In Finland, this summer we went hiking in Koli National Park. It is one of the most visited national parks in Finland and absolutely amazing. The views over Lake Pielinen are just breathtaking! Here is how, when, and why you should visit Koli as well.
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For a few years already, I have really wanted to visit Koli National Park in Finland. My family lives in Finland and that is where we usually spend our summers. In years passed, we have driven by Koli a few times and I later regretted that we didn’t stop there.
Koli is probably the most famous of Finland’s national parks because of its majestic lake views. There are almost 170,000 lakes in Finland, but this view is something else. We call it the “national landscape of Finland”, and it can be found on postcards, commercials, stamps and almost everywhere.
Koli National Park is located in North Karelia, a few hours from the Russian border. The closest cities are Joensuu and Lieksa. From the capital city, Helsinki, it takes about six hours to drive to Koli.
Which ever route you choose to take, you should end the journey on Kolintie instead of any other small roads leading to the park. It is definitely the fastest and easiest, and the only road that is paved all the way to the end.
If you are looking into renting a car in Finland, you can do it from here.
THE BEST TIME TO VISIT KOLI NATIONAL PARK
The busy season at Koli is in the summer; June, July and August. We were there right before the Midsummer weekend, which is a big holiday weekend at the end of June. It was very busy.
Many Finns start their summer vacations at Midsummer, so starting from there until the end of July is the busiest time at any national park in Finland.
June is also a great time to visit Koli, but that is the high season for mosquitos. So bug spray is very much needed!
Koli National Park is open year around, so no worries if you miss the beautiful summer months. The Fall months might be rainy, but depending on the year, the foliage is amazing! The trails might be a little bit muddy and slippery, but the views are equally beautiful as in the summer months.
The first snow in Finland usually falls at the end of October or in November, and the coldest time is in January and February. In December the Koli National Park transforms into a ski resort. There are a total of seven slopes to tackle. Koli Ski has many winter activities and even a ski school for those who wish to learn downhill skiing.
When Lake Pielinen freezes, they usually open an ice road for cars which can be used to visit the park. The best winter months are definitely February and March when the days are already getting longer and the sun has made a come back to the Finnish skies.
I personally love the spring time in Finland. The days are sunny but not too hot, and you can just see nature waking up again after winter time. The trails might be a little bit wet, so dress accordingly. You can just smell the spring and hear the snow melting. Don’t forget to bring your sunglasses!
In the summer time, I recommend heading out to the trails as early as you can. Since we stayed in a hotel inside the park we were able to start our hike right after breakfast.
We packed our bags, took them down to our car and checked out from the hotel. That way we had the whole day to explore.
Already at that time the main trail was quite busy; not crowded, but busy. And when we finished the hike, there was now a line to get to the staircase which leads to that trail.
During the high season finding parking in the middle of the day can be challenging. There are several parking lots which fill up quickly in the morning. On the busiest times they do offer a shuttle service from the furthest parking lots.
We were lucky to find a spot in the closest lot, since we arrived in the early evening and stayed in the park hotel. But all the parking lots are free, and so is the shuttle.
A funny looking funicular (a cable car) takes people up the hillside to the hotel and to the trail heads from the parking lot, or they can choose to use the stairs.
WHERE TO STAY IN KOLI, FINLAND
There are several nice places to stay close to Koli National Park, but nothing really beats being inside the park. We stayed at the Break Sokos Hotel Koli which is located at the peak of Koli, right in front of the trail heads. The hotel was nice with a very friendly staff, and we actually enjoyed our stay there.
Breakfast was included with the room price and we had ours on an outside balcony with the luxurious views.
They also have a spa, but we didn’t have time to check it out. Instead, I ran out in the evening to climb up to the trail head to see the sunset. It was amazing! And the best thing was that in the morning, all we had to do was to go outside and start hiking!
There are many cabins close to the national park that are for rent. There are also a couple guesthouses worth checking out if you don’t want to stay in the hotel inside the park. For example Old School Guesthouse, Guesthouse Koli Freetime or Paimentupa.
We almost ended up booking Paimentupa which offers rooms in a barn house during the summer time. It is pretty close to the park actually. They also trail riding with icelandic horses which is pretty cool!
If you don’t mind coming to the park a little later, you can easily drive to Koli from Joensuu where you will find more hotels. The drive from Joensuu to Koli is about one hour.
We recommend staying at Break Sokos Hotel Koli. It’s the best hotel in the area!
WHAT TO SEE AT KOLI NATIONAL PARK
Most people obviously come to Koli to see the amazing view of Lake Pielinen, and hike the Trail of the Tops.
We would have loved to do more hikes, but since we only had one day at Koli, and we were traveling with kids, we decided not to. Even though Trail of the Tops is not very long, it takes some time to walk it through because you will have to stop so many times to take photos.
For people wanting to do longer hikes with the beautiful lake views, the Mäkrä Trail is perfect. The starting point is the same as the Trail of the Tops, but the path goes further along and makes a loop totaling 7.2 kilometres.
There are plenty more trails at different parts of the park which you can hit from different parking lots. One that seemed very interesting to me, was the Pirunkirkko (Devil’s Church). The trail is actually named the Nature Restoration Trail (Ennallistajan polku), and it is a 3 kilometre loop.
Pirunkirkko is a series of little caves and rock formations. There are many stories about this place, and how it used to be used by witches, or how you can see the devil himself over there.
As I mentioned before, we didn’t want to do another hike that day, so we decided to take a ride on the Scenic Lift. This was actually our daughters idea as she really wanted to experience it. The ski lift leaves from the hotel, and it takes about seven minutes to go down to the base of Koli.
The views are just beautiful! When you reach the bottom, you are required to exit the lift. We ended up sitting down at a little ski restaurant that serves snacks and beverages, and had a light lunch there. Then we headed back up again on the ski lift. The round trip was €24 for a family of four. It was great fun.
Right by the hotel and the trail heads is the Nature Center Ukko. There you can talk with a ranger and get information about the park.
They have brochures, maps, exhibitions and souvenirs. That is also a place with restrooms if you need them. We got some coffee and ice cream from their small cafe and sat outside to relax a bit after going hiking.
HIKING THE TRAIL OF THE TOPS AT KOLI
Everyone visiting Koli National Park should absolutely do the Trail of the Tops. That is what people come there for, and that is where all of the best spots in the park are.
The trail is a 1.4 kilometre long loop that starts with a series of staircases. But right after you get to the top and catch your breath, you are rewarded by the view of the lake.
There is also a small road that you can use to get to some of the viewpoints which are suitable for strollers and wheelchairs.
After walking a little bit further, you will arrive to Ukko-Koli, the first actual viewing point. It is the highest point of the park and is 347 meters above sea level. At this point I just want to warn everyone visiting with kids, that the nature spots in Finland are kept very natural.
There are no railings or fencing. Instead, everyone is taking photos on the rocks where it is very easy to fall off. So you need to watch the kids here extra carefully. But other than that, it is just breathtaking up there!
After that comes another viewing point; Paha-Koli. It is just like the previous one, but just a tiny bit lower altitude.
During the Ice Age a glacier flowed through this area and left scrape marks on the rocks. They can be seen all around the park but at Paha-Koli, it left especially smooth rocks. So after checking out the views of the lake, don’t forget to look down at the ground too.
The trail then turns to the right and the views change dramatically. After climbing up the hill of Akka-Koli, you can see down to smaller hills that are covered in forest. And there is just lots of it.
At the bottom of the hill is the Temple of Silence which serves as a wedding spot for up to 30 to 40 couples every year.
The trail is easy and there is good signage. The Trail of the Tops is marked on the map and there are signs with yellow marks. There are some staircases, rocks and tree roots on the trails, but it is very suitable for kids too. Going back to the starting point is downhill, so it is a nice walk.
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As someone who grew up in Finland I can tell you that the views at Koli are very special. We absolutely loved our visit to Koli National Park and I can totally see why it is so popular. Hiking at Koli was amazing!
We love hiking and Finland is perfect for that. There are so many national parks and great trails, and many of them are just a day trip away from Helsinki. One very unique one is the UNESCO World Heritage Site Sammallahdenmäki in Rauma. Here are our tips for hiking with kids.
Not too far from Koli is also one of the most unique spa resorts of Finland; Järvisydän which is definitely worth checking out and I highly recommend visiting there! It is very rustic and built partly underground.
Next time we will for sure visit more of the parks in Finland!
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