Syöte National Park in Finland

[Martti]

I would like to write few words from my favourite national park in Finland, Syöte National Park. It is founded around the southernmost fell in Finland, Iso-Syöte fell. The fell is only 432 meters from the sea level but this is one of the southmost places in Finland where you can enjoy 200 meter prominences. I go there almost every year and what I like the most is that although it is relative close to major urban centres (c. 150 km from the cities of Oulu and Rovaniemi), it is not visited by that many people yearly, if we do not count the winter season when it is full of people due of the ski centre. One thing to remember is although Syöte is not in Lapland, this is still reindeer country and thus all motor vehicles must take proper cautions when moving in the roads and in the terrain.

The longest route is a little bit shorter than 100 km and it runs from Iso-Syöte to Riisitunturi fell in the north. The route is well taken care of most of the year and I have managed to get easily around 40-50 km per day on it. Finally I have some photographs, two of my own and other loaned from the net, to illustrate how I have perceived the park during these years. If you any questions of this park, how to get there, what to do there etc., please let me know.

Iso-Syöte fell in late April. Notice the snow on the ground. When I was there in the first week of June in 2008, there was still some snow on the ground and on the fell.

There are numerous swaps in the Park.

 

[Thenihilist]

Looks braw.

Backwoodsaction reminds me of another website i frequent.

 

[woof]

That looks great. So you cycle it ?, i was thinking wow, that guy can walk fast !.

Rob

 

[Shewie]

Thanks for sharing those Martti, Finland is on my list of places to visit one day.

 

[robin wood]

Mosquitos?
looks great otherwise, thanks for sharing. Are you allowed to camp in there?

 

[Martti]

So you cycle it ?, i was thinking wow, that guy can walk fast !.

Actually I hiked it. I started at 8 a.m with just a small backpack and food for the day. I did not carry any water as I had confirmed from the visitor centre that all major streams in the park area were tested and were drinkable. I wore lightweight hiking sandals on my feet. The first kilometers were quite interesting due of the snow left on the ground, the mud and that one of the bridges was under repair while the streams were overflowing with water. The rest of the day was quite nice as there were no mosquitos yet but sun was shining and there was lot to see along the trails. My average speed after eight hours was some four kilometers per hour not including a hour stop for lunch. I would not think this is as an incredible feat after doing my service at the Finnish Defence Forces.

Although I was moving quite fast during the day, I managed to see couple of capercaillies, swans and a cow moose with its calf standing next to the trail. Do I have to mention I also saw some reindeers?

Mosquitos? looks great otherwise, thanks for sharing. Are you allowed to camp in there?

Mosquitos generally appear in June and disappear after August. If you are not used to them or otherwise equipped with right equipment, I would not recommend people hiking in Lapland for long periods of time. Even the reindeers do not have stamina to stay in the forests or swamps during this period but they must flee to the fells.

You are allowed to camp anywhere you like as it is custom in Finland, but there are also several log cabins for free of charge and fire can only be made in these sites. Here are some of the cabins from the route:

Ahmatupa.

Rytitupa.

Toraslampi.

 

[woof]

Thanks.

Rob

 

[Doc]

Fantastic.

I spent a long time reading about the Finnish National parks on the Metsahallitus website. Access by public transport is sometimes not so easy for some of the parks. However I was twice offered lifts by friendly Finns on my Rovaniemi trip and I think getting to and from the trailheads might be reasonably easy.

Martti's photos show what a great country this is. If anyone is thinking about a trip to Finland, just do it!

-flights by Ryanair are cheap and easy
-all the info you need on public transport, fishing, maps and national parks is on the web
-the Finns are great people and although they are sometimes quiet, they are very friendly and hospitable to travellers.
-everyone under 45 speaks English
-it is even better than Scotland in terms of the forests and the feeling of wilderness, although it does not have the mountain country you find in Scotland.

 

[Martti]

-flights by Ryanair are cheap and easy

When arriving via Tampere, I would also suggest visiting the nearby national parks of Seitseminen, Helvetinjärvi and Puurijärvi-Isosuo. These can be easily reached by an hour bus travel from the airport. They are medium-sized parks in Finnish scale, but nonetheless excellent choices if time is limited to couple of days.

 

[Doc]

The most expensive part of my trip to the Arctic Circle hiking area was the sleeper train from Tampere to Rovaniemi.

I'm thinking about a trip to Seitseminen next year. If I do this I'll post details in case anyone else would like to come along. I think a 4 day trip to Seitseminen could be done for well under £150, flying from Edinburgh.

When arriving via Tampere, I would also suggest visiting the nearby national parks of Seitseminen, Helvetinjärvi and Puurijärvi-Isosuo. These can be easily reached by an hour bus travel from the airport. They are medium-sized parks in Finnish scale, but nonetheless excellent choices if time is limited to couple of days.

 

[PropThePolecat]

Id love to do a winter trip there...but i bet daylight is in short supply that far up north, correct?

 

[Bushy Crafter]

Yes - daylight does become an issue later on in the year. I have been to Lapland in December '09 and we had a couple of hours of "grey" each day. It was quite warm the week I was there though (-5, while the week before it had been -15), when it is colder the sky is usually clear so a little more light.

I'm hoping to make a proper trip up north in the coming years. Some Finnish friends of mine went on a "holiday" with just basic gear and stayed there in the woods for a week or so, although they got quite hungry (They only ate berries and mushrooms, but one of the guys was quite picky and lost a couple of kilos) they definitely recommended it and were thinking of going again next year. They've told me the travel company they booked it through, but unfortunately cannot remember..

 

[BushrangerCZ]

looks great... I would love to place some trail cams there

 

[Martti]

Id love to do a winter trip there...but i bet daylight is in short supply that far up north, correct?

Today the sun with rise at Iso-Syöte in 8.05 a.m. and will set 3.46 p.m. Both times are in GMT+2. During winter solstice the day in the same location will last from 10.29 a.m. to 1.52 p.m. Going a bit norther than Iso-Syöte, the sun will never rise during a part of the winter.