Lemmenjoki National Park

Besides nature conservation, the area is important for reindeer husbandry and popular for trekking. It is not only the biggest national park in Finland, but also borders Øvre Anárjohka National Park in Norway, Pulju Wilderness Area to the west and Hammastunturi Wilderness Area to the south. Not far away in the north is Muotkatunturit Wilderness Area.

The river valley and its nearest surroundings make up the "recreational zone" with a nature trail, hiking trails, many huts and some service. Also the surroundings of the trail to the Sallivaara reindeer round-up site belong to the recreational zone. Farther away is the "remote zone", still with some open wilderness huts, but with much less hikers. Areas around cultural sights are categorized as "cultural zones", with special considerations.

The microclimate in the river valley is somewhat warmer than what might be expected and the vegetation lush for the latitude, thus the Sami name Leammi, "warm (river)". Transformed into Finnish it became Lemmenjoki, "river of love".

The main sources for livelihood of the locals are reindeer husbandry and tourism. Most reindeer are half-wild, the reindeer husbandry cooperative caring for them as needed, giving extra food in severe winters, maintaining fences and so on. Two times annually the reindeer are rounded up, calves marked and some taken to slaughter.

You may enter the park anywhere you want. If you cross the border from Norway (recommended only for extreme backcountry hikers: the Øvre Anarjohka National Park is difficult to navigate real wilderness) you need to clear with customs beforehand in some cases.

The main entrance to the park is in the village Njurkulahti (Sámi: Njurggoluokta) at the east edge of the park, by the river, some 45 km south-west from Inari. This is the starting point of hiking and nature trails and for a motor boat service along the river.

There is a trail to the Sallivaara reindeer round-up site (Sámi: Sállevárri/Sallâvääri) from Repojoki at the southern edge of the park.

There is a road to the village Lisma (Sámi: Lismá) in the southern part of the park.

The road to Angeli (Sámi: Ánŋŋel; local road 9553) follows the northern border of the park, with the north-eastern corner of the park 33 km from Inari. There is a shared taxi service along the road, with sparse schedule. On a 15-km stretch you can easily choose whatever starting point for your hike, but if starting farther west you need to handle crossing the Vaskojoki river (Sámi: Fášku, Vàšku). 4 km before the park there is a road forking to several places near the park border, so that all the north-eastern part of the park is reachable.

If you intend to do a longer hike, there are many other possible starting points.

The local visitor centre seems to have been closed. You can get information (and maps, etc.) from the visitor centre in Inari or the customer service in Ivalo. These are not nearby, but en route for some visitors. Keys to reservation huts and rental cabins are handled by a local business.

• Siida (Sámi Museum and Northern Lapland Nature Centre), Inarintie 46 (Inari), ☏ +358 20-564-7740, siida@metsa.fi. Official visitor centre, although far away. Co-located with the Sámi museum. Very worthwhile exhibitions. Different opening hours for different parts. (updated Jan 2017)
• Ivalo Customer Service, Ivalontie 10 (Ivalo), ☏ +358 205 64 7701, ivalo@metsa.fi. M–F 09:00–16:00. Metsähallitus customer service point in Ivalo. Information, permits, maps and books. Free. (updated Jan 2017)

There are no entrance or hiking fees.

There are rental huts in the park, but there are also free open wilderness huts. In the park proper camping is free where allowed.

For fishing you need a general fishing permit and a permit for the waters. See Hiking in the Nordic countries or Finland, but also check local restrictions. The permits can be bought at Siida, the Ivalo Customer Service or local businesses. There are separate permits for Lemmenjoki valley, Kietsimäjoki and Inarijoki (belonging to the Tana river system) and the other parts of the remote zone (check!). Fishing gear and boots should be treated before contact to water to prevent spreading of the salmon parasite Gyrodactylus salaris. Hunting is allowed only for locals.

You can get motor boat rides from Njurkulahti (€13/person to Ravadas/Rovâdâs, €16/person to Kultalan Hamina, children under 12 years half price; private return trip with coffee and pastry €21/person, min €105) or arrange your hike with local businesses. Local enterprises in Lemmenjoki rent canoes. Njurkulahti tourism businesses have saunas.

The exhibitions at Siida are probably worth a visit, entrance fee €10/8/5.

Gold diggers' claims are considered equal to private yards: do not enter without permission.

Dogs must be kept on a leash. They are allowed in open wilderness huts if people sharing the hut agree.

There are no roads in the park.

There is a motor boat service from Njurkulahti to Lake Ravadasjärvi and to Kultahamina (twice a day in season, only evenings in shoulder season, 1½ hours, check or book in advance). A boat trip is a nice adventure in itself and provides access to much of the landscape. A short boat trip is possible even for the disabled (with assistance).

Walking, skiing, rowing and canoeing is allowed according to Everyman's right, except in the restricted areas. In Ravadanköngäs the marked trail can be used.

Cycling is allowed along the marked trails, but they are not well-suited for bikes.

There is a nature path (4.5 km) near Njurkulahti and marked hiking trails in the recreational zone in the river valley and from Repojoki to Sallivaara reindeer round-up site. Otherwise you follow your own paths (with some consideration of leave-no-trace camping).

You will need a compass, good maps and the skill to use them (the nature trail is probably marked well enough to be safe without them). You can either buy the Lemmenjoki outdoor map (Lemmenjoen ulkoilukartta), 1:100 000 with information on huts, trails and the park, or ordinary topographic maps W431, W433, W434 and V442, 1:50 000. There are also Lemmenjoki geological outdoor map 1:50 000,, Lemmenjoki Guidebook and Forest map 15–16, 1:250 000. Maps can be bought at Siida or at well-equipped book or outdoor stores.

Especially in the spring and early summer fording may require some expertise. In mid and late summer minor streams should be unproblematic. The marked hiking trails avoid river crossings and probably allow safe crossing where needed, but asking at the information centres or those you meet will not hurt. There are cable boats for crossing the river at Searikniva and Härkäkoski. If waters are high, for example because of heavy rain, do not take undue risks.

• Lemmenjoki River Valley
• Ravadasköngäs Waterfall
• Joenkielinen Fell
• Sallivaara Reindeer Round-up Site
• Grounds of Kaapin Jouni, traditional landscape
• 🌍 Gold digging grounds (Lemmenjoki National Park and Hammastunturi Wilderness Area, Lapland). There was a gold rush in the 1870s to Ivalonjoki in the Hammastunturi Wilderness Area, and a new one to Lemmenjoki in the 1940s. There are still people digging and panning gold in both areas, although digging by machine ended in the national park in 2020. This is the largest national park in Finland and the area is generally wilderness – and was at the time of the gold rushes – but the gold areas by Lemmenjoki are easily reached by car and a boat tour, and some of the locals arrange gold related tours. Many different techniques, old and new, have left their marks and can be studied. The "crown station" in the Hammastunturi area can be visited by a trek, a former village and some of the gold grounds (by Sotajoki) can be approached with a sturdy car. 
• 🌍 Karhu-Korhonen library (Karhu-Korhosen kirjasto) (at Jäkäläpää). Small former airstrip service building, made into a library as 80-years birthday present for the gold digger Karhu-Korhonen (1922–2003; one of the founders of Tankavaara). The original books were a donation from the city library of Oulu, later more have been donated by gold diggers. Probably the most remote library in Finland (check whether still functional). The airfield (ICAO: EFJP) was official until 2006, used for service flighths. 

There is some food and gear available in Njurkulahti, but most things have to be bought at the latest in Inari.

Maps can be bought at the visitor centres.

Souvenirs:

• Ateljee Huopapirtti (Kaija Paltto), Lemmenjoen kylätie 100, 99885 Lemmenjoki, ☏ +358 400-287-544, tmipaltto@ukolo.fi. 7 June–22 Sept M–F 10:00–17:00. Handicraft from reindeer leather and felt. Also reindeer meat and fishing licences. 

There are two restaurant-cafés at Njurkulahti, which also have some food for sale. The restaurant at hotel Korpikartano is open at request (a few days in advance). There are shops and real restaurants in Inari.

Some businesses arrange catering and meals in the wilderness (check to where you can order them). For any meals locally, it is wise to order in advance.

• Ahkun tupa (Lemmenjoki holiday village/Lemmenjoen lomamajat), Njurkulahti, 99885 Lemmenjoki, ☏ +358 16 673 435, ahkuntupa@ahkuntupa.fi. Sami family firm with café-restaurant, also arranging meals in the wilderness, boat trips, gold panning, fishing and hiking trips etc. Cabins for rent. Service available also in Swedish, English, French and German. 

You may pick edible mushrooms and berries in the park. Fishing is allowed, subject to some restrictions, given you have bought the permits.

There are stoves in the wilderness huts, in some huts there is a separate gas stove for cooking. Read the instructions and check the condition of the stove before using it.

There are designated fireplaces in the recreational zone, which can be used for cooking, unless a wildfire warning is in effect. They are marked on the outdoor map. Firewood is provided, use sparingly and do not cut trees.

In the remote zone you may make fire at any suitable place, given no wildfire warning is in effect, using small branches and sticks from the ground. Use old fireplaces if possible.

Usually you should have a portable stove to use for most cooking. Denatured alcohol is the fuel most commonly used by local hikers (and thus easily available in shops and at petrol stations, ask for "sinoli" or "marinoli").

You should be able to get your drinking water from streams and lakes in the park. Running water is to be preferred. Use your judgement, boiling the water is recommended in hot periods in the summer.

You can choose to sleep in reserved cabins and thus avoid having a tent. If you plan using open wilderness huts, there is less of a guarantee to be able to sleep in a bed, but mostly people try their best to make room for all. In the remote zone there is a severe risk of your not making it to the hut before having to camp (orienteering mistakes, surprisingly high waters, a hurt leg, snow....)

You should be properly equipped and have enough experience of hiking (or book a guided tour), especially if venturing off the marked trails or going in wintertime. Experience is also needed for canoeing.

Advice for cold weather apply in winter. There may be snowfall already in September. Even in summer, temperatures may be quite low, so adequate clothing, raingear, hiking mattresses and sleeping bags are required.

Mobile phone coverage is limited, there are areas without signal and with interference. Higher grounds are usually better covered than valleys.

There are brown bears in the park, but they should not pose any risk, unless you provoke them or manage to get between a mother and her cubs.

Let somebody outside the park know about your planned route and timetables, including alternative routes, and instruct them to call for rescue unless you return on time. You can use Siida or your hotel for this, but remember to tell them when you do return. The emergency number 112 can be used also to tell about your being safe, although delayed.

• By canoe by Lemmenjoki to Solojärvi, Riutula or Muddusjärvi near Inari. Experts could continue by Juutuanjoki to the centre of Inari, carrying canoes past the Jäniskoski rapids.
• By canoe by Ivalojoki from Ivalon Matti to Kuttura (easy, but through wilderness and with stony rapids at low waters) and onwards to Lappispola (difficult, through a mighty canyon landscape and gold digging grounds), farther to Ivalo or all the way to lake Inari.
• Tankavaara gold village in the municipality of Sodankylä, by E75 and Urho Kekkonen National Park.
• Hammastunturi Wilderness Area with the gold digging grounds by Sotajoki still in use and the crown station of the 1870s gold rush, by the suspension bridge over Ivalonjoki.