Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
very high. Felling trees or cutting brush to make a campfire is forbidden; use fallen wood
instead.
Huts & Shelters
Metsähallitus operates a huge network of free, properly maintained wilderness huts across
its swathe of national parks and protected areas. Huts typically have sleeping platforms,
cooking facilities, a pile of dry firewood and a compost toilet. You are required to leave
the hut as it was - ie replenish the firewood from the woodshed and carry away your rub-
bish. The Finns' 'wilderness rule' states that the last person to arrive will be given the best
place to sleep, but, on busy treks in peak season, it's good to have a tent, because someone
usually ends up sleeping outside. You may also sleep sounder in a tent, as the huts tend to
fill with mosquitoes as the evening goes on.
Some huts require advance booking, or have a separate, lockable section with sleep-
mats that must be booked ahead (usually €11 per bed). This is called a
varaustupa
.
Various other structures, including day huts and tepee-style
kotas
(Sámi huts) in Lap-
land, are designed for cooking and for temporary or emergency shelter from the weather.
In a
laavu (
simple log shelter), you can pitch your tent inside or just roll out your sleeping
bag.
It's a sociable scene in wilderness huts - take a bottle of something to join in the sharing
culture.
The website
www.outdoors.fi
has invaluable information on huts and hiking routes; a
1:50,000 trekking map is recommended for finding wilderness huts. These are published
visitor centres or online.
Where to Trek
You can hike anywhere in Finland, but national parks and reserves have marked routes,
designated campfire places, well-maintained wilderness huts and boardwalks over the
boggy bits.
Lapland is the main trekking region, with huge national parks that have well-equipped
huts and good, long hiking routes. There are other classic trekking areas in the Kainuu and
Koillismaa regions, and in North Karelia, which has several long-distance forest trails.
Excellent trekking maps are available in Finland for most recommended routes.
