Hiking & outdoor recreationLength9,5 km
Duration(3-6 h)
Degree of difficultyMedium
The nature of Kivitunturi captivates with its wilderness beauty and surprises with its diversity. The nature trail leads hikers across ravines and landscapes shaped by the Ice Age, dives into dense spruce forests and stream valleys, and ascends to breathtaking panoramic views. The nature trail consists of two partly overlapping loops: you can take only the short trail of medium difficulty, 5.9 km long, or continue on to the more demanding long trail via Sotsonportti, making the total length of the trip 9.5 km. The trail features elevation changes, stairs, and rocky sections, making sturdy footwear highly recommended. Along the way, two cooking shelters and a lean-to shelter provide resting spots for a refreshing break at different stages of the hike.
- Diverse fell and forest nature of Eastern Lapland
- Ravines, distant landscapes, traces of the Ice Age
- Information boards about the geological history and nature of the area
- The short route of the nature trail (5.9 km) has red markings on trees or poles
- The long route of the nature trail (9.5 km) has yellow markings on trees or poles
Circle trailThe recommended direction of travel is clockwise.
The trail can only be used during the snow-free seasonThere is no winter maintenance on the trail or on the Kivitunturintie road leading to the starting point.
Campfire siteAlways check for any wildfire warnings in effect before making a fire.
Camping permittedCamp in the vicinity of marked rest areas.
Dry toiletRemember to bring toilet paper.
Remember to bring a trash bagThere are no waste bins on the trail. Bring along your own trash bag and take your waste out with you when leaving.
No water point
Contact information
Starting pointKivitunturi parking area
The Kivitunturi Nature Trail consists of two overlapping routes: a 5.9 km short trail, marked with red, and a 9.5 km long trail via Sotsonportti, marked with yellow. The trails start together as a wide, gravel path through the forest.
About 60 meters from the starting point, you reach the Kivitunturi cooking shelter. There is also a woodshed and a dry toilet.
In wetter areas, the gravel path transitions to wooden duckboards, surrounded by spruce trees draped in beard lichen. 500 meters from the starting point, a signposted junction marks the start of the loop section of the trails. The trail can be followed in either direction; the trail description and the recommended direction is clockwise and you turn left toward Pirunkuru.
The trail runs alongside the fell, mostly as a gravel path, with duckboards in wetter sections. Soon, you reach a lush creek hollow. There are several such hollows along the entire trail. The hollows and ravines in the area have herbaceous plants typically found in creek hollows, such as the lady fern, the rare Alpine blue-sow-thistle and Arctic sweet coltsfoot.
As the trail ascends, the rocky terrain of the fell becomes visible. Quartzite, which is the main type of rock found in Kivitunturi, was formed 2,400 million years ago. Quartzite was originally sand deposited on the shore of an ancient ocean from a massive continental landmass in the east.
From the Kettukumpu scenic viewpoint, you can see Vasatunturi Fell, and on clear days, even the Pyhätunturi Fell peaks, over 50 km away. The descent from Kettukumpu includes 30-meter-long wooden stairs, leading to rockier terrain. Soon, you will come to an unusual rock formation called Luojanluomalaavu, that resembles a lean-to shelter (campfires are prohibited).
2 km from the starting point, the trail reaches the ravine Pirunkuru. A metallic bridge crosses the ravine, the metal grating floor of the bridge has a wooden walkway for dogs. Pirunkuru and Kivikuru, the latter of which is located on the long version of the nature trail, are ravines formed at fracture points in the area's quartzite bedrock.
Beyond the bridge, the trail alternates between rocky paths and duckboards, reaching another signposted junction after 600 meters.
From the junction, the short route of the nature trail turns right, marked with red, towards the Äitipetäjänlampi rest area 400 m away. The long route of the nature trail turns left towards Kivikuru and Sotsonportti, and is marked with yellow. This trail description continues on the long trail towards Sotsonportti.
The trail descends to Kivikuru, about 500 m from the junction, at first more gently, and very steeply near the ravine.
At the bottom of Kivikuru, a stream lined with lush vegetation flows, which is crossed along a wooden bridge. After the bridge, you climb steep wooden stairs up to the other side of the ravine. The wooden structures are in quite poor condition in places.
The route descends lower on the fellside mainly as a forest path. Along the path, you pass ponds formed in depressions hollowed out by the glacial melting waters, through which a turbulent rapid flowed during the retreat of the ice age.
Down in the Sotsonportti valley, the trail continues as a narrow path on fairly flat terrain. Through the trees on the left side, you can see the Kiviaapa mire area, and on the right side rises the rocky slope of the Kivitunturi Fell. You will soon reach the Sotsonportti rest area.
Sotsonportti
The Sotsonportti rest area has a cooking shelter, a campfire site, and a dry toilet.
After the rest stop begins the climb up the slope of Kivitunturi, towards the Sotsonportti viewpoint. On the steepest slope there are approximately 200 m long, seemingly endless wooden stairs. You can catch your breath on the platforms between the steps.
After the stairs, you will reach a signposted intersection, from where you can stop at the Sotsonportti viewpoint, about 200 m away. The viewpoint has a wooden viewing platform and a bench. On the way to the viewpoint, you can also marvel at large white boulders of snow quartz.
From the junction, the journey continues towards the Äitipetäjänlampi rest spot, 400 m away. The rocky terrain grows pine trees of many ages. The forests of Kivitunturi are dominated by pine and can be quite old in some places, with the oldest pines being several hundred years old. Spruce is the newest of the tree species of the area, first arriving in the region some 4,000 years ago. As the spruce began to take over wetter low areas, pine retreated to drier areas with sandy soil and bedrock areas.
Äitipetäjänlampi
When you reach Äitipetäjänlampi, the terrain is quite rocky, and in places the path can be difficult to see. The picturesque Äitipetäjänlampi is an ideal place for a rest or a snack break. There is a lean-to shelter on the shore of the pond, as well as a woodshed and a toilet.
From Äitipetäjänlampi, the short and long routes of the nature trail run together to the starting point via the peak of Kivitunturi. The ascent is not very steep. Towards the peak, the path becomes rocky in places, but there are wooden duckboard structures to make the journey easier. The frost weathering that took place over thousands of years has resulted in the formation of rock fields on the summit and slopes of the fell. These rocks are covered with crustose lichen, fungi and primitive algae organisms. As crustose lichen grows slowly, a coin-sized specimen might be roughly 100 years in age.
The path descends towards the starting point on the northern side of the fell. In autumn, you can admire the deep red leaves of the Alpine bearberry along the way. About 2.5 km from Äitipetäjänlampi, the path reaches the junction familiar from the beginning of the journey, from where you return 500 m to the starting point along the same route as when you set out on the hike.
End pointKivitunturi parking area