Oulanka National Park

7 min read Updated October 2026 Compare all tours

Oulanka National Park lies on the border between the municipalities of Kuusamo and Salla, 30 km from Ruka. Metsähallitus, the state agency that runs Finland's national parks, gives 1956 as the year it was founded and 286 km² as its area. The park counts about 190,000 visits a year. Most people come between late June and the end of September, and most of them walk the Pieni Karhunkierros, the Karhunkierros or the path to Kiutaköngäs.

The Oulankajoki and the Kitkajoki wind through the park and form its heart. Where hard quartzite alternates with softer schist, the water has cut gorges and steep valleys, and the rivers flow east towards Lake Paanajärvi in Russia, whose national park is Oulanka's sister park across the border. Metsähallitus has recorded 392 protected species in the area, a mix of northern, southern and eastern nature, and the Oulanka trout is one of the last genetically pure trout populations in Europe.

Kiutaköngäs and the visitor centre

Kiutaköngäs is a large rapid on the Oulankajoki, where the water falls along a reddish dolomite wall over a distance of 325 metres. It is at its most powerful in spring, and you can reach it all year on a 1 km path from the Oulanka visitor centre. A memorial there to Reino Rinne recalls the "rapids war" of the 1950s, when power companies wanted to dam the rivers of Kuusamo.

The visitor centre stands in the middle of the park and is the starting point for several trails; the Karhunkierros passes right by it. It offers hiking advice, maps and books, and the café-restaurant Talonpöytä Oulanka. The car park has room for about 90 cars and is cleared in winter. Metsähallitus is looking for a new long-term tenant for the centre. In summer 2026 it opened as usual, but opening hours for the winter had not been published by mid-October, so check before you drive there. The drinking water tap on the outside wall runs day and night, though not in winter.

About 1.5 km from the visitor centre, the Könkään kuohu path offers 100 metres of barrier-free walking each way from June to September.

Myllykoski, Jyrävä and the hanging bridges

The southern part of the park around Juuma has the densest cluster of sights. From the Juuma car park, the 12 km Pieni Karhunkierros loop leads to Myllykoski after 1.5 km. The grain mill there was built in 1926 and now serves as a day hut. At 3.1 km comes Jyrävä, where the Kitkajoki drops 9 metres with a roar you hear from far off. Aallokkoköngäs, the longest chain of rapids on the Kitkajoki, lies about 2.6 km from the start.

Oulanka has nine hanging bridges in all. The longest are at Harrisuvanto and Taivalköngäs, and the easiest way to reach them all year is the Pieni Karhunkierros, which crosses three. Taivalköngäs, 9 km from the Sallantie car park, has three bridges over the arms of the rapid and a wilderness hut, but it can only be reached when there is no snow. The route is described in full on our Karhunkierros trail page.

Oulanka in winter

The river valley is a cold place. Metsähallitus notes that it can be more than 10 degrees colder than Ruka and Kuusamo, and the lowest reading at Kiutaköngäs was minus 46 degrees. The coldest spells usually come in January and early February. On 21 December the sun is up in Kuusamo from 10:37 to 13:26, so plan a winter visit around midday.

The trails still work. The Pieni Karhunkierros usually stays open all winter because snowshoers keep the path trodden, and the tourist association says the snowshoe trails to Kiutaköngäs and Myllykoski can usually be walked except after heavy snowfall or during the spring melt. The steps are slippery, so ice grips on your shoes are recommended. From February to April a demanding ski trail between the visitor centre and Juuma is groomed about once a week, and it is shared with snowshoers and fatbikes. Never walk on river ice: on flowing rivers, the Oulankajoki above all, it can stay fragile all winter because of the current.

Without a car, a guided snowshoe tour is the simplest way in. Ruka Adventures drives guests to Juuma for a walk of 2 to 4 km with hot chocolate and pastries; warm clothing is not included. MyTrail's private 10 km hike on the Karhunkierros lends clothing and boots and includes the park fee and a campfire meal.

Summer on the rivers

Snow usually covers the ground in Kuusamo from mid-October to May. The spring flood in Oulanka peaks around mid-May, when the flow of the Oulankajoki can reach 150 times its lowest level and parts of the Karhunkierros may be impassable for a while. The lady's slipper orchid, the park's symbol, flowers from late May to about mid-June. Metsähallitus asks visitors not to pass on where it grows.

Metsähallitus says the best way to experience the Oulankajoki is to paddle its winding lower course, and canoes and packrafts can be hired from local companies. The tourist association rates the stretch from Kiutaköngäs to the border zone as suitable for beginners. Rafting runs on the Kitkajoki from May to October, always with a guide. If you prefer a guided paddle on calm water, Rukapalvelu runs a canoe tour on Lake Juuma for beginners and families. In September the ruska colours the slopes and riverbanks; see autumn colours in Ruka.

Park rules worth knowing

• Open fires are allowed only at maintained, marked fireplaces, using the wood brought there for that purpose.
• In the core of the park, camping is allowed only right next to marked rest areas, huts and campsites. In the northern Aapa section you may camp freely.
• Dogs and other pets must be kept on a lead.
• On snow-free ground, cycling is allowed only on the Karhunkierros between the visitor centre and Taivalköngäs. On snow, you may cycle everywhere except the Pieni Karhunkierros.
• Picking berries and ground mushrooms is allowed wherever access is not restricted.
• The eastern edge of the Aapa section lies in the border zone, which you may not enter without a permit from the Border Guard. Almost the whole park is in an air defence zone, so drones need a flight plan.

Oulanka also lies within the reindeer herding area, and Metsähallitus reminds hikers that the forests are the reindeer's home pastures and the herders' workplace.

Getting there from Ruka

By car, Juuma is about 23 km from Ruka and the visitor centre about 32 km, roughly half an hour each. Juuma and the visitor centre are the most common starting points for a day trip. In summer 2026 the Karhunkierros Express ran from Ruka village to Juuma and the visitor centre, Monday to Saturday from 1 June to 30 September, but only when booked in advance; the 2027 timetable has not been published yet. Our page on getting around lists taxis and buses.