Hiking & outdoor recreationLength5.5 km
Duration(2-3 h)
Degree of difficultyEasy
On the Mire Nature Trail, you have a unique chance to get to the middle of an aapa mire, the habitat type characterising Southern Lapland. Duckboards take you through a wide variety of different landscapes: fens, pine mires and spruce mires. Take a meal break at the campsites along the trail or climb the Vianaapa birdwatching tower to observe life in the mire. The Mire Nature Trail is mostly easy but waterproof footwear is recommended because there may be wet and difficult sections along the route. Also note that the Vaattunkiköngäs parking area is the nearest starting point for the trail and from there, total length of the trail is about 9 kilometres. In spring and early summer, the trail may be temporarily inaccessible due to flooding. In winter, the trail is also suited for snowshoeing or cross-country skiing (no maintained tracks).
Circle trailThe trail can be hiked in both directions. The route description runs counterclockwise.
Campfire site
Camping permitted
Dry toilet
Remember to bring a trash bag
No water point
No winter maintenance
Contact information
Starting pointVaattunkikönkään pysäköintialue, Vaattunkikönkääntie 219, 96900 Vikajärvi
The Mire Nature Trail is mostly easy but there may also be wet and difficult sections. Waterproof footwear is recommended.
The trail starts from the Vaattunkiköngäs parking area, and for the first 600 metres it shares the same route with the Könkäänsaari Accessible Nature Trail.
After that you cross the bridge between Könkäänsaari and Kielosaari and continue about 150 metres to the right on the Kielosaari Plant and Fungus Trail.
In the next junction, turn to the right and continue on a duckboard trail towards the Karhukumpu lean-to shelter.
After about 200 metres, you arrive at the Karhukumpu campsite, which has a lean-to shelter, a shed and a dry toilet. The path towards the Mire Nature Trail continues straight forward on duckboards.
After about 200 metres, you arrive at a junction where you can continue straight forward on the Könkäiden polku Trail towards Vikaköngäs, or turn to the right on the Mire Nature Trail. Running mostly on duckboards, the trail continues for about 800 metres to the next junction.
There you turn to the right towards the Säynäjäoja lean-to shelter. Along the way, there are information boards telling you more about spruce mires and mosquitoes inhabiting the mires. The duckboard trail to the lean-to shelter yard is about 1.5 kilometres long. The yard also has a shed and a dry toilet.
The 700 metres after the Säynäjäoja lean-to shelter may be wet and difficult.
After the difficult section, the trail mostly runs in a mire on duckboards but it also passes through small forest patches.
After about 1.2 kilometres, you arrive at the Vianaapa birdwatching tower where you can admire the mire landscape around you.
From the birdwatching tower, the trail continues along the edge of the forest patch for about 190 metres before you arrive at the next junction. Here you should turn to the left.
The Mire Nature Trail continues straight forward on duckboards for 900 metres until you arrive at a junction branching to the Säynäjäoja lean-to shelter. After further 800 metres, you arrive at another junction where you turn to the left towards the Karhukumpu lean-to shelter. The rest of the hike back to the starting point runs on the same route as the beginning of the trail.
End pointVaattunkikönkään pysäköintialue, Vaattunkikönkääntie 219, 96900 Vikajärvi