What's Currently Happening in Koli National Park

Koli Nature Centre Ukko closed Mon 20.11. - Mon 27.11. due the maintanance 

National Park is always open! You can find general information about hiking in Finland:
Outdoor Guide to Finland’s National Parks - Hiking in Finland (www.nationalparks.fi/hikinginfinland).

About Koli National Park:
https://www.nationalparks.fi/kolinp
https://www.nationalparks.fi/kolinaturecentre
https://ukko.retkipaikka.fi/en_US

Facebook: Kolin kansallispuisto
Instagram #luontoon.fi

Koli Tourism Area https://www.koli.fi/en

Vaarojen Maraton running event in Koli National Park 6.-7.10. 2023

Every year at the beginning of October, hundreds of eager runners arrive in Koli National Park to enjoy running in very demanding conditions.
If you're not one of them, but instead you want a peaceful walk, you could check other beautiful destinations in Northern-Karelia Biosphere Reserve for example Patvinsuo- or Petkeljärvi National Parks, Ruunaa Hiking Area or several smaller destinations close by.

More information nationalparks.fi/destinations
Information about Northern Karelia Biosphere Reserve
Information about the event (in finnish) vaarojenmaraton.fi

Directions and arrival to Koli

• Arriving to Koli National Park by Public Transport
• With big vehicles, avoid Jerontie and Rantatie
• 25th May painting on parking area Ylä-Kolintie P1. Use other parking areas instead.

Current on hiking

• Check the warnings and the weather before your trip
• Conditions on Trails and how to prepare for a hike
• Herajärven kierros Trail Info
• Current Activities on site
• Campfire sites and fire making
• Drinking water: Ikolanaho and Jero wells and springs out of comission

Current on hiking in Koli

(Updated 24th of May 2023)

Check the the weather and warnings before your trip

Check the weather and warnings in effect (en.ilmatieteenlaitos.fi) always before your trip.

• If the forest or grass fire warnings (ilmatieteenlaitos.fi) are in effect, fire is only allowed at covered campfire sites that have a flue. A fire can be also lit in fireplaces at wilderness and other huts. Always use extreme caution when handling fire.

Conditions on Trails and how to prepare for a hike

Remember to check the instructions and rules of the area before your trip. Koli National Park is first of all a nature conservation area. To ensure the health of our environment and to avoid erosion we have limited the locations where you can camp, make a fire (only when the forest fire warning is not in force), or park your car inside our national park. Check out the Outdoor Etiquette too.

• Get hold of the Outdoor Etiquette and also read the instructions and rules of Koli National Park before going on a hike.
• Prepare for a hike according to the current conditions.
  • Check the forecast (en.ilmatieteenlaitos.fi) for the weather and the current snow situation.
  • Trails in Koli National Park do not have winter maintenance. Trails are supposedly snowy, wet and muddy at least until mid May.
  • The trails of Koli National Park are mostly demanding due to rocks, roots and high hills. Moving on the trails of Koli National Park is done at the hiker's own responsibility. Read more about our trails and check out the equipment rental opportunities offered by our partners. 
  • Another good tips you can find from  The Outdoor Guide to Finland’s National Parks.
• Remember to ensure the safety of your hike. 
  • The National Park may have some areas where the phone connection can be bad. Download the 112 Finland application (112.fi) to your phone. When an emergency call is made through the 112 Finland application, the emergency center attendant is automatically informed of the caller's location.
  • At winter and spring, moving on the ice and on the terrain is always done on hiker's own responsibility. Always check the warnings in advance (en.ilmatieteenlaitos.fi).
• During the snowy season, check what parking areas are maintained. We recommend arriving to Koli and Koli National Park always via asphalted Kolintie (Road 504). At spring the smaller roads could be in a bad shape due to melting snow and ice.

Herajärven kierros Trail

The Herajärven kierros Trail is available to hikers during the snow-free season (about from June to October). The route is very demanding due to steep ascents and descents. The route also has a rope-pulley ferry and a wading cable at Herajoki. The Sikosalmi rope-pulley ferry is still frozen and not usable. Wading cable crossing may not be possible during spring floods. Please carefully check additional details and tips about Herajärven kierros Trail.

The northern part of Herajärven kierros Trail (35 km) can be circled only when Sikosalmi has completely thawed and the crossing ferry is operational. In recent years, the ferry has been available by mid-May. At the moment ferry is available.

In May, hikers should be aware that the trails may still have snow, be wet, and/or muddy in many places. It is also advisable to prepare for possible flooding. For instance, the road leading to Lakkala Farm may have water up to the shin in spring.

It is recommended to allocate 2-3 days for the northern section of Herajärven kierros Trail during snow-free season due to the trail's demanding nature and slow progress caused by changes in elevation. If heading out early in spring when there may still be snow in the terrain, it is advisable to allocate 4 days for completing the northern section. Camping can also be challenging in May, as camping sites may still be snowy or the ground cold and wet.

For updated information on conditions, inquiries can be made closer to the hiking period at Koli Nature Centre Ukko.

Current activities on site

Biking

Cycling is only permitted on roads. Biking on the National Park's trails is prohibited to prevent wear and tear and for safety reasons. Check the instructions and rules of Koli National Park before going on a trip.

Tip: You can enjoy a nice 20 km circle route by starting from Ylä-Kolintie and heading south to Jerontie, then continuing on Kotaniementie and Pienen-Mäkräntie. From Pienen-Mäkräntie, turn north and continue on Rantatie to Merilänrannantie, from where you can return to Ylä-Kolintie. Keep in mind that there is heavy vehicular traffic on the roads. It may not be safe to cycle along the route during the spring time, when the snow is melting and the non-pavemented road might be in a bad shape.

Campfire sites and fire making

Making a fire is not an everyman's right, and fires cannot be made anywhere and at any time.

• Fires are only allowed at designated, official campfire places marked with fire symbols on maps. Except the “Prime minister’s” campfire site, all of our campfire sites marked on the map should contain long firewood that hikers can saw and chop to make a campfire. Remember to check the Outdoor Etiquette for further info.
• If forest or grass fire warnings (en.ilmatieteenlaitos.fi) are in effect, fires are only allowed in covered campfire places with flues and in the fireplaces of huts (e.g. Ryläys Hut), with extra caution.
• The person who starts the fire is always responsible for its safety.

Read more about Koli National Park's maps and services.

Drinking water around Koli National Park

The spring and well in Ikolanaho and the well in Jero reservable hut and are out of commission. Do not drink the water even after boiling it. It is possible to borrow water containers and get clean drinking water from the Nature Centre Ukko. If Ukko is closed, water can be obtained from Break Sokos Hotel Koli (sokoshotels.fi).

Read more about the drinking water of Herajärven kierros Trail and drinking water of Koli National Park.

With big vehicles, avoid Jerontie and Rantatie – arrive via the alphalted Kolintie (Road 504) 

(Updated 8th of May 2023)

We recommend arriving to Koli and Koli National Park always via asphalted Kolintie (Road 504). Navigators often recommend to use Jerontie (Road 15735) and Rantatie (Road 5046), but it is better to drive through Neste Kolinportti and Kolintie (Road 504). On Jerontie and Rantatie there is no pavement, so they might be challenging especially for big vehicles, such as caravans.

During 24thMay painting work on the parking areas P1, P2, P3 ​​​​​.

Read more about arriving to Koli.

By public transportation to Koli National Park

(Updated 29th of September 2022)

Finland's most famous national landscapes can also be reached by train and bus.

From Joensuu railway station you can make the trip to Koli National Park by by taxi (kolintaksi.fi, in Finnish).

From Joensuu and Kajaani Railway Station you can also take a bus to Ahmovaara. The distance from Ahmovaara to Koli National Park is approximately 9 km. You can get from Ahmovaara to Koli National Park by walking, cycling, or taking a regular taxi (kolintaksi.fi, in Finnish). Mon-Fri you can get to Koli village from Ahmovaara by booking a bus connection from Ahmovaara to Koli (koli.fi, in Finnish) in advance. From the village of Koli, a hiker can follow the Kylän polku (“Village Trail”) to the Koli Nature Center Ukko and further to the Ukko-Koli landscape site.

From Lieksa railway station you you can pre-book a shared taxi provided by the City of Lieksa (lieksa.fi, in Finnish).

You can get to Koli National Park from Lieksa Railway Station by ordering a shared taxi in advance (lieksa.fi, in finnish).

Read more from the Directions website.

News in Koli