3 Days in Northern Finland: Trail Running, Hiking, Bear Watching, & Reindeer Farm
Last summer, August 2023, I met a group of friends for Flow Music Festival in Helsinki, Finland. Primarily I wanted to see the band Devo perform and they did not disappoint! Their set was epic! They are a band I never thought I’d see perform live but have loved since high school.
I know that when I prioritize time on the trails, I’m happy, so I added a week to my trip to head north and explore Northern Finland’s national parks.
I took a train from Helsinki to Oulu and rented a car once in Oulu. I stopped at the grocery store in Oulu and loaded up on food for the week then drove to a remote hostel called Majoitus KitkanRiisi that was central to everything I wanted to see in Kuusamo, a region just under the Arctic Circle and Lapland. The hostel was mostly empty and very peaceful. The owners did not speak English but we made it work.
Day 1
Oulanka National Park
I headed for Oulanka National Park the first day.
Karhunkierros Trail or The Bear's Trail
Here is the start of the trail and the point in the trail when I decided to turn around (my end).
The Bear’s Trail is Finland’s most popular trail and it was easy to see why! A very mild and pleasant trail run with gentle hills and expansive views. Not a city around for miles and miles (and miles) so the air was perhaps the most fresh I’ve ever breathed.
According to All Trails (the app I use on the trails), this trail is a “50.9-mile point-to-point trail near Salla, Lapland. Generally considered a challenging route, it takes an average of 21 h 21 min to complete. This is a very popular area for backpacking, camping, and cross-country skiing, so you'll likely encounter other people while exploring.”
I did 7.5 miles out, then back for a total of 15 miles. Here is my route on Strava, the activity tracking social app. I like to post my pace because I think some people are afraid to start trail running because they feel like they have to keep up with Jim Walmsley. You don’t have to keep any sort of pace to start trail running. Just put on some shoes and go and enjoy the journey. I always make it my main goal to enjoy myself. Sometimes it takes a few miles to remember to smile and that being out in nature is the absolute best possible place to be but I always get there.
These photos are from my iPhone.
I will stop for particularly cute-looking mushrooms. Admiring nature’s small beauties is my favorite. 😊
Mushrooms = DSLR image (Canon80D) from Oulanka Canyon trail.
Here is a group of three reindeer perched on this steep river embankment:
Oulanka Canyon
After doing part of the Karhunkierros trail for 4 hours and getting some food, I realized I still had half a day ahead of me and about 22 hours of daylight (the Arctic Circle in summer) so I should explore the park some more. I got into my rental car and drove to the North side of the park for Oulanka Canyon. I hiked and took photos with my DSLR Canon 80D (some iPhone too).
One thing about Northern Finland is that you will have to share the road with reindeer.
Trying to pet the reindeer was a challenge because they would move away with touch. Also it was pouring down rain. They were not soft and fluffy. Their hair is dense and rough. “The coarse, outer protective hairs are thick from the middle and have heat-insulating air pockets. An adult reindeer can have 1700 hairs in one square centimetre and the fur is 3-4 cm thick.” (Reindeer Herders Association)
Hossa National Park
Next I drove to Hossa National Park for a trail run.
Ölökyn Ylitys Trail
Ölökyn Ylitys Trail is a “3.4-mile loop trail near Kuusamo, North Ostrobothnia. Generally considered a challenging route, it takes an average of 1 h 55 min to complete. This is a very popular area for hiking, so you'll likely encounter other people while exploring.”
Bear Watching
I joined Karhu-Kuusamo for bear-watching that evening. It was the most thrilling experience of my life! You sign up for a tour/excursion in advance by emailing them, then you park in a parking lot and hike a short distance to the bear huts. Everyone on the tour gets situated in the hut with a seat and a little window and a place to put your camera.
Then, the tour hosts go out on a 4-wheeler and feed the bears. The bears have come to expect food at this time so they all come out of the forest for the fillets of fish. It takes them several hours to eat all the fish and run around so we sat there filming them. We were very close to the bears but safe in our huts!
I do not have a huge camera and camera lens budget. It’s an expensive hobby! So I bought a Canon - EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM Telephoto Zoom Lens (for my cropped sensor 80D) for $300 to take these bear photos. Other telephoto lenses are in the $2-grand range. Given my budget equipment, I’m very happy with how the photos turned out.
Day 3
Korouoma Nature Reserve
This day I drove back to Oulu but went to Korouoma Nature Reserve on the way back and did a hike. It was gorgeous! Not sure why Korouoma doesn’t have “National Park” status because it was just as beautiful as the other two spots I went to.
Koronjää Trail
“Discover this 3.2-mile loop trail near Posio, Lapland. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 1 h 35 min to complete. This is a very popular area for hiking and snowshoeing, so you'll likely encounter other people while exploring. The trail is open year-round and is beautiful to visit anytime.” (All Trails.)
Oulu
“Oulu is a city in Finland and the regional capital of North Ostrobothnia. It is located on the northwestern coast of the country at the mouth of the River Oulu. The population of Oulu is approximately 215,000, while the sub-region has a population of approximately 263,000. It is the 5th most populous municipality in Finland, and the fourth most populous urban area in the country. Oulu is also the most populous city in Northern Finland.” (Wikipedia)
After returning my rental car, I had some time to spend before catching my night train so I saw the Barbie movie, which I loved.
Night Train from Oulu to Helsinki
The night train was everything!! It made me want to only ever go to sleep with the gentle rocking of a train over train tracks. I rented a sleeper cabin. It was maybe $80 which was cheaper than a night in a hotel in Helsinki (I think those were $100-$150). I slept the whole. entire. way. I did not wake up until my alarm woke me, about a half hour before arriving at the station. I think the ride was 9 hours.
