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Looking for the best winter hiking destinations in Eastern Lapland? Here are Metsähallitus’ outdoor experts’ tips for walking, skiing, snowshoeing and campfire sites in Pyhä-Luosto and Salla national parks.
In Eastern Lapland, winter brings deep snow, so the safest choice is to use maintained winter walking or fatbiking trails. It’s always worth checking the weather forecast before heading out – even maintained routes can occasionally become snow-covered or slippery.
In Pyhä-Luosto National Park, several winter trails are maintained for fatbiking, snowshoeing, and walking. In early winter, once there is enough snow, the routes are marked in the terrain with blue poles, and trail grooming begins. Trails are groomed about once a week at the start of the season and more frequently during the busy late-winter period.
In Salla National Park and its surroundings, local businesses maintain winter walking routes and fatbiking trails groomed by snowmobile. These routes are compiled in the Salla ski and winter outdoor map (visitsalla.fi). Trail maintenance updates are posted by the operators in Salla’s free InfoGIS service (infogis.fi, in finnish).
In Pyhä-Luosto, machine‑groomed cross‑country ski tracks can be found both inside the national park and in the surrounding areas. The trails are suitable for both classic and skate skiing. Grooming begins gradually as natural snow conditions allow, and the full trail network is typically open by week 8. In Pyhä, the early‑season skiing trail is prepared using man‑made snow once temperatures are cold enough.
Salla National Park and its surrounding areas also offer an extensive ski track network suitable for both classic and skate skiing. Trails are opened as natural snow accumulates. The trails and their maintenance principles are presented in the Salla ski and winter outdoor map (visitsalla.fi).
Near the village of Luosto, close to Pyhä-Luosto National Park, you’ll find several campfire sites maintained by Metsähallitus, all within a short walking distance from parking areas:
Salla has several built Nature Observation Points (visitsalla.fi) that are easy to reach even in winter and offer sheltered places to watch natural phenomena such as the northern lights. These sites are maintained by the municipality of Salla.
We recommend using marked winter trails for snowshoeing.
In Pyhä-Luosto National Park, snowshoeing trails are marked in the terrain with blue poles once there is enough snow.
In Salla, snowshoeing routes are also marked in the terrain with blue poles.
In Pyhä-Luosto, you should not enter the Isokuru Gorge in winter, as the avalanche risk in the gorge is high. The Karhunjuomalampi Trail that passes through Isokuru is open only from summer to autumn. In both Pyhä-Luosto and Salla, many summer trails are replaced by cross‑country ski tracks in winter, and these tracks are for skiing only.
