Hiking & outdoor recreationLength10.9 km
Duration(4 - 5 hours)
Degree of difficultyMedium
Riisin rietas Trail, the longest day-trip trail in Riisitunturi, allows you to experience a wide range of northern Ostrobothnian nature. The trail takes you to hilltops, through spruce-covered forests, lush streamside areas, and expansive hillside bogs. Along the route, you can explore the area’s history and rest at scenic rest areas.
The trail can only be used in the winter
The area/trail is not safe to use during the winterRisk of getting lost. The trail crosses dog sled trails and the Riisitunturi multipurpose track.
Circle trailThe recommended direction of travel is clockwise.
Campfire siteAlways check for any wildfire warnings in effect before making a fire.
Camping permittedCamping is only permitted in the immediate vicinity of marked rest areas and campfire sites and huts.
Hut
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
No winter maintenance
Read more about the trail
Contact information
Starting pointRiisitunturintie, 97925 Tolva
Starting pointRiisitunturi parking area
Riisitunturi parking area - the top of Riisitunturi
Riisin rietas Trail starts at the Riisitunturi parking area, where you’ll find information about the national park and an accessible dry toilet.
The first 1.7 kilometers follow a relatively wide gravel path towards the top of Riisitunturi. Despite the gravel, there are some duckboards, roots, and stones along the trail, which can also be damp, especially after rain.
This section is mostly uphill but not too steep, with a total ascent of 105 meters over the 1.7 kilometers.
Along the way, it’s worth stopping to admire the unique ‘Tapio's Table’ spruce (Picea abies f. tabulaeformis). ‘Tapio's Table’ refers to a spruce without a top that grows horizontally rather than upward. In this way, the branches form a somewhat flat, spreading shape, which, perhaps due to its form, has been called a table. At the top of Riisitunturi, you’ll find stunning views eastward over Kitkajärvi to Kuusamo's fells and westward across the national park.
The top of Riisitunturi - Uusilampi lean-to shelter
At the top of Riisitunturi, you’ll reach a junction where Riisin rietas Trail and Riisin rääpäsy Trail split. Continue left on Riisin rietas Trail and begin descending towards the Uusilampi lean-to shelter, 1.7 kilometers from the top, with a descent of 145 meters.
The descent is sometimes steep and challenging. The trail is initially gravel-covered but still rooty and rocky in places and can be slippery when wet. Just before the lean-to shelter, the trail crosses the Riisijoki stream on a duckboard bridge and becomes a natural path.
At the Uusilampi lean-to shelter, you can rest and learn about the partially drained pond’s history. The lean-to shelter has a dry toilet and woodshed, but firewood must be cut and split from logs.
Uusilampi lean-to shelter - The hay barn of Riisisuo bog
From Uusilampi, follow a short two-plank-wide duckboard section along the pond shore until the trail becomes gravel-covered again. At the junction where Riisin rietas Trail diverges from the Riisitunturi Trail, choose the right branch.
This begins a three-kilometer section to the Riisisuo bog hay barn, through varied bog and forest terrain along Nuolivaara's slopes. The trail is partly gravel-covered and partly natural, with numerous roots and stones on the natural sections, which can be slippery when wet, as well as wet and muddy spots.
The duckboards along the bog are two-plank wide, and three-plank wide bridges cross two streams. The trail is steep and rooty as it descends and climbs out of stream valleys.
At the end of this section, the trail enters a lush streamside area on the Riisisuo bog, with views of Pikku Riisitunturi’s top. At the bog, a hay barn provides insight into the area’s history and the significance of bog meadows.
The hay barn of Riisisuo bog - Soilu lean-to shelter
From the hay barn, continue 800 meters to the Soilu lean-to shelter, where a break is highly recommended for those enjoying the views. The lean-to shelter has a dry toilet and woodshed.
However, you’ll have to put your legs to work before resting, as the climb from the Riisisuo bog to the lean-to shelter is 40 meters over 400 meters, with a steeper slope towards the end. The trail is partly gravel-covered and partly natural, with roots on the natural sections.
Soilu lean-to shelter - Riisitunturi open wilderness hut
From the Soilu lean-to shelter, the trail continues uphill towards Pikku Riisitunturi’s top and the Riisitunturi open wilderness hut, 1.6 kilometers away. The elevation gain from the lean-to shelter to the top is 75 meters over approximately 700 meters. The trail is initially natural but soon becomes gravel-covered and stays gravel-covered for the rest of the way.
This section offers some of the trail’s best views: lake Kitkajärvi on the left and the national park's fells, spruce forests, and hillside bogs on the right. The open hillside bogs of Nuolivaara stand out clearly among the forest.
From the top of Pikku Riisitunturi, the trail descends to the Riisitunturi open wilderness hut, which has a dry toilet, woodshed, and a campfire site. 200 meters before the hut, Riisin rääpäsy Trail merges with Riisin rietas Trail, and from the junction, you can make a detour to the beautiful Ikkunalampi pond. This detour is 400 meters round trip.
Riisitunturi open wilderness hut - Riisitunturi parking area
From the hut, it’s another 1.6 kilometers mostly downhill back to the parking area. The trail is gravel-covered but has some rooty and wet sections as well as a few short duckboard stretches.
End pointRiisitunturintie, 97925 Tolva
End pointRiisitunturi parking area