Savukoski today: weather, the Kivitunturi and Nuortti trails in summer, where to see Korvatunturi, where to eat and aurora chance.
Kivitunturi nature trail: Kivitunturi is reached by driving 3.7 km from the centre of Savukoski towards Pelkosenniemi and then 10 km along a forest road; the last 0.8 km is a narrow road that is not ploughed in winter. Park at the Kivitunturi car park. The trail is made up of two loops that partly overlap: the shorter loop is 5.9 km and moderately demanding, and taking the harder loop via Sotsonportti brings the total to 9.5 km. Allow 3–6 hours. There are many climbs, steps and rocky stretches, and you cross the Pirunkuru gorge on a metal bridge with a grating floor. There is a lean-to shelter by Äitipetäjänlampi pond. Metsähallitus no longer maintains the cooking shelter and toilet at Sotsonportti. It is a summer trail.
Nuortti hiking trail: A marked 47.1 km wilderness trail along the Nuorttijoki river, for a hike of 2–3 days on foot in summer. It is fairly demanding because of its length and remoteness. The trail runs close to the national border, next to the border zone, and is waymarked with orange paint. You cross the river twice: at the turning point on the Kolsankoski suspension bridge, and at Haukinivat by wading when the water is low, holding on to a crossing cable, which is removed for the winter. When the water is high, come back the same way on the same side of the river. Along the trail there are open wilderness huts and the Kärekeoja and Hirvashauta huts, which you book in advance. Some structures in Urho Kekkonen National Park are no longer maintained, so check Metsähallitus’ page before you set off. The trail starts at the Haukijärvenoja car park, about 100 km from Savukoski.
Korvatunturi: Visiting the Korvatunturinmurusta viewpoint means a 107 km drive from Savukoski to Kemihaara and then a hike of 2–3 days: from Kemihaara, at the edge of Urho Kekkonen National Park, a marked trail leads to the viewpoint, from where Korvatunturi can be seen in good weather. The trail is 40.7 km there and back. It has no winter maintenance, and you return the same way. The 486 m fell itself stands in the border zone on the Russian border. To go all the way to Korvatunturi you need a border zone permit from the Finnish Border Guard, and local guides apply for it on your behalf. Before Korvatunturinmurusta a path branches off into the border zone, which is marked in yellow in the terrain: do not follow it without a permit. Korvatunturi is known as Santa Claus’s home fell, in the words of the municipality of Savukoski. In winter, according to the municipality, local tourism businesses take visitors there by snowmobile.
Puistola local history museum: Puistola, the home of Väinö and Hilda Halonen completed in 1947, stands in the middle of the village by the Kemijoki river and has been a local history museum since the summer of 1998. The exhibitions show a 1950s home, the salmon of the Kemijoki, reindeer herding in Kemin-Sompio and Savukoski, and logging work. In summer 2027 the museum is open regularly in June and July; in the winter season 2026–2027 it opens for groups booked in advance. At other times you can look round the museum yard on your own.
Salpa Line duckboard trail: The northern end of the Salpa Line, the Finnish defence line built during the Second World War, is in Savukoski. A restored trail of 1.2 km, 0.8 km of it on duckboards, starts at the Sarvilampi rest area, 1.5 km along the road from Savukoski to Salla. Along the way you pass two restored fortifications: a Finnish guard post from 1940 and a German observation and machine-gun post from 1944. The trail is easy. The Sarvilampi bird tower is nearby.
Martti and the upper Kemijoki: Martti is a small village about 27 km from the centre of Savukoski, where the Värriöjoki river joins the Kemijoki. The Korvatunturi road runs through the village and follows the Kemijoki up to Kemihaara. The Kemijoki at Martti is a popular fishing spot, known for its natural stocks of grayling, whitefish and brown trout. You need a separate permit for the Martti stretch of the Kemijoki, and unless you are exempt you must also pay the national fisheries management fee. You can buy the permit and pay the fee online. Check age-based exemptions on Eräluvat (eraluvat.fi), Metsähallitus’ online permit shop. Reindeer herding and forestry are the main livelihoods in the village.
Samperi’s locomotive in Tulppio: In the early 1910s Hugo Richard Sandberg, known locally as Samperi, ordered two crawler locomotives from America for his logging operation, which the municipality calls the first mechanised logging operation in Lapland. The first load was hauled on 21 February 1913. One of the locomotives was restored by the municipality of Savukoski in 1988 and moved beside the old locomotive road in Tulppio, about 90 km from the village, where it stands on a concrete base under a shelter. The other is in the forest museum in Rovaniemi.
Hotel-Restaurant Samperin Savotta: Riverside hotel, restaurant and café on the Kemijoki.
Lyytin Puoti ja Pubi: Village grill food, pub, coffee and buns; kiosk and post too.