Pieni Karhunkierros / Small Bear Loop – Oulanka National Park
Pieni Karhunkierros / Small Bear Loop – Oulanka National Park
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2,213
hikers
Pieni Karhunkierros / Small Bear Loop – Oulanka National Park
03:36
11.7km
140m
Hiking
The Bear Circuit - Finnish: Karhunkierros - is a popular trekking route in the beautiful Oulanka National Park. But we don't want to send you that far, because it's quite long at around 80 kilometers. Instead, we'll just take you on the Little Bear Tour, which is about twelve kilometers long and can be easily done as a leisurely day or half-day tour. Along the way you will always find rustic, open wooden huts with fireplaces. So pack some food to grill.
The circular hike starts at the car park or the Juuma Retkietappi bus stop. After a few hundred meters you pass the Kitkajoki over a swinging suspension bridge, which is really fun. It is precisely this flow that accompanies you again and again today. The path meanders sometimes closer, sometimes further away along the rippling water. After a good three kilometers you can make out the rushing Jyrävä, a beautiful waterfall where the Kitkajoki falls over a small cascade. There is also a hut here to take a break.
You follow the course of the river via the elevated path, which spoils you with first-class views. Soon you are again in front of a suspension bridge that stretches picturesquely over the river. On the other side you will see several wooden crates in the forest. If you have something to grill with you, this is just the right opportunity for a crackling fire.
A short climb will get you going again. You hike through a fragrant forest area, past small lakes and soon come across a crossroads that you already know from the way there. From here it is only about two kilometers back to the starting point.
by Ruka-Kuusamo
Last updated: November 13, 2024
Waypoints
Start point
Bus stop
Get Directions
298 m
Niskakoski Suspension Bridge
Highlight • Bridge
Translated by Google •
Tip by
3.23 km
Jyrävä Falls
Highlight • Waterfall
Tip by
4.90 km
View of the Kitka River
Highlight • Viewpoint
Tip by
7.05 km
Haarisuvanto Suspension Bridge
Highlight • Bridge
Tip by
7.26 km
Wooden hut with fire pit
Highlight • Mountain Hut
Tip by
11.7 km
End point
Bus stop
Way Types & Surfaces
Way Types
6.72 km
4.92 km
< 100 m
Surfaces
11.2 km
419 m
< 100 m
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Elevation
Highest point (240 m)
Lowest point (170 m)
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Weather
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Friday 8 May
13°C
-2°C
0 %
Additional weather tips
Max wind speed: 12.0 km/h
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This route was planned by komoot.
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Trail Reviews
Possible for people with slight walking difficulties, the path is gravelled, there are boardwalks and many stairs, so you have to overcome a maximum height of 20cm, so you don't have to climb, overcome scree fields or anything like that, if the 1st km works, the rest should work too
Want more? You can find more information about nature and sights to the right and left of this hiking trail in my hiking book "Finland's National Parks - Hiking in the Pearls of the North". There you will find over 500 pages of accompanying background information on 1,000 kilometers on foot through all of Finland's national parks. My motto: "Walk - See - Understand". Write to me and ask!
Beautiful round but a lot of hikers. The adjacent parking spaces full. On a weekday !!
One of the most beautiful hikes we have done in Finland. Relatively well attended on weekends.
Along roaring rivers, up and down hills, hiked the “little bear circuit” through the national park in wonderful weather. A fantastically good hiking area. Highly recommended. 👍
Easy walk in nice weather in August. Very popular with spectacular views
Again from the side of the DAV Summit Club: The Bear Tour - called Karhunkierros in Finnish - is the most famous hiking route in Finland, crosses the Oulanka National Park and crosses the Finnish forests for about 80 kilometers. A fantastic day of snowshoeing on the most beautiful section of the Karhunkierro awaits us today - the little bear tour. The Oulankajoki River winds through a rock ledge. The rapids and waterfalls are deeply frozen and covered in powder snow. It's a fantastic hike through the shady canyon where the ice has created a world of its own in blue, green and yellow. Ice grottos, ice slides and large washed-out river basins form an unreal landscape.
At km 6.4 there is a steep climb over steps. The descent after that is not difficult. The loop is probably easier the other way around.
Comments
February 24, 2023
The Bear Circuit - Finnish: Karhunkierros - is a popular trekking route in the beautiful Oulanka National Park. But we don't want to send you that far, because it's quite long at around 80 kilometers. Instead, we'll just take you on the Little Bear Tour, which is about twelve kilometers long and can
Translated by Google •
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