Karhunkierros Trail, Northern Ostrobothnia, Finland
4.5 (76 reviews) Spent Ranking #2 in Kuusamo Hiking Trails
Breathtaking (sometimes literally)
Breathtakingly beautiful hike in autumn! Did 82+ km hike with my friends in late September - colourful sceneries, varied landscape , friendly people. Very well marked trail, suitable for beginners yet not too easy. The hardest terrain is from Porontimajoki to Ruka (which was the last leg in our case) but it's also the most beautiful if it's happen to be good weather. The trail isn't too wild and meets number of smaller trails so you'll probably meet any kind of hikers on your way. Take a tent or a tarp with you 'cause the huts may be full. We would like more campfire sites, especially crowded was the last night in Porontimajoki. It's nice to have a fire on a wet chilly night. But we are all very happy with this experience.
Address
Oulanka National Park, Kuusamo, Finland.
Website
http://www.nationalparks.fi/karhunkierros
Current local date and time now
Monday, May 13, 2024, 20:16
User Ratings
4.5 based on (76 reviews)
Reviews
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5olli813 5:00 PM Jul 29, 2018
Great hiking trail
All in all 82 km or 72 km. 4 days hike if you're fit, 2 days if super-super-fit. Also shorter day trails if the hard-core version isn't your stuff. Beautiful scenery.
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5Solja V 5:00 PM Sep 16, 2016
Pieni karhunkierros / Small Bear Round (12 km)
This is why we came to Kuusamo, to have this famous day-hike of 12 km in the beautiful nature with wonderful sceneries. It was a tough hike with all the stairs for me, a well overweight person. But it was actually not as tough as I expected; I could have walked more. And I've managed harder hikes. We took the round from Myllykoski across the bridge to avoid going up the longest stairs. We had two longer breaks, at Harrisuvanto and at Siilastupa. Siilastupa was a great place to admire Jyrävä, probably the most beautiful waterfalls in Finland. This hiking trail is easy to follow and it offers some spectacular views of Finnish nature. Apart from the stairs, it's rather easy to walk, and it's a quite popular trail. Take your time on this hike and bring your own toilet paper with you. About the bus connection, there is some but none on the day we were there. I recommend taking a taxi to Basecamp early enough to have lots of time for the hike and to avoid the biggest crowds. We ordered taxi to pick us up when we reached Myllykoski, but you could also have a coffee at Basecamp while you wait for your taxi.
