank you Sokosti, Saariselkä and Urho Kekkonen National Park - it was fun and see you again soon!