Winter is a great time to go on a hike – just make sure you have the right gear and attitude. In Ruka-Kuusamo, you can head to a winter wonderland on snowshoes or skinbased skis with a guide or by renting equipment for a self-organised trip.
On snowshoes or skinbased skis, you can reach the river valleys of Oulanka National Park, the peaks of Riisitunturi fell, the ridge scenery of Hossa National Park and the peaks of Rukatunturi, Valtavaara, Konttainen and Pyhävaara along marked trails.
Walking is allowed in Kuusamo centre on the edge of the Ympäryslatu circular ski trail along the route Kolvankijoki bridge – Sports centre – Kirkkosaari bridge – Tolpanniementie.
Walking is allowed in Ruka on Vuosseli outdoor trail and also on the Talvijärvi dog trail if the dog trail runs as a separate ski trail next to the actual ski trail tracks.
These ski trail sections have clear signs regarding walking on the trail.
While it’s mostly fine and safe to pull a toddler uphill in a sled on a trail, sliding downhill is unsafe for both the sledder and others on the trail.
The terrain in the Ruka area, as well as in the national parks of Kuusamo and nearby regions, is highly varied, and sledding on trails can cause sudden dangerous situations. Sliding with a snow slider also makes the trails slippery for hikers.
It’s important to remember that in the event of an accident, it can be difficult and time-consuming for rescue personnel to reach remote nature sites. The risk of hypothermia for the injured person and their companions is a serious concern. Let’s act responsibly and sled only in places where it’s safe to do so! More information on page Snow sledding.
Skinbased skis are fairly short and wide skis with strips of synthetic hair underfoot to add grip. Skinbased skis glide when you are going forward and provide grip when the ski would otherwise glide back, such as when climbing up a hill. Skinbased skis have bindings that are like snowshoes, which means you can use regular, sturdy winter shoes with skinbased skis. As getting around with skinbased skis is gliding, similar to skiing, you will also need ski poles with wide baskets when heading out.
Many who enjoy the great outdoors on skinbased skis prefers high-ankled neoprene boots that provide support when moving about in hilly places, because the support from the shoe helps when heading downhill. Skinbased skis are excellent when you are heading out at a time when there is already some snow and it’s fairly dry. In places with little snow and damp snow (e.g. when water rises above a lake’s icy surface), skinbased skis are not at their best, because the hair freezes and gets scratched eaily.
If you are hiking with dogs, skinbased skis are a great choice because the trail they provide is consistent, when compared to individual, deep steps formed by snowshoes. It’s easy for your dog to follow you when you are on your skinbased skis.
Snowshoes and skinbased skis open up the access to the trails of Oulanka, Riisitunturi and Hossa National Parks as well as the trails of Rukatunturi, Valtavaara, Konttainen and Pyhävaara.
Snowshoe trails in Ruka area as well as to Konttainen, Kiutaköngäs and Myllykoski can usually be accessed by foot during winter except of heavy snowfall and during melting snow cover in springtime. These trails are not maintained by groomers.
Vuosseli Trail is a multi-purpose trail, available for skier, fatbikers and walkers alike. This trail is maintained by groomer.
If you wish to use map application when on the trail, we recommend you to visit Outdooractive.com beforehand. You can find much more information about each trail from Outdooractive map.
Guided snowshoeing tours are available starting from 50 €/person, pre-bookings needed.
Snowshoes can be rented starting from 35 €/day. Winter clothing is also available for rent, starting from 20 €/winter overall/day.
