Rukan-Valtavaaran alueen vaarat ovat jäänteitä muinaisesta svekokarjalaisesta vuoristosta, jota ajan hammas on kuluttanut säästäen ainoastaan kovimmista kivilajeista koostuvan osan. Ruka-Valtavaaran vaaraketjusta löytyvät Kuusamon korkeimmat vaarat, Valtavaara yltää 492 metrin korkeuteen.

The hill chain of Ruka is part of the extensive schist belt of Kuusamo, which was created from sands, silts, lime mud and various volcanic products, including lava and ash deposited on top of the older gneissic complex. The movements of the Earth’s crust crushed these deposits and formed complex fold structures as the Svecokarelian mountains took shape.
Today, the main rock type of the highest hills is erosion-resistant quartzite, which originated as shoreline sands deposited on top of lava layers built up by large-scale volcanic activity. Over millennia, erosion has revealed the sediments at the roots of an ancient mountain range.
The best-known cave in the area is called Pirunkirkko. This cave in the cliff face of Juhannuskallio is around five metres long and two metres high. It was created as a fracture in the clean quartzites of the quartzite formation when the mountains were folding. The cave walls originally had plenty of quartz crystals formed from various solutions.
In the stones of the steep, rocky slope of Ahmakallio at Valtavaara, you can see signs of the waves of the ancient sea crashing against the shore.
The range of hills running from southwest to northeast was formed against the ice flow direction during the Ice Age. The eastern slopes are considerably more gentle and covered by loose soil types, whereas the western slopes are often steep and smooth vertical rocks.

The hills of the Nature Reserve (Konttainen, Valtavaara and Pyhävaara) have been deemed highly valuable rock outcrops. Signs of geological phases going back to millennia can be seen on all day trails, and especially Valtavaaran huiputus Trail.

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