Winter is a great time to go hiking. Sometimes, it is just hiking in cold, when the trails are free of snow and ice. Sometimes, winter hiking is enjoying snow drifts and freezing temperature. With the right gear and mindset, you are ready for amazing winter experiences.

Winter hiking requires a bit more preparing than hiking in summer, when you can just throw on your hiking shoes and head to the woods. Once you get the basics right and have confidence to try winter hiking for the first time, you may find the magic and fun of winter outdoors.

In this blog post you will find everything you need to know for wintry excursions and hiking in snow. Here are my best tips to stay warm and safe in the Northern Latitudes (and in any other winter wonderland as well)!

Where to go hiking in winter in Finland – national parks

There are 41 national parks in Finland offering the most beautiful hiking trails in the country. Oftentimes, you can find also really nice trails close to the national parks’ boundaries.

• Some of the national parks in Finland are great for summer hiking, but not recommended in winter. Check the nationalparks.fi website to find all the winter trails and maps in Finland’s national parks.
• You can find great winter trails near Helsinki in Sipoonkorpi and in Nuuksio National Parks. I have also written about winter trails in Koli National Park, Syöte National Park, and in Pyhä-Luosto area: Soutaja fell, Pyhä peak experience, and Karhunjuomalampi. And ski tours in Lapland: Ski tour in Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park and Ski tour in Käsivarsi Wilderness and Halti Summit.
• Winter is great time for Aurora hunting, especially in Lapland. There’s a tiny chance to see the beautiful Northern Lights in the Central Finland, and a really tiny chance to see them in the Southern Finland.

General tips for winter hiking

If you are used to hiking in summer and planning your hikes’ pace, duration and distance on a map, you need to adjust the plan in winter. You move at slower pace in snow, so hiking in winter takes longer time than hiking in summer.

• If you are a beginner in hiking, choose only marked trails. Ice and snow can make a trail difficult to hike in winter.
• A trail may look easy and short on the map, but the hike may be challenging and take a long time in snow and ice. Don’t overestimate your speed when planning the route. You don’t want to be stuck in the forest or in the fells in the dark especially if the weather gets bad. So, hit the trails early in the morning.
• The most popular trails in national parks and nature areas are usually easy to hike, and someone has already gone there before you. But if you seek solitude and go for more random trails, you may have to break trail. If there’s a lot of snow and you have to break trail, it’ll take much more time. Plan accordingly.
• It’s nice to stop for a rest and lunch when you have a bench or a table and shelter from the wind and snow. But, if you stop for a long time, you get cold. Plan the hike so that you’ll have a fireplace, lean-to shelter or an open wilderness hut nearby when you take a break.
• Mobile phones and other technical devices may not work in very cold weather. Pack a full-charged mobile phone inside your jacket and keep it warm. Put your mobile phone to airplane mode to save battery.

What to wear for winter hiking

The most important thing about dressing for winter hiking is to stay warm and dry. It is OK to feel a bit cold sometimes, but you should avoid sweating, as it will make you really cold.

• Choose the right materials: wool, merino wool, technical or fleece. Avoid any cotton clothes during winter (not optimal for summer hiking either!)
• Dress in layers. When wearing layers, you can easily put on more clothes when you feel cold and take off layers when you feel too warm.
• Base layer wicks perspiration away from your skin. Choose light merino wool or technical. Both are comfortable and quick drying, but merino is my favorite because it never smells bad. For extreme cold weather, having two layers of underwear is fine.
• Mid layer insulates so that the cold can’t reach you. Take e.g., fleece pullover and pants.
• Outer/shell layer protects from wind and moist. For crisp weather and sporty winter hikes a soft-shell jacket and pants are perfect. But when it rains, a waterproof shell jacket is the best option. The winter in Southern Finland is oftentimes milder than in Lapland, and the weather may also be very wet.
• For day hikes in freezing temperatures, an Icelandic wool sweater is perfect. It works as a mid and shell layer: the wool is warm, breathing and feels dry even if it’s drizzling!
• According to weather, choose either light or warm beanie and gloves. Merino wool tube scarfs are great for covering your neck and face. In freezing temperatures, a balaclava will keep you warm and protect from wind.
• Socks: use thin liner socks and thick wool socks on top of them.
• Take warm clothes for breaks. You may be comfortable hiking or snowshoeing in a soft-shell jacket or a wool sweater as you stay warm as long as you move. But when you stop, you cool down fast and the moist on your skin makes you feel cold. Carry a light down coat or a warm down coat (and down pants/skirt) for breaks, according to the weather.
• Winter hiking shoes: a good insulation is a must in the Nordic conditions. The temperature may go down to -40°C (-40°F) degrees in Lapland. Consider extra toe warmers or thermal insoles if you hike in very cold weather conditions. Waterproof shoes are a good choice to hiking in snow, as you don’t want to get your socks wet. Winter hiking shoes should be big enough to wear thick socks or liner socks and thick wool socks without getting too snug.

Other essential gear on winter hikes

• Pack a headtorch and extra batteries. The days are short in winter, and if you overestimate your speed, you may still be on trails when the sun sets.
• Take a small cell foam sheet to sit warm and comfortable on breaks.
• While it may be maximum of one hour of daylight in Finland in the mid-winter, you need sunglasses in winter hikes when the days get longer in January. The sunrays reflect from snow or ice and may harm you sight.
• Always have a paper map and a compass and know how to use them.
• Remember to pack also a first aid kit. A space blanket is a tiny product, that may save you from hypothermia.

By foot or by snowshoes

Snowshoeing is a great way to hike off the beaten path! They take you through snow drifts and in the silence of a snowy forest. Sliding snowshoes have also become really popular to enjoy winter outdoors.

• If there’s under 30 cm (11 in) of snow, hiking just by foot may be a better option. Snowshoes are great in a forest when there’s a lot of snow. But, if the temperature is near zero °C (32°F), the wet snow gathers to the bottoms of your snowshoes, which will make snowshoeing a daunting task, especially if you have a heavy backpack.
• If you choose popular trails and someone has been there before you, it may be better to hike without snowshoes.
• By foot: use crampons or light traction devices on top of your hiking shoes if the trails are icy or there are a lot of hills.
• Whether you hike with snowshoes or by foot, winter hiking poles are a great help.
• Winter hiking by skiing with a sled, with backcountry skis, fell skis, forest skis or sliding snowshoes, is also an option. Skiing is especially popular on longer and overnight winter trips. If you go into wilderness where there are no huts, it becomes a bit more advanced (I cover this topic in another post!).

Food and water on winter hike

When the temperature gets very cold, everything eventually freezes: your water bottles, chocolate bars, buns, all hard as a rock. For shorter day hikes, food and water is not an issue, but for longer and over night trips, you need more skills with your kitchen on trails.

• Wide-mouth bottles work slightly better than narrow ones, but they get frozen too. Water in a plastic bottle starts freezing as soon as you open the bottle for the first time in a cold weather. If you don’t open the bottle, it gets longer to freeze. Wrap your water bottle in a wool sock before packing it to your backpack.
• If you use a hydration pack, choose one with an insulation hose.
• Use a big thermos for winter hikes. Fill the thermos with boiling water before you go, or make ready hot chocolate, tea or your favorite juice. Use a wide-mouth thermos for food (e.g., soup) and make your dinner ready before you go.
• Snacks that don’t contain much water are best in winter hikes. Take e.g., dried nuts and berries, not smoothies. If you’ve got bread or chocolate bars, put them inside your jacket while you are hiking, and by the time you reach a place for resting, they’ll be soft and nice to eat.
• Exercising in winter burns more calories, bring enough food to stay nourished.
• A Finnish way to enjoy a winter hike is by grilling sausages on a campfire. Why not include a stop by a fireplace – sausages can also be vegan. Don’t forget to take matches (better than a lighter) in a waterproof bag too.
• Remember to stay hydrated. You are probably not as thirsty as during a summer hike, but you still need to drink enough as you are exercising, and your body needs electrolytes to function. When you feel thirsty in winter, you are already dehydrated.
• Take a stove and winter gas (down to max -15°C to -20°C / 5°F to -4°F) if you are going for an overnight trip e.g., to an open wilderness hut or Lappish hut. There are facilities for cooking with gas in open wilderness huts, and fireplaces in Lappish huts. Check in advance. You need to make water from snow on longer trips. Winter backpacking in wilderness without huts requires a gasoline stove or a multi fuel stove and fuel, and gear for winter camping – and skills to use them.

Winter hiking safety tips

Safety on hikes is important year-round, but in winter, there are more risks. You need to know the weather and snow conditions in advance. When winter hiking in the fells in Lapland, you should also check the risk for avalanche and see the map for restricted areas during winter. If you go to the mountains in other Nordic countries, mountain safety is yet another story.

Weather and winter hiking

• The weather conditions can change suddenly especially in the fells in Lapland, but it’s good to be prepared for weather changes anywhere when you go hiking in winter. Sudden blizzard may cover the trails and wipe all the trail marks and traces away. If you have relied on someone’s footsteps, they may be fast gone in front of you and make it difficult to find your way back.
• Visibility may be reduced drastically because of blizzard and clouds, and all you can see is white. It’s easy to lose orientation in whiteout when you can’t see any distinct shapes of the terrain and compare it with your map, which makes your map and compass useless. You have to decide if you need to turn back, or if you are sure you can reach the destination (such as a hut or lean-to shelter).
• Know the waters: not all streams get iced during the winter, and the ice may be too thin to carry your weight. Check the ice and snow situation carefully e.g., from the national park visitor centre. If you are going to hike on iced lake, you should have spikes and rope with you. If you are hiking solo, you should avoid any risks of ice travel.
• Pay attention to wind conditions. Hard wind makes the weather much colder and increases the risk of hypothermia and frostbite.
• If you are an unexperienced winter hiker, do not go hiking when it is freezing cold or foggy, or when it is snowing a lot or there are blizzards arriving. Stay away from avalanche risk areas.

Hypothermia – know the warning signs

What is hypothermia? Hypothermia occurs when your body loses heat faster than it is able to produce heat. It is a medical condition where the body temperature falls below 35°C (95°F) usually due to exposure to cold weather or immersion in cold water. If untreated, hypothermia may lead to heart and respiratory system failure.

Common causes:

• Not wearing warm enough clothes for the weather
• Being in wet clothes in cold (e.g., falling into the water)
• Being in the cold too long

The symptoms are mild, moderate or severe, and they include:

• Shivering
• Shallow breathing, weak pulse
• Lack of coordination
• Slurred speech, confusion
• Tiredness and very low energy level
• Loss of consciousness

Oftentimes, a person with hypothermia is not aware of the condition, as the symptoms appear gradually. Confusion prevents logical thinking, which may lead to risk-taking.

Avalanche risk

Be aware of avalanche risk. In Finland, we don’t have mountains, but in the great fell areas in Lapland, we have avalanches. Check the avalanche warnings before your hike at Finnish Meteorological Institute’s website and ask for guidance from a nature centre or skiing resort. When winter hiking in the mountains in the Nordic Countries, you should know avalanche basics:

• You should know different kinds of avalanches and be able to identify unstable snow conditions
• You should not take any risks when hiking on snow or ice
• If you see other footprints going along a trail or on some slopes, it doesn’t mean the path is safe
• Being safe is more important than reaching the destination – turn around if something seems not right
• If you plan to hike regularly in areas with high risk of avalanche, you should educate yourself on special avalanche courses.

Winter hiking solo

You can go solo hiking during winter, though it is not usually recommended. Practice solo hiking first during summertime.

• Especially during longer winter hikes, it’s essential to know how all your equipment work. Make sure that they really work before you go.
• Use bright colored clothes. Have at least a colorful backpack, beanie or a jacket, so that you are easily recognized from afar, in a case of emergency.
• If you go winter hiking alone, stay on marked trails. It’s a good idea to go winter hiking to trails that you already know from your summer and autumn hikes. If you can’t find the next signpost, turn around. Being safe is more important than reaching the destination.
• If you are going solo on more advanced destinations, consider having a satellite communication device. Especially in the Northern Finland and in wilderness areas the mobile network coverage may be minimal.
• Prepare for worse weather and have a safety plan if you get lost. Take the risk of hypothermia seriously especially, if you have a medical condition that affect your body’s ability to regulate body temperature.

Always inform someone of your route and schedule, even if you are going winter hiking with someone and just for a day trip or heading to an open wilderness hut for a night.

I hope this guide has helped you to plan your next exciting winter hike. Pack your backpack with your favorite hot drink, snacks and warm clothes, and enjoy the crisp air in beautiful nature!