Ounasvaara Nature Trail

The Ounasvaara Nature Trail is 2.9 km east of the city centre of Rovaniemi. It is an ideal day-trip destination because of its easy accessibility.

Ounasvaara, or Ounas Hill, is a famous sports centre and also a year-round recreation area near the city centre, with marked and maintained trails and several great vantage points. In the winter, Ounasvaara with Ounasvaara Ski Resort is a great destination, for example, to downhill or cross-country ski, to speed down the toboggan track, or go snowshoeing. In the summer, Ounasvaara offers a great setting for hiking, not to mention the thrilling summer sled track. Here you can also find SantaSport.

The Ounasvaara Nature Trail goes around the southern edge of the hill eastward to a lean-to. At the start, the trail passes through herb-rich forests and a wetland area. After the lean-to, it climbs over outcrops and dry pine forests to the northern side of the hill, where there is a vantage point with fantastic views over Saarenkylä and the River Kemijoki. The trail continues along the shore of an ancient lake. Then it turns downwards via dry pine forests to the starting point. Traces of the previous ice age are clearly visible in the grooves on the rocks and outcrops along the trail and in the shore rocks of the ancient lake. Information boards introduce northern forest and bog types, wood species, plants, bedrock and ground, as well as the history of Rovaniemi.

The difference in altitude of the trail is 45 m. However, there are no steep climbs, only around 10 degrees. Here and there, the trail is rocky and covered by roots. Wet spots have duckboards. You can also take a 600 m shorter route by cutting past the additional loop before the lean-to. The trail is well-suited for hiking and Nordic walking. The circular trail is 4.4 km long, ideal for day hiking. The difficulty level is medium.

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