Responsible hiker

Outdoor Activities

Please stay on designated routes and favour ready-made laybys and service structures. Always choose the right route for a particular activity: skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, walking and mountain biking all have their own routes. For longer hikes, we recommend the Kevo routes, the Utsjoki trail or the Pulmanki-Sevetti route.

Be sure to benefit from the services and expertise of the Utsjoki travel operators. Guided routes and activities are the best way to gain more from the nature experience, be assured of the safety of the activity and learn more about local nature and culture.

Please make fire on official fire places only. Pay attention to fire warnings, as making an open fire is forbidden when there is a forest and grass fire warning. Check the latest warnings from:

 https://www.ilmatieteenlaitos.fi/varoitukset. 

Let us keep the nature clean and rubbish-free, which means carrying our own rubbish away with us from the nature. The need to use the toilet may surprise you outdoors as well, so please use the toilets on the routes whenever possible, or otherwise go sufficiently far from brooks and fireplaces. Dig a hole for your waste and cover it afterwards, toilet paper as well. 

Nature belongs to the animals, and animals are an integral part of the nature experience. Please respect the animals by not disturbing or harming birds’ nests or chicks, or go near easily frightened reindeer or calves. Always keep a sufficient distance to the animals that you observe or photograph. Remember to keep dogs on a leash, as they may disturb other animals.

Remember to obtain appropriate permits to hunting and fishing. Disinfect the fishing gear prior to fishing. Pay attention to the use of the hunting dog in the sensitive reindeer herding area. You can contact the local reindeer grazing association before a hunting trip and ask about the whereabouts of the reindeer herd, so the hunting dogs will not disturb them.

Read more about sustainable camping here.

More detailed instructions for camping and fishing can be obtained when buying the required permits. Further information from local travel operators, Nature Centre Siida and from the website www.eraluvat.fi

Dogs on Leash, Peace for Wild Animals

Dogs are welcome to enjoy the nature of Utsjoki, and the joint moment of the dog and its owner is a fine experience for both. However, keep even a friendly dog on a leash when hiking, for to wild animals the dog is a beast. Particularly birds nesting on the ground are very sensitive to disturbance. Pay attention to other hikers, as some people may be scared of dogs. If you stay in an unlocked hut or cabin on your trip, ask the other overnighters whether it is alright to them if the dog sleeps in the cabin as well. Make sure that your dog will not disturb reindeer grazing in the wild. Read more about paying attention to reindeer here. 

In addition to the dog, it is good to remember that we should not disturb wild animals ourselves. For example, when photographing or watching the animals with binoculars you should make sure that the animals will not be disturbed by these activities. Particularly when photographing with a drone this is important to recall. Do not go chasing the animals with the drone and remain at a safe distance.

Preparing Food when Hiking

When building a fire, use a tended fire place, hut or bivouac if possible. Pay attention to fire warnings in the area you are hiking in. The up-to-date warnings can be found on the website of the Finnish Meteorological Institute. Building an open fire at a time of forest fire alert is forbidden and dangerous. Using a firewood stove is also considered an open fire.

The most sustainable way to prepare food from the nature’s point of view is to use a portable stove, such as a Trangia. This is because you do not need carry into the nature firewood using heavy machinery, and traces of an open fire will not remain in the nature. For example, a Trangia with a gas burner will prepare your food very quickly. Do not use a Trangia or another portable stove inside the tent, so always cook outdoors. If, for compelling reasons (for example a heavy rain), you are forced to cook inside the tent, do it near the flap with the stove firmly supported by stones. Please make sure there is sufficient ventilation to prevent the stove from eating up the oxygen in the tent. Be careful with fire safety, as tent materials burn rapidly. As a rule, cooking should be done outside. An open fire should not be made within the tent under any circumstances.

When you wash your dishes in the nature, use a biodegradable detergent, to prevent the detergent from remaining in the nature and the waterways. Do not wash dishes near the beach/river bank or pour dishwater back into the lake/sea/river but soak it into the ground a minimum of 50 metres away from the waterways. The next hikers will not enjoy themselves, if old spaghetti is floating in the water near the camping site. If you are on a day trip, you can carry your dining ware to be washed at home or your accommodation.