Urho Kekkonen National Park
Encyclopedia
Urho Kekkonen National Park is a national park
in Lapland, Finland
. Established in 1983 and covering 2550 square kilometres (985 sq mi), it is one of Finland's largest protected areas. It is named after Urho Kekkonen
, former President and Prime Minister of Finland.
The Suomujoki river flows through the northern parts of the diverse park. The marked paths in its western part are an easy destination even for the inexperienced backpacker, whereas the wilderness is good for long and demanding trips.
Most trips to Urho Kekkonen National Park are started from the Kiilopää fell
center, the Aittajärvi lake along the Suomujoki river, or Raja-Jooseppi, and backpackers usually end up nearby the Saariselkä
fell line, for instance on the top of its highest fell, Sokosti.
Reindeer keeping is still a common livelihood in the area.
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
in Lapland, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. Established in 1983 and covering 2550 square kilometres (985 sq mi), it is one of Finland's largest protected areas. It is named after Urho Kekkonen
Urho Kekkonen
Urho Kaleva Kekkonen , was a Finnish politician who served as Prime Minister of Finland and later as the eighth President of Finland . Kekkonen continued the “active neutrality” policy of his predecessor President Juho Kusti Paasikivi, a doctrine which came to be known as the “Paasikivi–Kekkonen...
, former President and Prime Minister of Finland.
The Suomujoki river flows through the northern parts of the diverse park. The marked paths in its western part are an easy destination even for the inexperienced backpacker, whereas the wilderness is good for long and demanding trips.
Most trips to Urho Kekkonen National Park are started from the Kiilopää fell
Fell
“Fell” is a word used to refer to mountains, or certain types of mountainous landscape, in Scandinavia, the Isle of Man, and parts of northern England.- Etymology :...
center, the Aittajärvi lake along the Suomujoki river, or Raja-Jooseppi, and backpackers usually end up nearby the Saariselkä
Saariselkä
Saariselkä is a mountain area and a village in Finland. It is a popular tourist destination, providing activities such as skiing, hiking and a spa. It is located in Northern Lapland and belongs to the Inari municipality....
fell line, for instance on the top of its highest fell, Sokosti.
Reindeer keeping is still a common livelihood in the area.