The Berkeley Guides:
Berkeley Guide to Europe:
Finland:
Northern Finland
Northern Finland is often called Europe's last wilderness, a region of vast forests, fells, and great silences. The Arctic Circle bisects the area; to the south lie the port town of Oulu, surrounded by farmland, and the Kuusamo region, where Lapland's tundra blends into the waterways of the Lake Region. Hikers trek north to experience summer's surreal midnight sun and the aurora borealis, leaving the train behind at Kemijärvi.
The trekking gets hardest in Finland's most mountainous region, along the Norwegian border in western Lapland. The city of Rovaniemi provides the best access to western Lapland and to Sweden and Norway. Beyond the puny villages of Ivalo and Inari, north of Lake Inarinjärvi, the trees thin out and then disappear, and you'll see why Lapland is often referred to as "the other Finland"--the cultivated south bears no resemblance to the sparse and isolated north.
Before you strap on your trekking boots, contact Metsähallitus (Etiäinen, Napapiiri, 96930 Rovaniemi, tel. 960/362-926) in Santa Claus Village for maps or referrals to specific park information centers. You can also try the Finnish Forest and Park Service (Box 36, SF-99801, Ivalo, tel. 9697/663-601) for the same information.
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