Snowshoeing in Utsjoki
Illustration photo: an open snowfield at dusk, not from the Utsjoki trips.
The short answer
Book Travel Utsjoki's walk if you want the fells of Paistunturi with a guide who adjusts the route to your group. Arrange the free pick-up the day before if you are staying near the village, and come in warm boots, since the snowshoes strap onto your own.
The one guided snowshoe walk we found sold in Utsjoki is Travel Utsjoki’s, into the Paistunturi wilderness.
Where it goes
Paistunturi is a wilderness of about 1,500 square kilometres of rolling fells cut by river valleys, with few marked trails and more than 6,000 reindeer grazing in the area herded by the Sámi. The guide shapes the walk to the group: an easy walk in snowy forest or by a frozen river, or a longer and more demanding hike on the fells, for two to three hours of walking in all. The price, 120 euros each, includes the rental snowshoes and hot drinks.1
Getting to the start
The company collects you from anywhere within ten kilometres of Utsjoki village if you arrange it the day before; otherwise you meet at the car park of the Uulan Säätö shopping centre in the village. Further out than that, you need your own way there.
Tours you can book
Three hours on snowshoes across the tundra
Run by Travel Utsjoki
From €120per person
Length3 h
Book now on GetYourGuide(opens in a new tab)
Questions people ask
What will we see?
The company mentions willow grouse, red fox, hare, reindeer and hawks as possible sightings, and even wolverine tracks, and says that anyone you meet will probably be a reindeer herder or a fisherman at work. None of it is promised; the silence of an uninhabited, roadless area is what the listing describes with most confidence.
Do we need extra clothing?
The company says it can arrange extra clothing if you tell it what you need, and the listing's own list of things to bring is warm clothing, water and warm shoes. If you choose the longer fell route, dress in layers you can open on the climbs and close again on the way down.
What if we cancel?
The listing, as we read it, allows free cancellation until 24 hours before the start, and the full price is due after that. If you move the walk to another day instead of cancelling it, remember that the pick-up is arranged separately with the company and has to be rearranged for the new date as well.