110 km roundtrip to visit the highest point of Finland: Halti 🇫🇮🇧🇻

Doing something three times is good enough to make it a tradition, right? I have this tradition to have at least one annual sports holiday; a trip that revolves around some endurance sport. I have completed the 82 km hike called the Bear Trail and the 250 km bike ride in the Turku archipelago called the Ring Road. Now it was time for the hardest yet, not only because the 110 km hike would be the longest, I've completed and this time, I went on my own. My usual companion couldn't make it and I felt like it would be a great part of the challenge to go on my own.

I took the night train to Rovaniemi and then continued on a bus to Kilpisjärvi. The train and the bus schedules are synchronised so everything went smoothly. The trail starts just before the camping centre (retkeilykeskus). If you tell the driver, he will make sure you get off in the right place. There is an info stop where you can ask for advice, news from the trail or buy a map. I spotted my first reindeer immediately in the yard, I nearly ran into it! He didn't mind though, just grazed on.

I was bursting with energy and super eager to get some miles done on the first day. The bus arrived quite late so I only had a few hours to reach my first camping location. First, you walk around Tshahkajärvi, a lake, where you can still spot a few day campers and then continue into the wilderness. The route is extremely well marked and stomped on so you shouldn't get lost at least during the summer and autumn. In just a few kilometres, you'll cross the border to Norway though the only evidence of it is a small sign. You'll cross back to Finland shortly and find the first open wilderness hut at 12 kilometres called Saarijärvi. I stayed there my first night, I was exhausted from the train since I struggle to sleep on vehicles and it had been a windy evening which made the start of the journey more difficult. The sleep was amazing and I started my second day at full speed.

It was a beautiful short hike uphill to reach a lovely valley where you truly felt like you were alone in the best possible sense. I met a bunch of people coming back from Halti but it seemed like I was three or four days late for the rush hour which was great. The weather had been winder before I arrived and it couldn't have been better throughout my hike. The first night had been very windy so I was slipping on some rocks but otherwise, couldn't have hoped for better weather. I also didn't have any issues finding places for my tent or visiting the wilderness huts.

It's always easier to stop and stay around the huts even if you sleep in a tent because they are located near a water source, you'll always find good company and even ground there and you'll have an opportunity to cook inside or dry your clothes. I absolutely love the comradery among hikers; everyone greets you, gives you tips, shares weather and route updates and is very laid back.

The second hut is almost 10 km away from the first, it's called Kuonjarjoki. It's a very lovely, peaceful hut and I was really sad that I didn't spend the night there; it looked very tempting. But it was really early, so I stopped there for a lunch in the sun and carried on.

The following ~10 km are by far the easiest to hike on the route and then there's a hut called Meekonjärvi. It's located in a gorgeous river valley with some beautiful hills surrounding it. I was hoping I would get the chance to hike one of them for the views on my way back but alas it didn't work out like that.

The hut at Meeko was quite small and my least favourite on the trip but the camping ground was great. I had a very enjoyable night there and received some amazing news in the morning; due to winter snows, a bridge just after Meeko had collapsed some time ago and I had spent the whole beginning of the journey terrified of the possibility of a river crossing without it, however, it got completed at 11 pm the night before! I was probably among the first 10 to cross it. I was jumping with happiness. There was a small crossing already on the way to Meeko, but the one after Meeko would have been very different. The current is very strong and the river is at least 10 metres wide. I was pretty badly prepared for the river crossings because I hadn't done one before and I wasn't able to find much information on them online. In the first two days, all the people coming back from Halti were sharing what I would call horror stories of the crossings. With the smaller crossings on the route, you'll be able to just take off your shoes and wade through. Having tracking poles and rubber shoes will help you immensely!

The route got pretty rocky but also stunning, it followed the river and after the crossing, led to a waterfall called Pihtsusköngäs. There's no hut, but it is the perfect spot for lunch and where I was probably the most people on my journey. I spent some time exploring and admiring it and then continued on to Pihtsusjärvi where the next hut is located.

This stage of the journey is 30 km long. While it was beautiful, it was also the most painful. The journey out of Meeko is filled with big rocks that you walk on and the rest small, uneven rocks that are just irritating. It seemed like I had hit my toe into a rock on my way to the first hut just rushing in the wind and it was getting really sore. Just before the hut, there's a small shallow rapid that you have to cross shoeless and I was honestly near tears having to take off my shoes and exposing my sore toe to the rocks in the riverbed. It took me maybe ten minutes just to put my shoe back on with the hut insight just 200 metres in front of me. I would highly recommend bringing plastic shoes that you can wade with, I had some myself but they weren't the best for it so due to the risk of slipping, I went barefoot. Most people just had good old crocks, if the size is right, the back strap should hold them in place enough

Pihtsusjärvi has the best hut. It was huge, cosy and simply located brilliantly. You have a lovely, calm lake in front of you and Halti right at your side. Also, you are basically at the halfway point of where you drag your staff and that feels like a victory. Most of the people stop here for the night and then complete the 22 km roundtrip hike to Halti in one morning without their back bags.

It was very hot so I just ate outside and sat on the porch sunbathing. I also made a friend for life! We had partially paced together from Meeko where we stayed the night before and then decided to have a lovely chilled evening and hike Halti in the morning together. She was also on a solo tour and into all sorts of outdoor activities so what was there not to love?

We had a brilliant, sunny morning hike to Halti which was much smoother without the back bags. My toe was still bugging me but hiking without all the extra weight was very helpful. The hike is still tough, there's no sugarcoating it. The first kilometres go smoother but after another river crossing, it's only uphill occasionally balancing on huge rocks or climbing on all fours.

The top itself is brilliant, there's a rock statute that highlights where the border between Finland and Norway is and what is the highest point of Finland. Note that that's not the peak of the mountain which is not far off. Norway considered gifting the actual peak to Finland on our 100th birthday but the plan failed due to practical reasons. However, you can ''cross'' to Norway and explore it as well. On the Norwegian side, you see some more brilliant mountains that give you inspiration for your next trip. On the Finnish side, you'll see the 55 km you've just hiked and endless beautiful valleys.

Every step from thereon is a victory. We hiked down and had a short negotiation on whether to carry on. We decided that we would push on to Meeko again because we still had a bunch of daylight and some energy to go on. Also, I was quite keen to get the bit between Pihtsusjärvi hut and Pihtsusköngäs out of the way since I thought it was the most irritating part. We stopped at the waterfall again for a short break and then another after the bridge. I was taking my shoe off every chance I got. We arrived at Meeko around 10 pm and I just sat on the ground, took my shoes off and had a moment to myself. Exhausted, we put up our tents exactly where we were and went to lie down.

The following day was nice and cool and we opted to simply hike to the next hut, Kuonarjoki where I had wanted to stay anyway and crash in it for the day. We arrived already around noon, made lunch and made our beds in the hut. I had a nap! We put the fire on and had a very enjoyable, relaxed afternoon and night.

On our last day, we hiked back to Saarijärvi where we had lunch and continued on to Kilpisjärvi. I got to meet another cute reindeer face-to-face in the last kilometres. There's also a secret gem: something called the Saana boat, named after the mountain in front of it. Apparently, it's the Instagram thing/logo for visiting the mountain. It's right by Tshahkajärvi, you just have to walk on the shore so you'll just have to walk right by it a bit off the track. There was another rainbow over it but it doesn't show properly in this photo.

My newest friend went to school with the guy who owns the camping centre so we drove over and got some great rooms. We were both early on our schedule due to our great efforts on the way so we spend a couple of days back bag free just enjoying ourselves. I visited the point where Finland, Sweden and Norway meet; a cute yellow blob in the middle of the lake that you can circle around.

There were also hundreds of reindeer. You can access the point from Kilpisjärvi by either crossing Malla (a small mountain by the shore) or by ferry. You can also go one way and come back the other.

On our last day, we hiked a hill called Salmivaara located in the middle of the strait with fabulous views. The hike is family-friendly and quite nice.

I caught the bus again back to Rovaniemi where I stayed the night and then took the morning train to Helsinki. The day trains are faster because the night train also acts as a cargo and car train.

It was a brilliant trip, I felt super empowered and proud of myself and so glad to have met someone like-minded. I used a similar packing list that I had for the Bear Trail, but I would add that I recommend (highly) that you use trekking poles and have some wading shoes. I recommend them being the same shoes you use for camp life.

All the best,

Mira

Ps. On this route, you won't have cell service anywhere in the middle. The service stops latest at the second hut Kuonarjoki and you'll get some on top of Halti. So let people know that you won't be reachable for a couple of days. There are spots where you'll be able to divert from the route and call for help if necessary. There are also several places where a medical helicopter can land so don't worry about that.

What to bring with you:

-trekking poles (my new addition to the list)

-sleeping bag; it gets quite cold at night and can be very damp

-sleeping mattress

-tent: no guarantee that you can get into the huts. also, a tent might be more comfortable

-mosquito hat: better be safe than sorry

-raincoat: I had two. One sporty for drizzle and one hardcore. I also had rain trousers

-camp cooker aka Trangia (and something to wash it with) plus cutlery, matches, Sinoli

-enough dry layers, you must change into a full dry bottom layer during breaks or you will get ill. I had spare t-shirts, trousers and a small down jacket that I never hiked with so that I always had dry things to change into

-hiking boots that you have walked in

-blister plasters and a 1st aid kit

-enough snacks in your pockets, you will burn around 3 000 to 3 500 calories a day

-two to three pairs of socks per day

- your own toilet paper and wet wipes

-a beanie or a hat

-towel

-a seat cushion will help you during lunch etc

-camp shoes: after a long day it's nice to walk around camp with lighter shoes. These should also be suitable for wading through the water if you have to cross rivers.

- water bag or enough water bottles to carry at least 1,5 litres at one time

- power bank: the huts don't have electricity

-sports watch or something to track kilometres with

-cash or a card

-remember your car keys, and parking ticket (which we left in the car) and download the Finnish 112 app