Lemmenjoki National Park is Finland’s largest national park and one of the most extensive wilderness areas in Europe — a 2,850 km² expanse of pristine boreal forest, vast open fells, and the wild Lemmenjoki River valley in Finnish Lapland that has been home to Sámi reindeer herders for centuries and remains one of the best places in Europe to experience genuine Arctic wilderness. Together with the adjacent Øvre Anárjohka National Park in Norway, Lemmenjoki forms one of the largest contiguous protected areas on the continent — a roadless kingdom where brown bears, wolverines, golden eagles, and the Sámi reindeer culture continue largely as they have for millennia.
Quick Facts: Lemmenjoki National Park
- Best time to visit: June–September for hiking and river boating under the midnight sun; September for the autumn colours (ruska); March–April for cross-country skiing and aurora viewing
- Size: 2,850 km² — Finland’s largest national park
- How to get there: ~4 hours from Rovaniemi by car; the park entrance is near the village of Inari/Njávdán; accessible by bus from Rovaniemi to Inari
- Best experience: A riverboat trip up the Lemmenjoki River to the Ravadas Falls gold-panning area, or a multi-day hike on the marked trails through the fells
Lemmenjoki National Park is the best destination for those who enjoy hiking. It is the biggest National Park in Finland, and also one of the largest in the whole Europe’s most extensive uninhabited and roadless backwoods. There are campfire places, marked trails, rental and open wilderness huts in the basic zone of the National Park to make trekking easier. A boat trip in the wilderness-like valley of Lemmenjoki River is an experience in itself.
Lemmenjoki National Park borders on Övre Anarjokka National Park in Norway. In addition to nature conservation, the park is also important to wilderness trekking and reindeer herding.
In the Lemmenjoki National Park one can find great rivers alternate with forests. The reasonably permanent populations of the Brown Bear and the Golden Eagle indicate the wilderness-like nature of the National Park. The Moose population is abundant, considering the arctic conditions of the Northern Lapland.
View Lemmenjoki National Park – the biggest national park of Finland and one of the largest in Europe in a larger map
Have you experienced the wilderness of Lemmenjoki or discovered Sámi Lapland? Share your Arctic adventures in the comments! 🦌
Discover more Finland travel guides and natural wonders of Europe.
