Things to do in Riisitunturi National Park

Riisitunturi National Park lies around 170 km south-east of Rovaniemi, close to Posio, and is worth a half-day at minimum once you count the drive and a walk on the fell. The park is built around a ring of low fells covered in mixed forest and aapa mire, with duckboard trails threading between them; the popular loop around the Riisitunturi summit runs roughly 8 km and takes 3 to 4 hours at a steady pace.

Its main draw is tykky, the thick crown snow and rime that builds up on the spruces, but this is a late-winter phenomenon: it forms gradually through the darkest months and is usually at its heaviest in February and March, not from the first snowfall. In summer the same slopes turn to open bog and small lakes, good for a quieter walk with far fewer visitors than the fells around Levi or Ylläs.

Posio village is the logical staging point before heading in.