Location: Lapland Map
Area: 2850 km2
Official site
Lemmenjoki National Park is located in Lapland region of North Finland. This nature reserve get its name from a Lemmenjoki river that runs through its territory. The area of the Lemmenjoki National Park is 2850 km2. Lemmenjoki National Park is the largest park in Finland and one of the largest in Europe. Hiking trails have total length of over 60 km. Although you can rent a power boat or rent a canoe to get around on water. The conditions of this Finish park are rough. Cool temperatures and unforgiving winds sweep through the area great deal of discomfort for tourists. Some of the most visited sites in Lemmenjoki National Park are waterfall of Ravadaskongas and a reindeer farm. As you travel through the area you might stumble on few cabins that are dispersed around the park. Don't be surprised to see people living there. Gold panning in rivers is still practiced in warmer summer months of short Finish summer. Additionally Lemmenjoki National Park has two small airfields. One in Martiniiskonpalo and another in Keurulainen.
The nature of the national park includes fell glades,
fell foothills, vast marshes, or jängat, and the old pine forests of
Lemmenjokilaakso. In the area between Kultasatama and Jäkäläpää, you can
see the history and present of gold panning and mining, as well as the
effects of gold mining on nature. About a hundred people work in the
area during the summer working on gold mining, with the number of
occupations being slightly less than 40. The biggest hill in the
National Park is Morgam-Viibus, located in the Viipustunturi area, about
600 meters high. The national park is also home to large carnivores such
as bears, golden eagles, wolverines and occasionally wolves. There are
70 endangered species.
Most of the people in the park are summer
hikers. Relative to its size, however, relatively few hikers visit
Lemmenjoki. In 2021, 29,500 visits were made to the park. There are
approximately 60 kilometers of marked routes in the national park, and
some bridges and boats have been built for hikers to cross Lemmenjoki.
In the summer, Lemmenjoki also has an organized motorboat service that
transports hikers from Njurkulahti up the river with a steep bank to
Kultasatama. The national park has more than ten deserted cabins and
three paid cabins. In a vote organized by Erä newspaper, Lemmenjoki
National Park was chosen as the best hiking area in Finland.
Two
small airports have been built in the Lemmenjoki gold area, on the
plateaus of Martiniiskonpalo (467 m) and Keurulainen (about 500 m). You
can land on and take off from the fields with small propeller planes.
In addition to various bird species, wolverines, wolves and bears live in the park. The park preserves ancient reindeer herding traditions: part of the park is used by the Sullivaar reindeer herding community, with a population of 7,500 deer.
Search for gold
As early as the mid-1940s, hundreds of the largest
gold nuggets were discovered in the Lemmenjoki riverbed. Until now,
amateurs and experienced gold miners can try to pan for gold here.
Rafting
Rafting on the calm waters of the river is suitable even
for beginner rowers.
Fishing
Whitefish, brown trout and
grayling live in the Lemmenjoki River. Fishing with a simple fishing rod
or ice fishing is free in all lakes of the park. For other types of
fishing, a license is required.
Picking berries and mushrooms
You can pick up various mushrooms and berries throughout the park.
Picnic
The park is equipped with special areas for picnics,
campfires and cooking with firewood and dry closets.
Not far from
the Lemmenjoki National Park is the Inari Nature Area[4], where various
types of recreation are also possible.
Fishing
Lake Inarijarvi
is the third largest lake in Finland. There are perches, pikes, trout
and other types of fish. Fishing licenses are issued at the Siida
Visitor Center.
Canoe
Traveling by canoe or kayak will allow
you to view Lake Inarijärvi from the water with numerous ridges of
islands. The roiling Jäniskoski river rapids nearby will bring a lot of
vivid impressions to outdoor enthusiasts.
Lemmenjoki National Park has about 60 km of marked hiking trails,
which can be explored with a guide or on your own.
Marked trail
"Juutua" (Juutua)
The trail runs from the Kultahovi Hotel in Inari
along the south bank of the river to the suspension bridge over the
Jäniskoski rapids. The entire route can be covered in 1.5 hours if you
return back the same way. The trail offers a view of the seething
rapids, here you can often see the northern lights.
Pielpajärvi
trail
The length is 4.5 km. The trail leads to the Pielpajärvi forest
church of the same name through a pine forest and many small lakes.
The route to the Otsamotunturi fell (Otsamotunturi)
The length is
4.5 km. From the top of the Otsamotunturi fell you have a magnificent
view of Lake Inarijarvi and the hills of the national park.
Lemmenjoki Nature Trail (Lemmenjoen luontopolku)
Length - 9 km. The
trail starts at the information center in the village of Njurkulahti,
runs along the Lemmenjoki river and leads to the top of the Joenkielinen
fell. Travelers have to go through a 3-kilometer ascent, at the end of
which a delightful landscape awaits them. On the way there is a place
for a halt in Muurahaislampi (Muurahaislampi).
Lemmenjokilaakso - the valley of the Lemmenjoki River - stretches a
22-kilometer strip between the villages of Njurkulahti and Kultasatama.
In summer, water transport runs along the banks of the river several
times a day.
The reindeer farm Kaapin Jounin kenttä is located on the
west bank of the Lemmenjoki River. This is one of the oldest deer farms
in the county.
Waterfall Ravadasköngäs. A 15-kilometer marked trail
leads to the two-level waterfall.
The gold mines are on the way of
the ring trail, where you can learn about the history of gold mining. In
the place of Kultasatama you can see with your own eyes the process of
washing it in the river.
Ukonsaari Island is a small rocky island on
Lake Inarinjärvi, 11 kilometers northeast of Inari, which looks like the
backbone of a huge sea lizard from a distance. In ancient times, the
Sami considered the island sacred. Many of them still come here to bow
and bring gifts to the powerful god of thunder, water and wind, Ayeka.
Siida is an open-air museum of Sami culture and the visitor center of
Northern Lapland, where there is an information point, a souvenir shop
and nature exhibitions.
You can relax or spend the night in Lemmenjoki Park free of charge in
public huts, as well as in your own tents on specially designed
recreation areas. There are equipped places for a fire where you can
cook food, there are firewood and dry closets.
Forest huts are
rented out. In the vicinity of the park and in Inari there are hotels
and cottages for accommodation.
Campfires
Lighting a fire in the park is allowed only in specially
designated places, on recreation areas. There are braziers, firewood is
prepared.
Garbage
It is not customary to leave rubbish in the
park. Combustible waste can be burned in a fire, food waste can be
thrown into the dry closet, other garbage can be taken to special
containers located at the entrance to the park.
Animals
Pets
can only be walked in the park on a leash.
Vehicles
Motorized
vehicles may only be driven on specially designated roads and routes.
The Lemmenjoki National Park is one of the largest uninhabited and pathless wilderness areas in Europe (excluding Russia). The landscape of the national park is shaped by the Lemmenjoki river, which flows past the Maarestatunturi and Viipustunturi fells, and numerous smaller rivers. Pines grow in the Lemmenjoki river valley, elsewhere mainly birches. At higher altitudes, tundra-like vegetation prevails. The spruce reaches the northern limit of its range in the southern part of the national park. There are also extensive moor areas in Lemmenjoki National Park. Larger populations of brown bears, golden eagles and moose live in the national park, as well as a few wolves. In addition, around 7,500 semi-domesticated reindeer can be found in Lemmenjoki National Park, and herding is the traditional Sami occupation.
The national park is divided into a “basic area” and a “wilderness area”. In the base area there is a 60 km long network of hiking trails with specially designated campfire sites. There are no designated hiking trails in the wilderness area. In smaller protected areas you are only allowed to move on marked paths to a limited extent. Refuges are available to visitors in the national park. In the village of Njurkalahti there is a nature center and a 4.5 km nature trail.
Until the 19th century, the Lemmenjoki valley was inhabited by forest
Sami, who used pitfalls to hunt wild forest reindeer. After the forest
reindeer became extinct in the 19th century, reindeer herding culture
spread to the area. At the same time, sedentary settlements emerged for
the first time in villages such as Njurkulahti, which today still live
primarily from reindeer herding.
Gold was panned on Lemmenjoki as
early as the beginning of the 19th century. After the Second World War,
a veritable gold rush with over 100 claims began in the 1940s. Gold is
still being panned in the national park to this day, now also using
mechanical methods.