Ounasvaara Fell Guide: Winter Walking Trail, Ski Resort and Viewpoint

Rising to 204 metres immediately east of the Kemijoki river, so close to downtown that you can see its ski jump towers and illuminated slopes from the Lumberjack's Candle Bridge (Jätkänkynttilä), Ounasvaara Fell is Rovaniemi's outdoor backyard. While tour companies charge high prices for "Arctic forest snow walks", you can walk across the bridge from the city centre (or take a 6-minute taxi / local Bus 5 or 6) up to the crest of Ounasvaara and step directly into an enchanting subarctic spruce forest completely for free.

Walking the Ounasvaara Winter Trail (Ounasvaaran talvikävelyreitti, 2 km loop)

During winter, most trails on Ounasvaara are groomed exclusively for cross-country skiers (and in Finland, walking in boots on groomed ski tracks is strictly taboo). To let walkers experience the snowy forest safely on foot, the city maintains the dedicated Ounasvaara Winter Walking Trail, starting directly from the parking lot in front of Lapland Hotels Sky Ounasvaara at the top of the hill (Juhannuskalliontie):

• What you see on the trail: marked clearly with wooden posts topped with pine-cone symbols, the compacted snow path winds across the bare, rocky open crown of Isokuru / Juhannuskallio (where 300-year-old twisted pine trees and snow-encrusted tykky spruce trees frame a 180-degree panorama over the Kemijoki river valley) and loops through sheltered forest to a wooden observation tower (Näkötorni) and a free public wilderness log shelter (laavu) with a campfire pit (bring matches, a couple of birch logs and sausages if you want to grill like a local).
• Footwear needed: because the trail is regularly packed down, you do not need snowshoes unless a heavy blizzard has just fallen overnight; regular waterproof winter boots with slip-on ice cleats are ideal.

Ounasvaara Ski Resort, Tobogganing and Lapland Hotels Sky Terrace

On the northern slope of the fell sits Ounasvaara Ski Resort, offering ten alpine ski and snowboard runs, a snow park, equipment rentals (including cross-country skis, fatbikes and snowshoes for the 100 km of groomed Nordic trails) and a dedicated family snow-tubing/tobogganing slope. Finish your walk on the hilltop at the panoramic lobby bar or restaurant of Lapland Hotels Sky Ounasvaara (famous for its rooftop terrace and fine Lappish dining) to watch the sky turn pink and deep blue over the river below.