Koli National Park

National Park And Finnish National Landscape: The View From Ukko Koli Over Lake Pielinen, Painted And Composed Into Finnish Identity · Lieksa, North Karelia

Koli is a ridge of ancient quartzite hills in North Karelia that rises roughly 250 metres straight out of Lake Pielinen, and the view from its highest summit, Ukko-Koli (about 347 m), is one of the most famous in Finland: forested islands scattered across a huge blue lake, with bare white rock under your feet. In the late 19th century, during the national awakening, painters such as Eero Jarnefelt and Pekka Halonen and writers and composers (Sibelius is said to have visited) came here to find a Finnish landscape, and the view became a kind of national symbol - it is officially one of the national landscapes. The national park, founded in 1991, protects the hills, old-growth spruce and heritage meadows and slash-and-burn fields kept open with traditional methods. People come for summit sunsets, marked trails up to multi-day loops, autumn colour, snowy spruce in winter, skiing and the ice road over the lake. The honest caveat: the summit is small and busy at summer weekends and sunsets, a hotel sits right on top, and the rest of the park is quiet forest rather than dramatic mountains.

Ukko-Koli, Koli National Park, above Lake Pielinen, Lieksa, North Karelia, Finland

The park itself is open all year, day and night, and entry is free. The Ukko nature centre near the summit is open daily in summer and on a shorter schedule off season, sometimes closed on certain weekdays - check the current schedule. Koli is about 70 km (roughly an hour by car) north of Joensuu; buses run on a limited timetable and a car is much easier. Parking at the top is paid; a small lift connects the lower car park to the summit area. Book the summit hotel or cottages ahead for summer weekends, the autumn colour weeks and the winter holiday weeks; the summer lake ferry and the winter ice road run only when conditions allow.

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