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Snowshoeing with children in Ruka: what works for a family

A small group with poles snowshoeing in single file along a trail through a snowy forest

Illustration photo: a group on snowshoes, not on the Ruka walks.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

With a toddler, book the family walk that pulls small children in a heated sledge. With children of five and over and no winter clothing, the three-hour daytime hike that lends an outfit. With children of six and over who can walk two kilometres, the Oulanka walk to the rapids. With children of eight and over, a private walk on the fell beside Ruka at their own pace.

How the operators compare

Prices are the operators' own published starting prices as of the date this guide was updated, and they change through the season.

Adventure Apes: family walkRuka Safaris: daytime hikeRuka Adventures: OulankaMyTrail: private fell walk
Youngest 2 5 6 8
Child fare €49 (2 to 17) €52 (5 to 11) €60 (4 to 11) €80 (8 to 17)
Small children Heated sledge Walk Walk, about 2 km Walk, route to suit
Winter clothing Not stated Included Your own Your own
Getting there Meet at the lodge Not stated Driven to Juuma Short transfer

No cell is marked: the right walk depends on the child's age and how far they can walk. The age bands are the ones each seller prints.

Where these figures come from
  • Adventure Apes: family walk: Two and a half hours on an easy route from the company's lodge, with small children pulled in a heated sledge.
  • Ruka Safaris: daytime hike: Three hours with a warm drink break, and a winter outfit for everyone.
  • Ruka Adventures: Oulanka: About two kilometres to the Myllykoski rapids, with hot chocolate by an old mill.
  • MyTrail: private fell walk: Two to four hours on the fells beside Ruka for your family alone, with the route tailored to you.

With children, a snowshoe walk around Ruka is chosen by the youngest child’s age, because that is where the walks differ most.

Toddlers

Adventure Apes’ family walk takes children from two. It follows an easy route from the company’s lodge, tells the children stories about the forest animals and pulls the smallest in a heated sledge, with infant seats available.1

From five and six

Ruka Safaris’ daytime hike takes children from five, stops for a warm drink and lends everyone a winter outfit.2 Ruka Adventures’ Oulanka walk takes children from six. It covers about two kilometres to the Myllykoski rapids, and the company calls it suitable for families.3

From eight

MyTrail’s private walk on the fells beside Ruka takes children from eight, and because the family has the guide to itself, MyTrail tailors the route and its length to the party and the conditions.4

The longer walks are compared on the best snowshoe tour in Ruka, and what each walk costs a family on snowshoe tour prices in Ruka.

Tours you can book

  • A three-hour daytime snowshoe hike with a warm drink break, winter outfit included

    Run by Ruka Safaris

    From €85per person

    Length3 h

    Listed on the operator’s own site · Price read Sep 28, 2026

    See it on the operator’s site(opens in a new tab)

  • About 2 km on snowshoes to the Myllykoski rapids in Oulanka, with hot chocolate by an old mill

    Run by Ruka Adventures

    From €100per person

    Length2.8–3 h

    Listed on the operator’s own site · Price read Sep 28, 2026

    See it on the operator’s site(opens in a new tab)

  • A private snowshoe walk on the fells beside Ruka, two to four hours for your group only

    Run by MyTrail Finland

    From €130per person

    Length2.5–4.5 h

    Listed on the operator’s own site · Price read Sep 28, 2026

    See it on the operator’s site(opens in a new tab)

Questions people ask

Do teenagers pay the adult fare?

It depends on the seller. Adventure Apes and MyTrail charge the child fare up to seventeen, while Ruka Safaris counts everyone from twelve as an adult and Ruka Adventures' child band stops at eleven. A family with a fourteen-year-old therefore pays less on the heated-sledge walk and the private fell walk than on the two shared walks from the safari companies.

What do children get to eat and drink?

Something on every walk here except the private fell walk, whose listing prints no food. Adventure Apes serves a snack, Ruka Safaris stops for a warm drink and hands out hiking snacks, and Ruka Adventures serves hot chocolate and pastries by the old mill in Oulanka. On the private walk, ask MyTrail whether to bring your own.

What if we have to cancel because a child is ill?

Check before paying. Adventure Apes' bookings are non-refundable. MyTrail keeps the whole price inside three days, half inside a week and a tenth inside two weeks. Ruka Adventures keeps all of it inside a week and half inside two weeks, and Ruka Safaris keeps all of it inside fourteen days, so travel insurance matters for the last two.

Written by

Lapland Handbook Staff

Lapland Handbook is written by its editorial staff in Rovaniemi. Every price, age limit and group size in a comparison is read from the operator's own page and marked "Not stated" when the operator does not publish it. Each guide names who should not book, and names the operator that suits each kind of group, whichever it is.

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