It is important that you get as much information as possible about your hiking destination in advance and prepare for your trip thoroughly. Knowing your route and sticking to it and knowing what the weather and warnings in effect has in store, will help make your trip a success.

For longer treks we recommend that you take a large bottle of water as lake and flowing water may be scare in dry seasons or it could get soiled by animals or bacteria. Water taken from lakes or rivers should be boiled before drinking it.
Before starting on the Herajärven kierros Trail, it is recommended that visitors ensure that they can cross the Sikosalmi strait on a hand-pulled raft and the Herajoki River using a wading cable. Further information is available on the What’s Currently Happening pages of Koli National Park and in Koli Nature Centre Ukko.

The seasons are in sharp contrast to on another.

The summer is hot and begins most years already in May.
Autumns can be crisp, when warm clothes and good shoes are essential or rainy, when rain gear is needed.
Winter usually begins in November. It is very cold and there is much snow.
The snow banks melt in April and trails are still wet in May.

To get to some tourist sights in the National Park, you will need specialised equipment.

When visiting caves for example, you will need torches and stable shoes.
Long hiking trails: a large bottle of water and good shoes.
Dress for hiking in colorful clothes and according to the weather. Toilet paper are good to have along.
There can be large differences in altitude within the National Park. Cliffs and trails can be especially slippery after rain, when they are frozen and when the snows melt. To avoid slipping, special caution is required on the steep slopes.
When in the middle of a thunder storm it is best to not climb to the tops of hill as there is a danger of getting hit by lighting in high open places.
When a lot of snow has fallen, the trees at tops of the Ukko-Koli and Mäkrävaara hills may cause dangerous situations when their branches break under the strain of the snow.
Make sure you pack a first-aid kit. If you face an emergency on your hike, e.g. get lost, get injured or observe wildfire, call 112 and report an emergency. More information on how to act in an emergency
Mobile telephones work quite well in Koli National Park, except in some areas in the park where cliffs or forest block signals. Download the 112 Finland application (112.fi) to your phone.

Hiking information