Western Enontekiö Wilderness Areas

Finland's most popular wilderness area

Käsivarsi is Finland's most popular wilderness area, chiefly for its unique nature: the fells in its northwest corner are the only ones in Finland that form part of the Scandinavian watershed, the Scandinavian Mountains. Other than Saanatunturi Fell, all of Finland's fells over 1,000 metres high are in Käsivarsi.

It is also Finland's second largest wilderness area, covering 220,630 hectares in the northwest corner of Enontekiö. There are no roads within it, but it is not uninhabited - Raittijärvi Lapp village lies inside, and some families live there for most of the year. The best starting points for those arriving by car are the parking areas at Ropinsalmi, Saarikoski, Kilpisjärvi and Iitto.

What to do in Käsivarsi

Hike: One marked trail leads through the area, the Kalottireitti - Nordkalottleden Trail, 60km of which is within the wilderness area. Hikers are free to trek off-trail as much as they like.

Canoe: The best known route is the Poroeno - Lätäseno. It is extremely demanding and not suitable for beginners.

Visit the centre: Kilpisjärvi Visitor Centre opened in spring 2003. Its displays feature the unique natural features of the Käsivarsi area, it provides current weather information, and it is where you reserve the bookable wilderness huts.

Ski: There are several maintained ski trails around Kilpisjärvi - around Saana Fell, to the Three Nations' Border Point, and around Salmivaara Hill. There are no maintained trails within the wilderness area itself, but you may ski on snowmobile tracks; in late spring the snow is so thick you can choose your way freely.

Fish: Angling and ice fishing are Everyman's Rights (Lakes Toskaljärvi, Luohtojärvi and Peeran lammet need an Enontekiö 1551 permit). River fishing needs the national fee plus a 1551 permit; the Lätäseno fishing area needs a 1550 permit. Common catches: trout, Arctic char, grayling, whitefish, perch and pike.

Sights in Käsivarsi

Halti: Finland's highest point is located at Halti, on the border between Finland and Norway. The highest point is on the fell's slope, 1,324 metres above sea level, about 55km from Kilpisjärvi. Around 3,000 people climb to the top every year via the Nordkalottleden Trail.

Saana Fell: This strange-looking fell by Kilpisjärvi is 1,029m high - some say it looks like a mushroom, others an overturned boat with a keel. For the Sami it is a sacred mountain where fires were burned to the God of Thunder. It is the 25th tallest fell in Finland but the second most known because of its impressive shape. Legend says that long ago the area was inhabited by giants - sullen Saana fell in love with lovely Malla, but on the wedding day a fierce northern wind froze the area; from Malla's tears the lake Kilpisjärvi was formed.

Other sights include Muotkatakka (the highest point reached by Finland's national road network, 565.8m), the Lapland War Memorial Monument marking where the final shot of the Lapland War was fired in 1945, and Saivaara Hill (830m), topped by a memorial plaque to President Urho Kekkonen.

Malla Strict Nature Reserve

Malla is Finland's oldest nature reserve, first established in 1916 and covering approximately 30 sq. km, with the Malla Fells rising directly from the shore of Lake Kilpisjärvi. Its calciferous soil supports a diverse array of fell vegetation. It became a strict nature reserve in the young independent Finland in 1938.

Recreational use is restricted to protect the area: in the snow-free season, walking is only allowed on the marked trail (approximately 11km), which runs from the Siilaskoski rapids past the Kitsiputous waterfall to the Three Nations' Border Point. A boat connection runs from Kilpisjärvi to the Koltalahti jetty, only about three kilometres from the border intersection. In winter, cross-country skiing is allowed anywhere. A route over the Malla Fells forms part of the 800km Nordkalottleden Trail, which runs from Kvikkjokk in Sweden, through Kilpisjärvi past Halti Fell, to Kautokeino in Norway.

Pikku-Malla Fell, with a hiking trail to the top, offers a beautiful view over Lake Kilpisjärvi. Birdlife here is arctic and unique - Bluethroats, Bramblings and Ring Ouzels in the birch forests, and Long-tailed Skuas, Eurasian Dotterels and Golden Plovers up in the bare fells.

The Three Nations' Border Point and other sights

The Three Nations' Border Point is a cairn where Finland's, Norway's and Sweden's borders all meet, 11km from Kilpisjärvi. The stone monument was erected in 1897 by the governments of Norway and Russia (then administering Finland); the Swedes did not bring their stone until 1901. This is Sweden's most northerly point and the westernmost point of the Finnish mainland.

Waterfalls include the River Kitsijoki Falls in Malla Strict Nature Reserve, the 17m Pihtsusköngäs Falls (about 45km from Kilpisjärvi) and the River Tsahkaljoki Falls (2km from Hotel Kilpis). Palsas - rare perennially frozen peat and mineral wetlands - can be seen at Iitto along Highway 21, 56km north of Karesuvanto, where wooden boardwalks lead right to them. Palsas can be 2,000 years old, seven metres tall and 20 metres wide.

Natural features and history

Changes in altitude are dramatic and the terrain at points extremely demanding, the tops of the highest fells in Yliperä often covered with piles of scree rock. The bedrock here is younger and more alkaline than in the rest of Finland, favouring demanding plant species - rarities such as the Glacier Crowfoot, Arctic Bellflower and Rhododendron lapponicum grow here and nowhere else in Finland, most protected by law.

The snow beds of Käsivarsi are the most important habitat of the Norway lemming. A total of 89 bird species nest in the area, mostly migratory, including the Peregrine Falcon, Red-throated Diver and rarities like the Lesser White-fronted Goose and Snowy Owl. The fells are a fishing paradise - Arctic char in many lakes, and rivers like the Poroeno, Rommaeno, Valtijoki and Lätäseno full of trout and grayling (the largest graylings caught here have weighed up to 2kg). The Arctic Sea coast was settled by the Komsa culture as early as 10,000 years ago, and reindeer husbandry began around 2,000 years ago.