Safety

To fully enjoy your experience in nature, you should plan your excursion carefully and find out about the local conditions. The most important equipment when hiking are a knife, matches, a map and compass. They should be taken along even on the shortest day trips in addition to food and drink.

You can practise hiking on day trips. When you wish to try hiking outside marked trails, going out with someone more experienced is a good idea.
The area has a dense trail network. While the trails are marked in the forest, you should get a suitable map to avoid confusing the different trail options.
You should not head out on long excursions without navigation and hiking skills. You should also note that many trails in this area have significant height differences, which makes them more demanding.
Late winter is a popular time for excursions, but you will also need appropriate gear during this season. You should not leave the managed track network if you do not have special skis designed for this purpose!
Winter excursions are demanding. You need to prepare for harsh weather and short day length, as the temperature may drop below -40 degrees, and you only get a few hours of daylight during the polar night. The wind chill factor will make sub-zero temperatures considerably more difficult to sustain. You will also need more energy in very cold temperatures.
You should be careful when following snowmobile tracks. They do not necessarily lead to where you are going. Getting lost is always dangerous in winter.
In ravines, you may run the risk of an avalanche.
You should avoid going out alone. In an emergency, the help of a fellow hiker is invaluable.
Forest roads are not maintained in winter, which is why you should select one of the National Park's official parking areas as the starting point of your excursion: Salla Wilderness Park, the Ski Resort or the Northern slopes.
Remember to always carry a first-aid kit. If you face an emergency on your hike, e.g. get lost, get injured or observe wildfire, call 112 and report an emergency. Read more about 112 Suomi mobile application (112.fi).
Mobile phone coverage varies in Salla National Park. You can check your own mobile operator’s coverage map before your trip.

Seasons

It is important to familiarise yourself with the destination in advance and prepare carefully for your excursion. Staying on the trail and keeping an eye on weather forecasts make for a successful trip. You should get hold of Sallatunturi outdoor map before heading out.

Summer usually only begins around mid-June once the frozen ground has thawed out and warmed up. The mosquitoes hatch around Midsummer.
Autumn colours in Salla usually emerge in mid-September and go on until early October, after which time the first sub-zero temperatures cause the leaves to fall off trees. An autumn storm can sometimes pull the leaves off earlier.
The first snow in winter usually falls around mid-October, and the snow accumulation in an average winter is 85 cm. The winter in Koillismaa is harsh due to very low temperatures and the heavy snow cover. We only recommend winter excursions for the most experienced outdoor enthusiasts. The lowest temperatures measured in Naruska, Salla have reached below -50 degrees C. You should remember that the wind chill factor will make sub-zero temperatures considerably more difficult to sustain. You also need more energy in cold weather, and you should account for this when packing your food supplies. You should note that on winter hikes, you will travel considerably more slowly than in the snow-free season, on average 1.5 km/h. You should also check carefully the length of daylight hours (moisio.fi) before heading out. The day length is at its shortest around the winter solstice (21 December), at which time there is 1 hour and 47 minutes of daylight in Salla. The sun rises at 11:10 and sets at 12:57.
Spring usually comes to Koillismaa in the last week of April as the days grow longer. Spring floods usually start in mid-May, and the flood waters will normally have receded by early June.

Peak seasons

The peak times for excursions in the National Park are the skiing season from Christmas till March and the hiking season in summer and autumn.

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