Lemmenjoki National Park

Lemmenjoki is the biggest national park in Finland, a remote valley in Sami country where gold has been panned since the 1870s and a handful of prospectors still work their claims. A river boat carries visitors up the wilderness valley to walking trails, old panning grounds and huts.

Background

The park was founded in 1956 and has been enlarged twice since. It covers 2,850 square kilometres in the municipalities of Inari and Kittilä, one of the largest national parks in Europe, and part of its edge meets Anárjohka National Park in Norway. Its name comes from the Lemmenjoki River, 80 kilometres in length. In summer around 100 people dig for gold on 40 claims, and the gold area has two small airfields for propeller planes, Martiniiskonpalo and Keurulainen. Machine-based gold panning was permitted only until 30 June 2020. Most of the roughly 21,100 visitors a year are backpackers, who use about 60 kilometres of marked paths, more than ten free wilderness huts and three bookable ones.

Source: Wikipedia, "Lemmenjoki National Park"

What's there

• The river-boat journey - the trip up the Lemmenjoki into the wilderness valley.
• Gold panning grounds - the old and still-worked claims along the tributaries.
• Forest and fell trails - loops linking the huts and panning areas.
• Sami landscape - reindeer country and the culture of the far north.

When to go

Summer, when the boats run and the trails are open under the midnight sun; September for autumn colour. It is not a winter destination for most visitors.

What to expect

It is deep in the far north and reached by a real journey, so it is for those who want genuine remoteness rather than a quick sight. Facilities are minimal and mosquitoes fierce in midsummer. The gold story is a curiosity; the wilderness is the reward.

Nearby

The Sami capital of Inari with its Siida museum is nearby; Lake Inari spreads to the north.

Key facts