Hiking & outdoor recreationLength49.2 km
Duration(4-6 days)
Degree of difficultyMedium
The trail follows the Lemmenjoki river through rolling old-growth pine forest. This route has some level differences and includes a few steep ascends and descends. The trail first follows the southern bank of the Lemmenjoki River before crossing it to the northern side. There are cable boats for crossing at Searitniva and Härkäkoski. From Ravadasjärvi, the trail ascends to the fells via Máttit Ravadas and Gaskoaivi to Morgamojan Kultala, which was the center of gold prospecting in Lemmenjoki during the 1940s and 1950s. From Kultala, the route returns to Ravadasjärvi via Kultahamina and Ravadasköngäs. The return journey follows the same trail along the riverbank back. It is possible to travel part of the route using regular boat transport provided by Lemmenjoki entrepreneurs. The distance between the Metsähallitus parking area and the starting point of the riverboat transports is 1.5 km along a gravel road. The Lemmenjoki Gold Trail partially follows the same path
- River valley landscape
- Treeless open fell
- Old pine forest
- Informationsskyltar om guldgrävningens historia, geologi och guldgrävningsmetoder
The trail can only be used during the snow-free seasonThe trail marking in the forested area is an orange paint marking on trees and an orange wooden post on the ground on the open fells.
Campfire siteAlways check for any wildfire warnings in effect before making a fire.
Camping permittedCamping is only permitted in the immediate vicinity of marked rest areas and campfire sites and huts in the river valley, and according to everyman’s rights elsewhere in the national park.
HutMattit Ravadas and Searitniva Day-use hut. Morgamojan Kultala Open wilderness and Rental hut, Ravadasjärvi Open wilderness hut and Open wilderness hut in Kultahamina. Härkäkoski Rental hut.
Dry toiletRemember to bring toilet paper.
No water pointWater can be collected from mountain streams, but we recommend boiling it.
Remember to bring a trash bagThere are no waste bins on the trail. Bring along your own trash bag and take your waste out with you when leaving.
Contact information
Starting pointNjurkulahti parking area
The trail starts in Njurkulahti from a Metsähallitus parking area and follows the Lemmenjoki river through old-growth pine forest. This route has some level differences and includes a few steep ascends and descends. The route mainly runs through dry coniferous forest, although there are also some wetlands on the way.
Use a cable boat to cross the river at Searitniva (8 km from parking area) or Härkäkoski (12,3 km from parking area); the route continues in similar terrain on the other side. From Härkäkoski, the trail takes you to the Ravadasjärvi wilderness hut. The trail length from Njurkulahti to Ravadasjärvi is about 15 km.
The route continues west from Ravadasjärvi and begins with a steep climb of just over a kilometer. The route follows the Mattit Ravadas river for 3 kilometres through moderately easy terrain on the edge of a pine forest to the campfire spot and camping area at Ravadasniemi, continuing three kilometers along the Máttit Ravadas River in rmoderately easy terrain to the Máttit Ravadas day hut.
Next, the route ascends to the open fell and continues for 6.5 kilometers via Gaskoaivi to the top of Pellisenlaki.
From Pellisenlaki, a 1,5-kilometer descent begins down a fairly steep and rocky slope to the Morgamoja Kultala wilderness and reservation hut.
From Morgamoja Kultala, the route descends in easy terrain for the next 4 km towards the Lemmenjoki Valley. The last kilometer before Kultahamina is a steep downhill.
From Kultahamina, the route returns to Ravadasjärvi along the Lemmenjoki River via the Ravadasköngäs waterfall trail. On this section, the trail alternately ascends and descends according to the varying terrain.
From Ravadasjärvi, the route returns along the same path by the Lemmenjoki River back to the parking area.
End pointNjurkulahti parking area