When we were discussing options for this year's autumn hiking adventure, it almost seemed like there was nothing left in northern Scandinavia that we all still wanted to explore. However, after some discussions, we realized that Finnish Lapland might be an interesting and convenient location for our regular autumn outdoor pursuits.
After conducting some research and planning, we narrowed our focus to Finland's northwest, bordering Sweden and Norway. More specifically, we honed in on the Käsivarsi Wilderness Area, which happens to be the second-largest wilderness area in Finland.
Käsivarsi is somewhat atypical for Finland due to its higher elevation (Finland's highest peak, Halti (1,324m), is located in its northern tip), rugged terrain, and limited wooded areas. This combination sounded particularly attractive to us because it meant we would hike across various types of landscapes, both on and off marked trails.
Our itinerary was as follows: Kilpisjärvi/Saana mountain -> Tshahkaljärvi lake -> Siktagurajohka river -> Meekonjärvi lake including trip to Pitsusköngäs waterfall -> Porojärvi lake including ascent of Saivaara cliff -> Guhturgurajávri/Termisjärvi lakes -> Ailakkajärvi lake -> Kilpisjärvi.
Interestingly, it turned out that the most convenient journey will be via Norway i.e. combination of a flight to Helsinki (Finnair) followed by another flight to Tromso (operated by Widerøe).
From Tromso, we continued with a pre-arranged taxi ride to Kilpisjärvi (165km / 3 hours) provided by Johanna, the friendly owner of the local Kilpis Taxi.
This meant we were able to reach Kilpisjärvi in a single day. However, what we didn't anticipate was a delay in the checked-in bag of one of the three Martins in our group. In total, 20 bags checked in for our flight didn't make it from Helsinki to Tromso. This was quite a significant number considering the size of the plane. Nevertheless, we were informed by the airport staff that this is unfortunately a common occurrence these days.
Uncertain about how to cope with the unpleasant situation, we decided to spend the night in one of the cabins at Tundrea Camping, conveniently situated in the heart of Kilpisjärvi village. Our original plan of wild camping was clearly not feasible due to Martin's missing equipment (and we naturally didn't want to split up).
We were greeted by the very first northern lights of the season (as Johanna informed us) already on our way to Kilpisjärvi - a delightful moment, especially for those in our crew who hadn't yet witnessed the aurora borealis.
The night in the cozy cabin was peaceful, yet we all pondered how to handle the unfortunate situation of the missing bag.
Since there is an outdoor shop located in the Kilpisjärvi mall, we considered the option of buying outdoor gear for Martin to enable us to set out on the trail together. However, we eventually realized it made much more sense to simply wait and see. It was Sunday, and hopefully, by Monday, Martin might get his missing backpack back.
With a decent weather forecast, we promptly decided to climb the prominent Saana mountain (1,029m), once sacred to the Sami people and now a popular destination for hikers due to the sweeping views from its summit.
The autumn colors, known as "ruska" in Finnish, were already in full swing around Saana, just as we had hoped. The ascent of Saana was straightforward, although a bit lengthy since the mountain is only accessible from the west, while we started on its eastern slopes.
Nevertheless, the views from its slopes were truly mesmerizing, especially when the overcast weather turned into clear skies and bright sunshine.
To our great relief, Martin received confirmation regarding his delayed bag in the afternoon - it should arrive in Kilpisjärvi the next morning. This meant we only experienced a one-day delay compared to our hiking itinerary, and we made the most of it with our Saana day-trip.
Back in Kilpisjärvi, we made a decision: while two Martins from our group were going to stay one more day in Tundrea Camping, waiting for the missing bag to arrive the next morning, the rest of our crew set out on the trail this evening. Our goal was to cover a few kilometers and camp at Tsahkaljärvi lake.
It was only a few kilometers to the beautiful lake. We set up camp at its westernmost tip, still enjoying the prominent view of Saana mountain.
We were awoken by the gentle sunrise light that beautifully illuminated the autumn landscape around the lake, adorned with scattered birch trees.
The weather forecast for the day was mixed, with rainy conditions predicted for the late afternoon. In contact with two Martins who had stayed overnight in Kilpisjärvi, we set out on the trail toward Saarijärvi lake, hoping to reunite with them in the evening.
The journey was straightforward along the well-trodden path we followed. In fact, this is likely the most frequented footpath in the entire wilderness area, as it leads all the way up to Halti (1,324m), Finland's highest peak.
We soon departed from the tree line and continued hiking across a typical tundra plateau adorned with colorful berry bushes, surrounded by numerous tarns and lakes.
We took a short lunch break at Saarijärvi lake, near the former open wilderness hut (autiotupa); a new replacement hut had been built nearby. However, there was no need to use it given the fair weather.
After lunch, we began to ascend properly, eventually reaching the top of a barren rocky plateau at an elevation of 960m. Here, the wind picked up, and the impending rain was already noticeable in the air. In such conditions, it made sense to pick up the pace and descend to Kuonjarjoki open wilderness hut, where we considered camping nearby or staying inside.
Upon arrival, we found that the surroundings of the hut were not very appealing and offered limited wind protection. Since there were already a few hikers inside the cabin, we decided to continue a bit further. Eventually, we set up our tents on the shore of the small Siktagurajohka river. Just as we finished setting up camp, the rain started pouring down intensely – we had timed it perfectly.
Meanwhile, the determined two Martins pushed themselves to the maximum, finally pitching their tents below the aforementioned plateau on the shore of the meandering Kuonjarjoki river.
It rained throughout the night; however, luckily, the rain ceased in the morning. We intentionally progressed slowly with our usual morning breakfast and packing routine, aiming to wait for the guys to arrive. As expected, the two Martins appeared on the horizon just as we anticipated—a happy reunion after two days.
It was a quick endeavor to reach the secluded Meekonjärvi lake. Situated under a prominent cliff and a short distance from the iconic Saivaara mountain (830m), it offered a truly beautiful sight, enhanced by the presence of birch trees on its shores and surrounding slopes.
Here, we made another decision regarding our route: to camp in the vicinity of the Meekonjärvi open wilderness hut and embark on a half-day trip to Pitsusköngäs waterfall in the afternoon. The beauty of the Meekonjärvi lake area was simply too captivating to pass up the opportunity to stay overnight.
To reach the waterfall, we first had to cross Bierfejohka river using a wooden footbridge. Then, we followed the trail along the Vuomakasjoki river upstream, enjoying the beautiful autumn landscape all along the way.
The journey was not difficult, though it did require some time and effort. As we left the tree line, the landscape became more rugged, with a canyon-like section of Vuomakasjoki near a hanging bridge leading to its northern shore.
Having crossed the spectacular footbridge, we continued hiking along Vuomakasjärvi lake, steadily gaining elevation above the small canyon of Pitsusjoki river where the waterfall is located.
The Pitsusköngäs waterfall, actually the largest waterfall in Finland, was worth visiting. While it may not rival the grandeur of Icelandic waterfalls, it's still quite an impressive sight, with a maximum height of 17m.
The journey back to Meekonjärvi was even more straightforward than the first leg, as we were descending almost all the way down to the lake.
In hindsight, it was a pity that we didn't research this area properly, as there is an alternative route to and from Meekonjärvi along the Bierfejohka river, connecting to the path along Vuomakasjoki at the metal footbridge. This would have allowed us to avoid retracing our steps. Unfortunately, we only learned about this from a fellow hiker at Ailakkajärvi hut a few days later.
The evening at Meekonjärvi was lovely, albeit a bit chilly; we even managed to make a small campfire. It's quite a busy place - the autiotupa was occupied (which we didn't really mind).
We woke up just in time to witness the intense sunrise light illuminating the birch trees and surrounding area around our tents almost surreally.
It was one of those brief moments in the wild that only last 5-10 minutes, yet the beauty and magic of it remain etched in our memories forever.
The plan for today seemed straightforward on the map, yet we knew it might pose a challenge. We intended to leave the marked trails behind and ramble eastwards across birch woods on the shores of Skádjajávri, Jogasjärvi, and Porojärvi lakes. Our goal was to climb the impressive rocky cliff of Saivaara along the way.
The weather was a blessing, with constant sunshine. Sometimes, one is lucky in the wild, and this time we were fortunate to have the best weather possible for this very special section of the trail.
Climbing Saivaara required some reasonable effort, but it wasn't overly difficult in the end. We left our backpacks on the eastern slopes of the mountain, ascending to the top with just small daypacks.
Views from Saivaara were magnificent in all directions—it truly was a perfect vantage point.
To the west, we could see Meekonjärvi and the valley of Vuomakasjoki river that we had explored the day before. To the east, a chain of lakes with birch woods lining their shores, surrounded by rolling hills, all contributed to the picturesque atmosphere.
Having reached the top, we retraced our steps to our backpacks and began a true rambling exercise across birch woods, grassy wetlands, and occasional boulder fields, aiming towards Jogasjärvi huts where we planned to have lunch.
It was a slow and demanding hike on the pathless terrain, sometimes even involving bushwhacking in places—a challenge we were familiar with from our crossings in Sarek (such as Rapadalen valley), so we knew exactly what to expect.
Eventually, we reached the small Jogasjärvi cabin and took a short lunch break, exactly as planned.
The journey then continued in a similar manner to another hut, Porojärvi. We decided to call it a day at the hut and lazily enjoy the sunny, albeit chilly, afternoon here. It was too cold and windy to properly dip into Porojärvi lake, yet we at least washed ourselves and then enjoyed coffee and meals at the cabin.
Not surprisingly, we were alone here - in contrast to huts located along the main trail, the small cabins scattered across the Käsivarsi wilderness area, off the marked trails, are naturally far less visited.
Three members of our group finally succumbed to the temptation of the cabin's comfort and spent the night inside, whereas the others opted for a chilly night in tents. The appearance of the northern lights later in the evening was a welcomed bonus after the demanding yet beautiful day.
The night was indeed chilly, with temperatures dropping below freezing point for the first time during our trip.
The weather forecast for the upcoming days was promising: although cold, no rain was forecasted. Knowing that we would be wandering across pathless tundra terrain, we were thankful for the dry weather ahead.
We began hiking in a southern direction, steadily gaining elevation. Once we left the tree line behind, navigation became more straightforward with good visibility.
The plan we wanted to carry out was to hike somewhere between Jápmajávri and Hárrejávri lakes, then cross the Siedjonjohka river, reach Siedjonjávri lake and finally descent through Guhturgurra gorge to Guhturgurajávri lake.
We had to undress to cross Siedjonjohka - the water was knee-high. In fact, Siedjonjohka was the only river where we had to cross barefoot (using our Crocs) - other rivers were very shallow, and boulder-hopping was quite easy, or they were just small streams that were possible to jump across.
It's fair to say that crossing the high-altitude plateau on barren tundra terrain was straightforward, yet a bit boring and time-consuming. We covered quite a distance by rambling across the open tundra terrain. However, things changed for the better and became far more interesting when we started to descend through Guhturgurra gorge towards Guhturgurajávri lake.
The views here were marvelous, with numerous small tarns dotting the picturesque wooded valley, illuminated by the gentle light of the setting sun.
We found a convenient campsite on a small plateau above Guhturgurajávri lake, with fine views of the impressive Diermesbákti cliff above Termisjärvi lake.
Although it was cold, luckily it wasn't windy. However, thoughts of a campfire were swiftly pushed away despite abundant birch wood - it was simply too cold to enjoy it.
The night was peaceful and silent, but it was certainly the coldest night of the trip - small ice crystals formed on the outer sides of our tents, and the water in our drinking bottles was solidly frozen.
Normally, we would have breakfast outside our tents, but given the temperature, we didn't hesitate much and stayed in the comfort of our sleeping bags for as long as possible.
In beautiful yet chilly weather, we began hiking in the western direction, soon joining the well-trodden footpath that winds along Termisjärvi lake and then further to Kilpisjärvi.
As the wind picked up, we were thankful for Termisjärvi autiotupa where we spent our lunch break.
Then we turned south, leaving the footpath, and set our hiking direction towards Ailakkajärvi lake. Given the strong winds and low temperature, our destination for the last day in the wild was Ailakkajärvi hut, where we planned to seek comfort in the evening.
Once again, we found ourselves crossing barren tundra plains, being lashed by the strong winds that blew continuously.
In a sudden impulse, I decided to climb the rocky cliff above Ailakkajärvi, hoping for nice views of Kilpisjärvi lakes on the other side of the mountain.
It took some reasonable effort to reach the top of the cliff called Áillahasbákti, and despite the flat terrain on the other side, the views were still enthralling. Besides Kilpisjärvi lakes, the snow-capped peaks of the Lyngen Alps were visible on the western horizon line, and further north, both Saana and Saivaara stood out from the plateau-like landscape.
There were three other hikers occupying the Ailakkajärvi cabin. Once again, we split up, with four of us opting to spend the night in tents outside the cabin, while the remaining three didn't even consider pitching tents in the still windy weather.
We woke up to a foggy morning; the sunrise light struggled to break through thick layers of fog, and we witnessed a few magical moments of this brief battle between light and fog.
It was merely 7km from Ailakkajärvi to the main road skirting the eastern shore of Kilpisjärvi lake, and we covered these last kilometers of our wandering pretty swiftly.
The beautiful interplay of light and fog continued for most of the way, making the last section of the trail very special.
We were met by Johanna of Kilpistaxi at the small parking lot at the trailhead, signaling the beginning of our three-hour journey back to Tromso.
Hungry we were and way too tempted to enjoy highly processed food to refill body fat reserves; chips, hot dogs (Shell Balsfjord), afternoon dinner (Egon Storgata) washed down by dozens of beers at the laidback and atmospheric Ølhallen all followed.
The next morning, we flew back to Prague. This time, no luggage was delayed, but on the return journey, we decided not to worry about it anyway.
Overall, we enjoyed the trip.
The weather was mostly fair; there was rain on the second day in the afternoon and night, but apart from that, we experienced rainless weather, sometimes even with splendid sunshine. However, the temperature dropped significantly during the second part of the week, with daytime temperatures barely above freezing point and below 0°C during the nights. Despite this, we can't really complain - everything is bearable except for constant heavy rain accompanied by strong winds.
Regarding the landscape, it's important to set one's expectations correctly. Though Käsivarsi is Finland's most "mountainous" landscape, it cannot be directly compared to, say, the Lyngen Alps of Norway or the iconic Sarek National Park in Sweden.
Yet, there is a delicate beauty that the Käsivarsi wilderness area offers, especially where birch woods, lakes, rivers, and rocky cliffs meet - such as around Meekonjärvi or Guhturgurajávri lakes.
On practical side:
© 2026 Northern Adventures
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