Kilpisjarvi and Saana Fell

Fell Village In Finland'S Northwest Arm Below Saana, The Sacred Fell Of The Sami; Start Of The Walks To The Three Country Cairn And Halti · Enontekio, Lapland

Kilpisjarvi is a tiny village at the very tip of Finland's northwest arm, squeezed between Sweden and Norway, and it is the only place in Finland that feels like real mountain country. Above the village and its long lake rises Saana, a flat-topped fell of about 1,029 m whose steep flanks tower over the E8 highway; it is said to have been a sacred fell for the Sami, and it is the most recognisable mountain silhouette in the country. From here marked trails and a summer boat lead to the Three-Country Cairn where Finland, Sweden and Norway meet in a lake, and the long Kalottireitti trail heads toward Halti, where Finland's highest point sits on a shoulder of a mountain whose summit is in Norway. People come for bare treeless fells, midnight sun in early summer, autumn ruska colour, aurora in the dark months and long spring skiing on snow that lasts into May. The honest caveat: it is extremely remote - roughly 5-6 hours by car from Rovaniemi - with a handful of hotels, one or two shops, weather that turns fast and mosquitoes that can be brutal in July.

Kilpisjarvi village, Enontekio, in the northwest arm of Finland, Enontekio, Lapland, Finland

The fells, trails and Malla reserve path are open all year, day and night, and walking is free. The Kilpisjarvi nature centre is open daily in the main summer and spring seasons and on reduced days or closed in the darkest months - check the current schedule. The boat across the lake toward the Three-Country Cairn runs only in the ice-free season, roughly late June or early July to mid-September, weather permitting - confirm the current timetable. Kilpisjarvi is on the E8, about 420 km (5-6 hours) from Rovaniemi and about 3 hours from Tromso in Norway; a long-distance coach runs on a limited timetable from the Kolari and Rovaniemi direction. Book accommodation well ahead for the spring skiing weeks (March-May), midsummer and the ruska weeks in late August and September.

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